I am a "Rocky" Junkie and Here is Why!

As you may or may not already know, I grew up in a little town just outside the city of Philadelphia. I was in junior high when "Rocky" was being film just about 10 or so miles from where I lived. I remember the film's release and the talk that followed about what a masterpiece the picture truly was. But at that time I was a 8th grader who had absolutely no interest whatsoever in Rocky, the sport of boxing or anything else remotely tied to the picture. It was so far removed from where I was in my life and all those things I held important as a 13 year old girl, I never ever saw the picture until...oh about about 3 years ago.

It was right after Christmas and as I started taking down the tree I flipped on the TV just catching the end of some program I was interested in. So after the show ended, instead of changing the channel as I normally would do, I just let it run. All I wanted was a little background noise while taking down the decorations and returning the living room to its normal state of existence. In letting the TV run I stumbled upon something I related to so deeply that by the time it was over I was nothing less than riveted to the television screen. It was Rocky, the original one released all those years ago that I couldn't be bothered with.

I think my connection with Rocky started when I ran my first long distance race. It was in May of 2008 and I ran the Philadelphia Distance run with my best friend Donna. She had talked me into running the 10 miler which is supposedly almost all downhill. So we trained individually for the race. I went in well prepared but Donna just couldn't find enough time in her busy schedule to train more than a 4 or 5 mile run. So during the race at about mile 5 Donna told me to just go on and that she will catch up with me at the finish line and I took off. At about mile 8 the speakers along the race path started blaring the theme to Rocky. I remember thinking to myself that I was just about to accomplish something I never in my wildest of dreams thought I would ever do...run 10 miles. I remember becoming extremely emotional as I listened to the lyrics of the music to point of almost tears. Three years later after Donna and I finished the New York City marathon we met up with family and friends at a little pub in Manhattan for a celebratory drink. As we walked in with our Mylar ponchos over our shoulders and carrying our race bags the bar put on the song "Eye of the Tiger" in our honor and everyone in the place began to cheer for these two worn out and beat up marathoners. I again was almost in tears at the thought of our accomplishment.

(Donna and myself on 1st Ave during the NYC marathon 2011)

So when Rocky came on my TV I began to feel an emotional up-welling. I sat for over two hours watching Rocky. After the movie was over the next movie to be aired was Rocky II and I sat for another 2 hours glued to the TV.  I became memorized by Rocky Balboa and his never give up attitude. As Roger Ebert wrote in his 1976 review of the film...

What makes the movie extraordinary is that it doesn't try to surprise us with an original plot, with twists and complications; it wants to involve us on an elemental, a sometimes savage, level. It's about heroism and realizing your potential, about taking your best shot and sticking by your girl. It sounds not only clichéd but corny -- and yet it's not, not a bit, because it really does work on those levels. It involves us emotionally, it makes us commit ourselves: We find, maybe to our surprise after remaining detached during so many movies, that this time we care.

 I think that is what happened with me...it made me realize my physical potential. I've heard it said that just getting to the starting line of a race is half the battle, and having done that I realized how true that sentiment really is. And in each Rocky story line that entire concept is reinforced for me. 

So now I am a total Rocky Junkie. It can be on anytime of the day or night and I just can't ever seem to bring myself to turn it off. It would feel almost sacrilegious to me to not watch Rocky's journey. To date I have seen all the Rocky pictures with the exception of the latest release Creed, of witch Sylvester Stallone is up for best supporting actor.  Here is Stallone's interview with Robin Roberts as he discusses how Rocky changed his life and about his part in Creed.

"To all the Rockys in the world, I love you." - Sylvester Stallone 1977

(Donna after the 2012 Philadelphia marathon posing with Rocky)

I will be on my sofa tonight waiting to see if the academy's nomination of Creed's Sylvester Stallone for best supporting actor gets the nod and an Oscar award!

XO

Blasting Some Serious Ass-Fat

Well I probably don't have to tell you that the winter months with all it's frigid air, snow and ice, in combination with being a blogger, can really take its toll on the old body. And the older you get the slower that dang metabolism of yours is going to be. So during this incredibly deep freeze we have been in here in the northeast, I have made the commitment to get out and really burn some major ass-fat! 

No that is not my back end, I am not quit there yet. Just using this pic for illustration purposes. But it is not like I couldn't eventually grow out of my nice comfy office chair if I don't do something about it now!!! 

So what am I doing?

1. Finding the Motivation ~ The first thing for me was to find motivation to get to the gym. And while I have been contemplating on going back to the gym for some time now, my motivation to get there actually came completely out of the blue. Last week Grace asked me to drive her and one of her girlfriends up to the YMCA for an hour long class they wanted to take. So instead of just dropping them off and maybe going grocery shopping or going back home, out of pure laziness with regard to driving I decided to stay and get on the treadmill. I did nothing too strenuous, just walked at about a 15 minute pace and played a little solitaire on the cool new equipment they have. Well time flew by and towards the end I thought I'd do a little jogging. Not bad for an hour's worth of work as I burned about 300 calories and got my heart rate up just a little. On Friday the kids were off from school for President's Weekend so we headed up to the gym and again I got on the treadmill, played a little solitaire and time flew by. I hit the gym yesterday and today, and now I am in a groove despite myself. 

2. Cutting Myself a Break ~ While I am pleased that I have found my way back to the gym and I feel good after my hour on the treadmill, I still find it hard to look at the pace control and know that I can't run the way I was able to when I was training for my marathons. The weight is definitely the main factor but also my poor circulatory system is not able to successfully keep up with the increased oxygen demand I am putting on my body. So I need to be realistic and take it slow, but not too slow. I do want to blast some ass-fat!

3. Incorporating Fartlek Training~ While training for marathons many runners will incorporate what they call Fartleks into their runs which helps to increase theri overall speed. A funny word I know, but Fartlek is a Swedish word which translated means "speed play". Fartlek training is an unconventional way of blending continuous training with interval training. So for example you get on the treadmill and do your warm up walk, then you ramp up the speed for a short period of time, about 45 seconds to 2 minutes, to the pace of a gentle jog, and then you slow the speed back down to your walking pace. The amount of time you jog versus walk is totally up to you, your body will let you know when to slow down to recover, and when you are recovered enough to ramp up again. The goal is to keep repeating this walk jog sequence for the duration of your workout.

The best part about training like this is that it is a very effective way of blasting fat and revving up the old metabolism at the same time! Alternating the intensity of your workout will actually help your body burn more calories than if your kept your workout at a steady pace. This is because you are stressing both the aerobic system (with your walking pace) and the anaerobic system (by the speed burst of your jog), for a more effective calorie burn.

Case in POINT

I know when I trained for my first marathon back in '09 I did EVERYTHING I could think of to prepare for race day. I really had no idea what I was up against since it was my first marathon, so I did a whole lot of treadmill training incorporating Fartleks. Two years later when I was preparing to run the NYC marathon all of my training was done on the road, with little to none in the way of speed training. 

By the time I got to the start line of my first marathon, the Philly marathon, I ran my 5'7" frame at a lean 146lbs.

However due to the way I trained two years later, I ran the NYC marathon a good 13 lbs heavier, at roughly a 159lbs. 

That is a BIG DIFFERENCE when running 26.2 miles!

Now mind you I trained for the SAME period of time, just how I trained was different.

In addition to my going back to the gym I am also incorporating even more vegetables into my diet along with lean proteins like fish. I am really hoping to drop a good 10lbs by mid-March and 20lbs by May. And if I am feeling good and my weight loss goals are on track, I may even think about running another 1/2 marathon this spring.

I will keep you posted!!!

XO