Pushing the Limits: A Half Marathon Experience

This post is way over due.. It’s been just over a month since I completed the NYC United Airlines Half Marathon on March 15th, and I have to say it was the hardest, most rewarding experience of my life. Not only was I able to contribute to the $77,000+ raised for the Michael J. Fox Foundation (THANK YOU TO ALL THE AMAZING PEOPLE WHO DONATED!!), I also learned the true meaning of “pushing the limits”.

I started training for the race about a month before the big day. This meant no Muay Thai or Luta Livre, just strictly running. I was traveling for work, so most of my running was done on a treadmill, alternating 10k and 5k days. I ran outside as much as possible, especially when I got back to New York.

I have to say I was pretty naive about the whole thing. I had never ran 13.1 miles before and for some reason I thought that if I could run half the distance and feel okay, I could run the whole thing and be fine- really tired, but fine. My time estimate was 2:15:00. I finished in 2:12 and some change (including 2 bathroom breaks). My overall running time being about 2:01:00.

So, I got one thing right; however, the physical experience was nothing I could have imagined. Around mile 9, I literally thought I was not going to be able to finish. Everything hurt, even my insides. I was nauseous, dizzy and about one gust of wind from falling over. I have to say, when you feel your body reaching a breaking point, it’s hard to keep your mental game.

Usually when I’m running, I make lists, ponder quantum physics theories, analyze a dream I had the night before, day dream about the cute guy I met the other weekend-whatever. It helps me pass the time like a movie. At mile nine- there was nothing. All I could do was focus on the facts, which weren’t very positive or motivating. As I came up on a girl who was walking, I was tempted to join her defeated march until I saw her body lurch painstakingly back into a jog almost as pitiful as mine. At that moment I knew that if I was going to finish this race, I couldn’t stop. I held onto that fact, that one not-so-negative fact, and it kept me going- so much that I sprinted the last 2 miles (and didn’t die).

Now that I am back into my regular routine of training, I have noticed that I can push myself further. Mental blocks that once existed are no longer present. Yes, I still get tired and rest, but not as frequently. Running the NYC Half helped me discover what my true abilities are, how much is mind over matter. I now have a new perspective of my physical tolerance and it has changed my training for the better.

I’m not saying we should work out until we pass out or injure ourselves, but my experience has personally affirmed that you don’t know your limits until you reach them. That being said, I am committing myself to two “seemingly impossible” fitness challenges a year. Who wants to join?

My First Half Marathon

I have officially signed up for the NYC United Airlines Half Marathon on March 15th. My first ever– yikes!

Not only will I be running for the personal challenge, I will also be running for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The opportunity to give back to others through one of my biggest passions (all things fitness) is extremely exciting.

When signing up for the 2015 NYC half, I chose the MJF Parkinson’s foundation for two reasons, the first being that its cause has a personal tie to my family. My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his early 60s and has been struggling with this terrible disease for almost 20 years. The pain and sadness it has brought on himself and my family is nothing I would wish for anyone.

My second reason for choosing the MJFF is because the physical effects of Parkinson’s disease have a deeper meaning to me. A huge part of my training involves agility, stability and proper, controlled form. The thought of losing my motor skills and balance makes me feel for those who have lost these abilities, but also motivates me to perfect my form.

For the next 32 days I will be posting my training efforts / diet / and other miscellaneous running factoids here and on my instagram ( @red_rumson ). Feel free to send any tips!

My goal is to finish this half marathon in no more than 2 hours. Here we go.

Does Superman Take a Rest Day?

What is the true physical limit of the human body?  As an active individual I like to humor myself by proclaiming its capabilities limitless, but we all know this is a farce, and no matter how superman-like we feel after leaving the gym, we eventually need to take a pause for recovery.

I scroll through the motivational posts of the trainers, fighters, and athletes I follow on Instagram, noting how much physical activity they put into each week, and I can’t help but think that I am not pushing myself enough– that I haven’t truly reached my limit.

One chick that I follow on Instagram does weight training, Muay Thai, Crossfit and yoga. She’s a personal trainer and is f***ing shredded. I work out 5-6 times a week (half Muay Thai training, half weight training) and by mid week my body is “strung out”, causing my athletic performance/technique for the rest of the week to be… subpar. Why? After turning this problem over and over in my head I can only determine one culprit:

M     E     N     T     A     L          E     X     H     A     U     S     T     I     O     N

I think we can all agree that the mind is one of the most powerful tools in our body. It’s the factor that ultimately determines whether you push through to the finish line or hang back in the dust of failure. When your head isn’t in it, your body isn’t either- no vice versa.

