I seriously wasted too much time this weekend and how, you may ask?...Well beginning on Friday I told a friend about a website and on Saturday we shared it with another friend and since then it's been non-stop PINTEREST!!! For those of you who have experienced it know it can be very entertaining, you do not realize the hours ticking away. For those of you who have not yet used it...DON'T DO IT you will neglect other responsibilities.
However, it is super handy and so much fun. Basically it is an online pinboard where you can find almost anything. Users pin pictures of things they like such as inspiring quotes, recipes, workout tips, decorating ideas, wedding ideas, clothes, shoes, accessories, looks they like, books to read, just about anything. You can browse all those items and get ideas or just be entertained. It's one stop shopping. There are so many creative ideas you may have never though about, like this green monster smoothie pinned from Iowa Girls Eat's blog.
http://pinterest.com/pin/273453008594137870/
I made a variation for today's breakfast made from almond milk, banana, blueberries, chia seed, spinach and stevia....It was pretty yummy, but it would have been a lot better if I drank it right away and put less spinach, which will be tomorrow's task!
Other entertaining things I found:
http://pinterest.com/pin/201113939579514564/
I received an invite today to join, and am super excited. The way it works is you have to request an invite, this may take several days or a friend can invite you. Lucky for me, I was the friend who got the complaints while waiting for the invite, but got instant access hehe (Thanks Van). Even if you are not a member you may browse all the items, but when you join you can repin the items you would like to share and revisit later. It really is amazing. FYI: it is geared primarily for females.
Muscle Memory
Ok, so let me briefly explain my gallbladder surgery since this is the reason behind my interest in muscle memory. I have always had stomach issues, ask anyone who knows me. However a couple of years ago yes, years (about 2) I experienced what felt like a charlie horse in my stomach organ (the center of your tummy, between the two sides of your ribs). It was terrible and I threw up. I thought it was nothing more than a stomach bug. The pain returned maybe two more times over the course of a couple months but it was not accompanied by vomiting so I dismissed it.
While away for work I got that horrible pain three times within the week keeping me up all night. The last day of the trip I went to the office and was puking in the bathroom. At that point I left for a wonderful 2.5 - 3 hour drive home, which took me 4 hrs since I made several stops. It turned out I had pancreatitis which was caused by gall stones being lodged in the pancreatic duct. To prevent further attacks my gallbladder was removed. What was I so worried about??? Eating sweets and running. Since surgery my workouts have not been the same, and I knew they wouldn't be. I am a lot more fatigued after doing less. Everyone told me you'll be fine in no time, your muscles will remember.
Well, WHEN WILL THEY REMEMBER?
After researching about muscle memory I think I am quite disappointed. The whole science behind muscle memory is that the more you build your muscles or do a specific task, the less effort is needed to perform it as time goes on. So if you take time off from doing that activity, it will take less time to get back to where you were than if you never did it before. DUHHHH!!!! Of course if you do you do something everyday and then stop it wont take you nearly as long as it did when you first attempted.
I wanted to know how long does it take for you to get to that point. of course every person is different especially depending if you have gone through something more traumatic than gall bladder surgery. I found an article on Women's Health Magazine's website which I posted below that did a good job of explaining the details and even has a workout to increase your muscle memory.
In a quick summary when you work your muscles you send messages to your brain to do that movement. Messages are sent between your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nervous system creating this memory. So these connections build up, in a scenario where you stop doing that activity for awhile and restart the memory will come back. I think a perfect example for me is ice skating. I don't ice skate often but anytime I go, I am shaky in the beginning but within 10-15 minutes I can move pretty well. I would suggest you read the article as I probably did a terrible job of explaining the science.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/fit-for-life
I have seen a great improvement in my workouts and runs. As today I average an 8:04 mile for 6.98 miles (yes I was disappointed when I came back and mapped my run). So I am happy that my muscles are remembering quickly, and I am thankful for the memory that is formed for motor skills and such. However, I guess in my mind muscle memory meant something different than you bodies ability to remember how to do things that you may take a break from.
Marathon Training
My 16 mile run was full of obstacles. I am not sure what went on with me but I had to stop at Starbucks to use the bathroom, and then I got a really bad cramp. However, other than that I had a pretty great run. I enjoyed it. By mile 11, I was getting tired. I think it was because I passed by my house at that point. I chewed a mini candy cane and kept going. By the end I was a little sore and drained but ready to start my day. I do believe it is almost more of a mental exercise than a physical exercise. Knowing that I am going to run a certain path makes it a lot easier to accomplish. I feel like I am giving up if I don't finish exactly what I planned. I am looking forward to this coming week as it is a back track week with the exception of doing a half marathon (or a fake one hahaha) which tests speed, and then its time to step it up big time :(
Marathon training Week : January 16- 22
Mon- 4 miles (6.98miles (56 min+ 15 min leg workout)
Tues- 5 miles (may need to cross train due to the rain/ if I run I will do 4)
Wed- 4 miles
Thurs- cross train
Fri- rest/3 miles
Sat- Half marathon
Sun- rest
Marathon Training Week 6: January 9- 15: Updates of what I actually accomplished!
Mon- 4 miles (4.3 miles (35 min)+ leg workout)
Tues- 7 miles (7.7 miles (1:05:45)
Wed- 4 miles (will do 4 miles and either arms or abs)
Thurs- cross train (yoga)
Fri- 7 miles (I think I did 7, I forgot to write it down)
Sat- 15-16 miles (16.3 miles - 2:19:50)
Sun- rest
(What I actually did)
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