This may just be my proudest accomplishment to date :D :D
If you've been following this blog since the beginning you might remember this has been a goal of mine for a year! And I was really, reeaalllyyy losing hope that it would ever happen.
Here is a post from April of me struggling to get one chin-up from a bent arm position and that was after 5 months of working with resistance bands and negative pull-ups, it definitely wasn't looking good for me.
The two things that really moved my progress along were:
1) I started a structured lifting program, Jamie Eason's LiveFit to be precise (which I will most definitely be writing more about, it is love!)
2) I added a few sets of static holds at the top (for as long as I could hold it) at the end of most of my workouts.
Finally becoming a triathlete on September 25th (after my first tri in August was cancelled)
I think this pic makes it clear the bike is not my strong leg :)
and placing in the top 5 women:
Leaderboard WOMEN:
| Kelly Pickard | 41:15 |
| Christie O'Hara | 43:37 |
| Louise Grausso | 43:54 |
| Katie McGrath | 44:18 ~Me |
| Erin Garland | 45:31 |
Race breakdown:
| Distance | Short |
| Clock Time | 44:18 |
| Overall Place | 28 / 268 |
| Swim | 7:54 |
| Swimp | 69 |
| T1 | 1:36 |
| T1P | 19 |
| Bike | 17:47 |
| Bikep | 100 |
| T2 | 1:01 |
| T2P | 42 |
| Run | 16:03 |
| Runp | 4 |
The run was a 4k and definitely my saving grace, I ran at just about a 20 flat 5k pace and loved every second of it. I was thrilled about this since my running training during August was minimal due to a knee pain/ injury (backing off a bit made it go away :) and then starting Jamie's program I was supposed to lay off cardio (I just greatly cut back) for the first 4 weeks (to promote muscle growth).
Chipping away at Sub-20
Coming off my triathlon race I decided I needed to enter some 5ks STAT bc that Sub-20 was mine for the taking, right? I mean I ran 4 min per k pace after swimming and biking, I should be able to hold on for one more kilometer at that pace sans swim/bike, yes? Easier said then done :/
BUTTTT I did inch just a little bit closer.
In my October 8th race, I shaved 7 seconds of my PR with a 20:18 and 1st place female :D
I thought for sure I would break 20 this past Sunday, but the feels like 20° and windy weather through me for a loop. Final time: 20:52
I've got a few more races planned for the upcoming weekends and most likely 2 races during the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm not giving up on this one!!
Being a Rockstar trainer :D
Anyone who is/has been in the personal training field most likely knows that starting out is tough, starting out in any new career is a challenge as you gain your experience and learn new things everyday. Despite being challenging sometimes and majorly time consuming, I still love it and know with 100% confidence that it is what I want to be doing.
Plus I get to work in this kick ass studio:
I've started working on a nutrition cert too, but haven't been finding a lot of time to dedicate towards studying so it's a little slow going right now.
Kicking my own booty in the weight room
As mentioned briefly above I've started lifting and I'm loving every second of it :D My workouts are the highlight of my day. Squats, Bench, Deadlifts (Single Leg deadlifts: OMG OWW, in a really good way!), Curls, Rows; I love 'em all.
Along with the lifting (and in conjunction with Jamie Eason's Trainer) I'm following a super clean, high protein, 6 meals a day diet plan and seeing amazing results. I've dropped a few %'s off my bodyfat and I've become so immersed in it that I've even been contemplating competing (bikini class).
Okay I feel like I was a bit braggy in this post, but truly I am just amazed at how far I have come in the past year. I definitely think starting this blog a little over a year ago (I missed my 1 year blogiversary booo :( ) got the ball rolling for me to finally go after and achieve some of my long standing goals.
Tell me about a goal you've recently achieved and whether/how blogging helped you to reach it :)
23 comments:
You've been busy! And you've been totally, totally AWESOME!
Holy cow! Rose is so right... you have been busy!!
Blogging helped me get through my first (and only) 5K back in May. No running since then but hoping to get back on the wagon once baby is born!
Holy WOW! You placed very well, katie! And Congrats on the pull-ups and other accomplishments:)
Nice to have you back and writing again.
boy that gym look nice, and you are doing so much.
I see you are still chasing that sub 20 and it will come, as will a sub 40 and a sub 90 if you want them...
So keep the training up and we will wait to read about it soon.
GEISH .. brag away :-) You have been one busy chikka. Also I had a look at the JE training and think you have pointed me towards what I will focus on post marathon in April. A long way to go but that looks awesome.
Wow- you are simply amazing! I am inspired!
WOW!!!!!! congrats on all fronts chica!!!!!
now get back to blogging! we miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who are you and how did you get into my Reader? :-)
Absolutely cool! Love the posts that are all good news. Keep up the awesome work - it's a great example for the kids!
OK, first of all, congrats on the chins! I am truly impressed.
Second, holy crap, you fly in the running events. I haven't run as fast as that since college or thereabouts.
Third, where is this gym with the class filled with punching bags? I need that class!!! I'd love to get to beat the crap out of the bag in a class filled with other people beating the crap out of their bags while some instructor makes sure we're doing it right. I'd do it alone, but I know how lazy I can be and a few minutes of working the bag leaves me huffing and puffing like an elderly chain-smoker. I need incentive.
Congrats on your diet, too. You look awesome.
YAY Katie, it's great to see your posts again! :) Congrats on the Tri, and you're still super fast!
Awesome job on the pullups!! That's a huge accomplishment.
Congrats on everything, seems like things are going well! That is awesome about the triathlon, great job!
Nice job on the 5K PR!
Good job. That was an impressive Tri.
Like you I had a goal of a sub 20 5k. My PR from last year was 20:54. In September, I ran a 5k in 20:08. Knocking 46 seconds off a 5k is something to be proud of. Now look who's kinda bragging. Anyway, I was pretty happy, but had I not started out too fast among other things, I think I would have broke 20 minutes.
BTW, good to see you posting again!
love it all, but mostly that kick ass chin up....a goal of mine......
Nice job on reaching your pull up goal...and equally importantly, nice job on looking so hot while doing it! ;)
Holy crap, you rocked out those chin ups!! Totally jealous :-)
I LOVED FINALLY MEETING YOU!! Girl, you are so strong. CONGRATS on the tri!! You rocked that woman, SO SO FAST! You inspire me to lift more!
Awesome job on your tri!! So freaking awesome!
I wish you were my trainer!! :) Please post more on the Jamie Eason LiveFit and diet, I have heard so much about it actually and have been interested in it myself, though I hear long distance running isn't part of the regiment, and well that's where my passion lies :)
It was SOOO nice to meet you!! You need to make me faster. I think you could do it. I'm in suffolk all the time, we should meet up!!
Way to go! Im new to your blog! Love it! I am also doing some of jamie easons workouts in phase 3 and love it!
Great blog!!
Congratulations for your first triathlon, this year I also did my first one and I loved it!!
My achievement was 100km trail race, so I create my blog for extra motivation.
Now I can say it has changed my lifestyle.
Saludos,
Jose
Great blog and awesome chin ups, congrats on your results :)
Blogging can definitely help you stay motivated, I feel that I learn so much about health from doing research for my blog posts, so I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.
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