I’m finding not only is it important to have a positive mindset, but also to have a well rested mind (hello Captain Obvious..). This means adequate sleep and a good stress management system.

I’d like to think that I can lift in the morning, go to work, train for Muay Thai, and hang out with my friends/go on a date all in one day– which is basically what I have been doing for the past 2 years- but 5 hours of sleep really just doesn’t cut it. Yes, I can function living like this, but not to my fullest potential. What’s the point in putting the effort in if I’m not going to reap all the benefits?

As mentioned in previous posts, I am absolutely terrible at managing stress. Lack of sleep is probably a contributing factor.. so is my job, but that is a topic for another day. The point is, I am making a commitment to myself to treat my body & mind right and give it the adequate rest it needs so I can kick ass like Superman.

What happened to week 5? -Wait pie!?

Oops.. If it’s any consolation, I did in fact complete my 5 week Muay Thai challenge and have continued training four times a week since. My updates are below.

Now, onto more exciting news…. PIE🙂 🙂

Being the start of fall aka pie season, I thought it only fitting to make a gluten-free, butter-free almond plum pie with an almond butter crust. And when I say butter I mean the nut butter- not almonds and butter.

Ingredients include the following:

Crust: crunchy salted almond butter, coconut oil, stevia, egg whites & gluten-free flour blend, vanilla extract

Filling: Plums, chopped almonds, crunchy salted almond butter, egg whites, coconut sugar, cinnamon

