Training Log: The 2009 Arnold Classic 5K Pump and Run
- Day 7
Filed Under (Training) by admin on 29-01-2009
Tagged Under : Arnold Classic, Pump and Run, Rick Hansen
TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
RICK HANSEN
Pictured to the right today is the legendary Rick Hansen, the man who wheeled his way across the world in the 1980s to help fund a cure for spinal cord injuries.
As a teenager, Hansen was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident. This is the type of incident that can deprive some people of their dreams, pride or lust for life.
Not Rick Hansen.
He had been a promising athlete as a teenager, prior to his paralysis, and following his rehabilitation he became an even better athlete. He won national championships in both wheelchair basketball and volleyball.
He became a wheelchair marathoner. He won a gold medal at the 1980 Summer Paralympics. In short, the man achieved more in a chair than most men ever do on their feet. And he wasn’t done there.
He embarked on a 26-month wheelchair journey around the world, the Man in Motion tour, which began in Vancouver, Canada. Over the course of his expedition, he raised $26 million for spinal cord research and inspired not only those who knew him well, not only his entire country, but the entire world.
To this day, he is rightfully revered as a national hero.
One of the most inspiring feats of recent times and always useful if you want to put the challenge of your petty 5K training run in perspective.
ON TO TRAINING…
Okay, well today rounds out the first week of training. Seven days, seven 5K runs.
Today I was feeling pretty lousy again and was not expecting to continue the trend of decreasing my 5K time. I’d settle for something sub-20, I think. Well, here it goes…
TODAY’S PERFORMANCE
5K Run Time: 19:21
iPod songs during the training run (custom):
1. Madonna – Like a Prayer (Gospel Prayer – Guyom’s Lady M Show)
2. Madonna – Like a Prayer (Gospel Prayer – Guyom’s Lady M Show)
3. Tangerine Dream – The Dream is Always the Same
4. Madonna – Like a Prayer (Gospel Prayer – Guyom’s Lady M Show)
5. Madonna – Like a Prayer (Gospel Prayer – Guyom’s Lady M Show)
TRAINING NOTE
Okay, I don’t know what the hell “Guyom’s Lady M Show” is, but that particular Madonna remix (courtesy of retro-remixes) is the adrenaline injection! I’m guessing that the “Lady M Show” is some sort of high fashion thing, but it could very easily be what plays when they raise Dr. J, Paul Coffey or Jerry Rice’s number to the rafters. It’s just the chorus instrumental remixed with a crowd cheering. Pretty reliable for making any three minutes of running less demanding.
Anyway, I played it pretty much by accident for the first song but then just kept repeating it because it was doing the job.
I was only able to do the first half mile without music, and then struggled to finish a full two miles at 10 mph. After slowing down to 9 mph, I was able to kick it back up to 10 mph for the last quarter-mile. Wasn’t faster than yesterday but was faster than I expected going into the run. Definitely was the best I could have done today. My body will start to learn that it has to go faster if I keep pushing it.
INSPIRATIONAL CLIP
Who else? Rick Hansen. Here he is interviewed during his original Man in Motion world tour, giving some thoughts on perseverance and achieving your potential.
Wheeling across Asia:
Wheeling across North America and Europe: