A Little Help From My Friends

Sometimes you need a little help from your friends, especially in running. I am fortunate to have some pretty darn amazing running friends. They are the reason it's not so bad getting up at 5:00 am to do a track workout or hill repeats. My running friends keep the conversations going when the terrain gets tough, they share my pre-race jitters, encourage me, motivate me, and keep running fun. It is incredible to think about the community that surrounds a sport that is solitary by nature. On race day, each individual that lines up has no doubt been carried to the line by several, if not dozens, of running friends. Friends they covered hundreds of miles with, while they shared training plans, goals, gave each other advice, and most likely talked about everything outside of running, too.

And then there are the friendships and relationships that carry me to the starting line that extend beyond running. The support, encouragement, and advice I receive from outside my running circles also keeps me going. I'm feeling especially grateful for the help from my friends at Green Mountain Crossfit at The Confluence. I'm one week into my 8 week training program for the mile, a plan they have carefully helped me create and fine-tune, and I'm already feeling the benefits of their knowledge in building strong bodies capable of performing functional movements at high intensity.

After a one-hour mobility session with Tyler at The Confluence last week, I felt enlightened about the way my body works and I gained critical awareness about what I need to do to continue to heal my knee injury and prevent further injuries from happening. At first I thought he was getting all Mr. Miyagi on me- trying to make a point in humility as he encouraged me to wedge my body in strange contortions in the name of "hip opening."

I love that by using this example, I'm Ralph Macchio. Kind of fulfilling a childhood dream.
What? I just really relate to Danielson. 

But when Tyler had me test my mobility by reaching for my toes before and after doing one such stretch- I saw the results were remarkable! When I hinged at my hips and reached my fingers down, I could actually reach several inches past where I did before the stretch. Duly noted, mobility work is key for me.

I also made another early morning WOD last week, where the camaraderie was just as great as the workout itself. I have to admit 3 days later I'm still a little sore from the pull-ups I did. I'm excited for more, and already I feel like I'm running smarter and more aware of my body. Next up is a weightlifting session with Nick. Will he Mr. Miyagi me? I'll keep you posted.

I'll leave you all with these two images of crossfit workouts. I'm in one of the pictures. I know it's hard to figure out which one, but give it a try: