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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
SANDRA YAWORSKI

Well, I had it all worked out as far as training inspiration went for the next day or two, and then I learned that yesterday was the international Vancouver Sun Run, one of the premier 10K events in the world and a huge event in terms of raising money for charity. And these sorts of things always have a way of inspiring me. As it turned out, tens of thousands of people showed up to compete, or just to make it to the finish, depending on their fitness level.

So I decided to look into the top finishers a little bit and see if they were inspiring individuals…and they are. But then I came across the journal entry of a woman who, though very fast and competitive, is not really a threat to win the event, is a guaranteed upper-percentiles finisher and one of the most inspiring participants in yesterday’s festivities.

Our inspiration today is Sandra Yaworski, a woman who managed to complete the 10K run in 40:00…at the age of 47. Just as impressive, she ran it in 38:45 at the age of 45, and as you may recall if you read any of my training entries from by brief foray into medium-long distance running, this makes her faster than yours truly.

While her good attitude toward floating personal bests as age progresses is an inspiring and well-adjusted philosophy in itself, what may be the most inspiring about this woman’s history on the pavement is that she took up running as a proactive way to deal with stress when she was diagnosed with cancer in her 30s. Her site lists a number of her impressive finishes, times and athletic achievements, but it is difficult to be anything but impressed with the attitude and approach of someone who takes a cancer diagnosis and uses it as a catalyst to be a paragon of good health almost 20 years later.

So consider me inspired by the thousands upon thousands who partook in the fundraising athletic activities yesterday, the first place finishers, the “last place” finishers for whom finishing itself was a monumental achievement and a personal battle of will…and of course, today’s above-named training inspiration.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Pretty simple chest day. The weights may be a little embarrassing because I’m spending so bloody long on each painful rep.

TODAY: CHEST…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

FLAT BENCH PRESS (5 sets)
115 x 10
155 x 6
155 x 5
155 x 4
155 x 3 / 135 x 2

FLAT DUMBBELL FLYES (5 sets)
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 6
35 x 6
40 x 5

LYING OVERHEAD DUMBBELL RAISE (3 sets)
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 8

INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
30 x 7
30 x 7
40 x 5

PEC DECK FLYES (3 sets)
115 x 7
130 x 5
130 x 5

TRAINING NOTES

Supersetted Flat DB Flyes and Overhead Raise as usual.

Again, five tempo up and five tempo down on everything.

I have to say, I felt a little silly because it’s been a long time since I lifted weights this light. But it’s what the tempo called for if I was going to get any reps in, and I also have to admit that my five count was really slow…more like an eight count to some of the fast-counters in the gym. In the end, despite controlled reps and good form, I felt like I’d worked out my arms more than my chest after some of the exercises, but I’m not too concerned, since my main focus right now is just holding ground in my strong areas and bringing the weak ones back up to where they belong.

Total Sets (Chest): 19

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