One of the mental tactics I’ve used during workouts for some time is to break them down into percentages in the middle of the grind. For example, if I’m in a 45-minute Peloton class, then 15 minutes in, I tell myself that I’m one-third through it. I continue that at various intervals throughout the workout to make it feel shorter. One of the most important ways to use that is with running. A 10-mile run is easier when I think of it in segments. After five miles, all I have to do is do that same thing once more. When I have two miles left, having only 20 percent remaining makes it feel like I am already near the finish line. But this percentage thing can apply not only to a single workout, but also to a long-term training plan such as what I’m in the middle of right now in working towards the NYC Marathon.
My last update on this training was after week two when I started to feel like there was a long way to go. After all, there was still 90 percent of my training that remained. Now, just two weeks later, realizing that I’m 20 percent finished, I feel like this is all going by very fast!
Once again, I’ll list the full report on each of my training days at the end – after this post – but first I’ll share the insights I’ve gained after four weeks of this.
I used to think I worked out hard . . .
The biggest realization I’ve had during this training is how much harder I can work out. I picked an ambitious training program for intermediate marathon runners rather than one for beginners because I knew my fitness level was ready for it. And while that seems to be true so far, that’s not to say that my fitness has ever encountered this level of training before. I used to think the mere fact that I did some workout as often as seven days a week meant that I was working out hard. Now I see just how much harder I could be going.
That’s not to say one way is right and another is wrong. I have had a great fitness lifestyle of which I am extremely proud. How it compares to what other do is entirely meaningless. I know it’s more than I ever did, and it’s been fulfilling at nearly every stage of this journey. It’s undoubtedly a healthy lifestyle and it works within my busy work schedule without requiring too many sacrifices.
This training program, on the other hand, turns that workout routine upside down. There are days – particularly Mondays – that include both cardio and strength training where I can be at the gym for over two hours in the morning. I’m also committed to very specific workouts each day, leaving little time for some of the activities I enjoyed most in my prior routine such as mornings at my climbing gym. And it’s all happening at a time where my work schedule is the busiest I’ve had this past year. So, it all takes sacrifice. I not only have less time for the fun workouts, but the way I deal with my time has changed all around. Outside of work, my priorities are training, recovery, and sleep – all of which I need more of right now. I’m far more tired at the end of each day – but in a good way. It just means that for 16 more weeks, I have to be a lot more selfish with my time. It also means when this is done, I’ll have to step back so that I can be more selfless with it again. Hence why neither way of working out is always right or wrong. But one thing’s for sure, this is working . . .
Oh, the changes I am seeing . . .
As with any dedication to increased fitness, I was sure to see results. I definitely see it in my pace, as I am getting faster. I see it in my body too. While not losing weight, thanks to a focus on strength training along with the running, my clothes are getting looser. I’ve seen my body change a lot over the course of my journey, but much have that has been due to years of working on being calorie deficient to drop the excess weight. Those days are over for now, as I’ve increased my calorie intake – and dramatically increased my protein intake (to nearly one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day). As a result, I’m building muscle and gaining weight while losing inches in my waist at the same time. But besides the obvious physical changes, the most shocking ones have been physiological.
I’ve always wished that I had my WHOOP at the beginning of this journey so that I truly knew my data when it all started. It wasn’t until 2020 – over six years into it – that I started to get those numbers. Since then, the changes have been positive, but gradual. I already had a good routine at the time I got my WHOOP, but naturally, the more I did, the more I could do. The results showed some improvement in my heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR), but noting at all like what’s happened this path month.
For months, my HRV was between 32-36. Compared to other athletes, that may be low, but WHOOP says that HRV is an individual number that you should only measure against yourself. As if I needed WHOOP to tell me that. That’s true for anything! Still, since starting training, my HRV seems to be skyrocketing! For the first time ever, my monthly average is over 40 – and this past week’s average is 50! My monthly HRV has gone up 24 percent in one month! Likewise, my resting heart rate (RHR) is dropping! Compared to last month, it’s down 6 percent (from 65 to 61), and it’s trending even lower. This past week was its lowest ever weekly average of 58!
