Pushing My Body

Since I started running just over a year ago I have surprised myself on a regular basis on what my body can do. When I started to run I could hardly run around the block without getting a stitch and I would walk, run, walk, run. Now I am running a 10k race without stopping, I even ran a half marathon without stopping. Yes I slowed down but I kept on going. My body has learnt to run and it had learnt how to take it.

I thought I had got to a pace in which I was going to stay at with running, I had my pace, but that was until I joined the local running group. One of the leaders told me that you can increase your pace with training and you don't get to your peak running pace until 5 years after you start, if you are continuing to run. This gave me motivation to get faster, to train hard and push my body. And it is feeling it.

Then on Thursday I went to my first CrossFit session that is run by one of the running group leaders. I was nervous and a little bit unsure on what to expect. I had googled CrossFit and I wasn't sure if I was looking at the right things but went there thinking it'll be fun to do something new. The CrossFit 'Box' is on an industrial estate and is stripped back with no mirrors, very simplistic, all about the workout.

The session was explained to me and it literally went over my head and I was just hoping I would pick it up as we went along, and I did. It was a really tough session and it pushed my body to limits that I haven't pushed it to before but it felt good. I have never been a push up person and I honestly thought I couldn't do a push up but on Thursday night I did over 125!! 

We started the session with a warm up then some exercises, one including jumping up to a bar and then pulling my knees up to my chest. When I was asked to jump up to the bar I thought I wouldn't be able to do it and that if I tried I would make a right idiot out of myself but I tried, and did it. After this we did some snatch exercises which killed my legs and then it was onto the tough bit, a 300m run and 25 push ups - 5 times for 25 minutes. So we had to get the run and push ups into that 5 minutes and the remainder of the 5 minutes was rest until you start again. The first one was tough because as I said I thought I didn't do push ups. The second was worse and then the third I thought I would never get through, my arms felt like jelly and they burnt. The time to recover was getting less but by the time I had done 4 and 5 it felt good. It was so incredibly tough and I felt like my body was falling apart but I was pushing myself in a good way and I loved it. I was getting a feeling of accomplishment so that kept me going, I didn't want to fail.

Now the day after I couldn't lift my arms above my head and my core muscles in my stomach ached every time I got up from a chair, but what my body did that night amazes me. Now only 2 years ago I did no exercise, I would walk to the supermarket which was 10 minutes away and then I sometimes drove it. And now I am doing things I never thought I could do.

It's addictive as you want to do more and see what more you body can do, so I will continue and I will push and I am hoping to get the best out of my body that I can. I don't know if we will have any more children so I am going to work on myself now, and the time I get running and at these classes is about me and I feel like I am getting a little of myself back. 

I owe a huge thank you to my husband for that as he comes in from work and I walk straight out the door to work out and he doesn't mind. And even if he does mind he doesn't let me know, so he is amazing for letting me get some of myself back and for letting me see what my body can do.