One thing I love about pie is that it is incredibly easy to make healthy/clean -and it’s fun to eat :p So, you can expect to see a plethora of sweet and savory pie recipes in the weeks to follow. “Excited” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel right now 😝

~~~

Muay Thai result analysis:

Pros:
– My punches and kicks are stronger
– My obliques are as well
– My muscular endurance has improved
– The people I train with are awesome

Cons:
– My abs are not as strong as they used to be
– I’ve lost mass in my shoulders, despite gain in strength
– Though still fit, I’m not as lean as I used to be

In the end of the day, I love training Muay Thai. Period. Since that’s not going to change, I want to bring back some weight training into my weekly routine. So here’s the plan:

Monday: Boxing
Tuesday: Muay Thai
Wednesday: Weights: upper body
Thursday: Muay Thai
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Muay Thai
Sunday: Weights- lower body

Give me two weeks for trial and I’ll get back to you.

Until next time!

-Red Rumson

Muay Thai Challenge: Week Three

I can’t believe my challenge is already half way over! Not to be premature, but I’m pretty sure I prefer Muay Thai training over lifting 😬 so it looks like the conclusion of these five weeks is only the beginning 🙂

Stats for the week:
Weight: 129lbs
Chest: 36″
Waist: 27″
Lower waist: 31.5″
Hips: 38″

Food:
This week was indeed a redemption week. My meals were clean, I ate plenty of vegetables and I even made time for some recipes! (see previous posts)

Right now I am working on a recipe for the perfect vegan, gluten free (and mostly sugar free) peanut butter cookies. I am so close it’s almost agonizing. Hopefully I will have an update before next week’s post 🙂

On to week four!!

-Red Rumson

“Healthy” Reese’s Mounds

As promised.. A RECIPE!

What are these delectable, orgasm-in-your-mouth treats? I call them Reese’s Mounds Aesthetically, they aren’t perfect, but hey- perfect is sooo last season.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider these treats to be super healthy, but they are certainly better for you than store-bought (assuming you can resist eating the remaining jar of peanut butter).

On to the good stuff…

Ingredients:
– 1/2c Natural Peanut Butter or PB2 or Better n’ Peanut Butter
– 1/4c stevia or other sugar substitute
– 1/4c Coconut sugar
– Dash of salt
– 2 Tbsp Coco Powder
– 2 Tbsp Coconut oil
– 2 Tbsp Agave

Directions:
1) Mix together PB, stevia, coconut sugar and salt
2) Roll dough into 1″ balls
3) Freeze for at least 45 min
4) Melt coconut oil in saucepan
5) Turn off flame and stir in coco powder and agave
6) Dip frozen balls in chocolate sauce and replace in freezer for at least 10 min

I poured the excess chocolate sauce over the mounds- hence sloppiness- because it’s that good.

And that’s it! Prepare your tastebuds because you have probably never had anything so close to a real Reese’s Cup before 🙂

Enjoy!

– Red Rumson

Muay Thai Challenge: Week Two

Week two is officially complete! Strength and endurance-wise I can definitely feel the progress. Skill-wise, I have a long way to go, but I am definitely learning a lot of great techniques. I think my biggest weakness is keeping my head in the zone. Training sessions have a much faster pace than weight training and are obviously a lot more complex.

I feel like despite all the knees and kicks we do in class, I’m still getting more of an upper boys workout so I’ve decided to throw in a leg day on Fridays or Sundays just to keep my booty in check 🙂

As far as good goes, I was pretty good at keeping clean except for the ass-ton of cake I had for a co-worker’s birthday (oops). It was from Tous Les Jours in Korea Town and only those of you who know what that is will understand.

My roommate’s awesome boyfriend was in town this weekend too so add a few drinks to my list of “cheats” … Oh and pre-dinner white bread (perfect for someone gluten intolerant)… Okay fine- this week was not my finest.

To some of you this may seem crazy. The words “she’s insane, she doesn’t need to lose weight” might be going through your head. But for me, it’s not about that. It’s about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t commit to it nor will I be where I want to be in the future. I am committed to this challenge so my actions need to reflect that 100%.

Stats for this week:

Weight: 131(morning, before breakfast)
Chest measurement: 36″
Waist measurement: 27″
Lower waist: 31.5″ (down 1/2″- woo!)
Hips: 28″

So, this week is a new week: Week Three aka Week of Redemption. Let’s do this.

PS- not sure why all my progress pics came out so grainy, but this is the best I could get..

Oh my! A recipe: Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

I have struck gold- according to my taste buds at least. Saturdays I have Muay Thai training @11am, so it is no surprise I found myself in need of some serious sustenance this beautiful afternoon. Protein? Yes.. Peanut Butter? A must.. Let’s make it chewable.. Pancakes? YES.

Now, I’m not going to be one of those bloggers that writes a novel before you get to the good stuff so here it is:

Heathy Banana Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes:

• 1c. Gluten Free Oatmeal, ground (or other GF flour)
• 4 Tbsp Egg Whites
• 1 Tbsp Almond Butter (or Peanut butter if your want to get really PB crazy)
• 1 Banana, sliced
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 – 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
• Stevia to taste
• Almond Milk to consistency
• Low sodium Better N’ Peanut Butter or Natural Peanut Butter

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients, except almond butter and PB together. You can choose to leave your bananas chunky or puree them.
2. Slowly add almond butter until batter has a soup-like consistency
3. Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Once hot, turn to medium heat
4. Pour batter into pan to make roughly 5″ diameter pancakes
5. When pancakes start to bubble, flip and let cook for 2-3 more min
6. Top with peanut butter. I used an icing bag, but for those who are without, a knife will do.
7. Serve with a Peanut Butter Mocha Protein Shake and your life will be complete 🙂

Enjoy!

Here we go…

It’s officially cutting season and when I say ‘cutting’ I mean getting ripped. The good news is, there’s not much I need to change about my diet and exercise, as it’s already part of my lifestyle. This is how I plan on transitioning from bulking to cutting:

1) Switch from high weight, low rep to low weight, high rep
2) Cardio three days a week post workout. This could be a one mile sprint, 5k run, or jumping rope for 10 min
3) Egg whites instead of eggs. I will certainly miss eggs, but I’ve got some awesome egg white recipes that I’m super excited to try 🙂
4) No desserts (weddings, birthdays, etc are exempt)
5) Only 2 drinks per week. I’m not much of a drinker so this shouldn’t be an issue.
6) All meals must be consumed before 8pm.

—–

Muay Thai and weight training have helped me discover what my body is truly capable of. It’s an incredible feeling. Making these activities and healthy eating a part of my lifestyle has improved many parts of my life, physique aside, which is why I am so dedicated to what I do.

I don’t want to get cut because I feel like I have to. I want to get cut because I want to challenge myself, push myself to be stronger. If I didn’t , what’s the point?

“Real women lift heavy”

“Real women have curves”
“Real women cook”
“Real women have a booty”

Real women?? As apposed to what? Being a heavyweight trainer myself, I have to say I do not agree with any of these statements. Lifting may make me healthier and stronger than the “average” girl, but that does not make her any less of a woman or me any better.

Statements like these do not make any type of woman better. They oppress our own sex and pit us against one another.

All women are women. Period.