Insanity Max: 30 Workout Analysis

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle or last. You can say, ‘ I finished’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that” - Fred Lebow. I began cross country in eighth grade shortly after my brother joined the year before. He enjoyed it a lot, so I thought it would be fun. I’ve been on the team for two years. I would like to run for the rest of my life. Cross country changed my life positively forever. It taught me to push myself past what I thought was my limit. It revealed to me a great community of people and it taught me to leave my comfort zone.

I started getting involved with running my senior year of high school. This was a very terrifying time in my life because I was running with people who have been doing this their whole life, which is quite intimidating when you’re new to the process. The reason why I gave running a chance was the constant begging from my younger and older sisters. They both ran and thought this was something I could potentially be marvelous at. I gave running a shot and ended up accomplishing my goal of being on varsity my senior year. Running is something that I’m genuinely passionate about and also something I’m literate in. I use running as my literacy practices whenever I’m at practices, a meet, or for therapeutic reasons.

I’ve always had a desire for running and when I heard Richland Center High had a Cross Country team, I knew I wanted to be on it! When I did start, it was tough. There were times my sanity would ask, “ WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU

The Mendocino Coast offers beautiful exercise opportunities. I enjoy walking, hiking and being outside but I have a busy life and don’t always have time to exercise. I keep my shoes, hat and water in the car so I can stop and hike at any location that looks inviting. I look for a beautiful area with hills that will increase my heart rate in a short amount of time. Running hills or stairs outside in nature gives you an interval training workout along with a meditative breath of fresh air.

For 2 years I was a member of the Central Toronto Athletic Club. CTAC is a competitive middle distance running club that trains its athletes to compete in track and field and cross country events. It is a year round athletic club that is a platform for talented people of almost all ages to train and to focus on their self-progress as an athlete. At CTAC I was encouraged to push myself to test the limits of my speed, endurance and strength and to discover what my body is truly capable of. Running was a very satisfying sport because my achievements were directly proportional to the amount of work that I put in. At CTAC, I learned discipline, dedication and perseverance. I had to balance my schoolwork with daily practices or workouts, I ran six

I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous standing in front of my coach, but as he had introduced himself I knew I wasn’t going to be a—quitter. Though I’m not the slimmest of all runners, I was going to prove to myself and to everyone else that a chubby girl like me can run!

Ever since i’d moved to John McCrae Senior Public School in grade 5 it had been my dream to compete in the 100 meter sprint at Birchmount Stadium. So when the opportunity to qualify to go to Birchmount was approaching I didn’t leave it up to fate. I trained for a week to make sure that I was ready for the tryout.

It all started in August on my first day of 6th grade where I came out for the cross country season not knowing what I was about to get myself into. My dad said I had to either get a job or do sports in school, so I chose to do a sport because what 13 year old would want to get a job anyway? Soon after the first week of practice was over, I was running as the number two runner. Staying as the number one and two runner as the rest of my middle school years, almost breaking the school record and being named “top dog” I

“My older sister ran and I always looked up to her,” Dobson said. “When I ran cross country in middle school, I realized I should run the distance events in track.”

I ran my first race when I was 12 years old. It was a 5K in Fargo, North Dakota, that I completed with my father. I competed in cross country and track for six years. I was the varsity cross country captain from 10th to 12th grade and I look back on those years fondly. During my senior year of track in high school, I fractured my fibula during a 4 by 800 meter relay race and as a result decided not to pursue competing at the collegiate level. Despite the absence of competition, I still run as a hobby as much as I can. It is a big part of my life and provides me with opportunities for meditating and developing self-discipline.

After a class discussion about making working out more creative, I made a change in my plan. Rather than doing the same workout each week, I decided to adjust my new behavior to three or more 30-60 minute workouts with a cardio element. The second phase of this experience was faced with challenges, but the update in my plan was helpful. The fourth week I still did not meet my goal, but I did complete one run and another cardio workout. Having my sponsor checking up on me was what helped me over this lag, I did not like telling her I was failing, so her accountability encouraged me to do better going forward. I also begin incorporating friends into my workouts. By the fifth week I was recommitted. I worked out well over thirty minutes three times, two of which were with friends. This week was positive for me, as it showed me that working out could be fun. I believe this shift in thinking was the most valuable lesson during this experience. I needed this new way of thinking because in high school I only ran because I belonged to the cross country and track teams. I felt pressure form my teammates, coaches, parents, and myself to workout. Although it was fun at times, I was doing it because I felt I had to. Now that I am in college, nobody tells me to workout and I am accountable to nobody but myself. Realizing working out can be fun, and adding in my friends, is what propelled my last three weeks. I successfully met my

When I was on the track team I was always the last one to finish and my brothers made fun of me for it. Compared to everyone else I felt like a turtle racing against a cheetah. I just wasn’t a sprinter and I couldn’t jump, so running track wasn’t for me. The one thing I did have though was determination. When I did not want to run anymore because I didn't

“Run Forest, Run!” is what we hear people say when we run around the community. I really quite enjoy running on the cross country team for my high school. Running has been a part of who I am for a very long time. As a little kid I would always like to run around my neighborhood chasing people or just running for fun. I was just really active as a kid. What really impacted my life was my first year in middle school. It all started in sixth grade and after sixth grade my passion for running grew. All three years of running in middle school were a success especially in eighth grade when I qualified for the state finals.

One step over the finish line and I burst into tears. I fell to my knees and kissed the medal that had been placed around my neck and cheered with my team. It was, without a doubt, an extremely melodramatic display of my emotions. I had accomplished something that I was not sure was possible… at age thirteen I ran the Ragnar Relay Series on July 20th,

This course has provided a new perspective on exercise and behavior adoption for many reasons. The first and prominent realization I had was during the behavior change project. This assignment allowed me to take a step back, and assess where I stand physically and mentally. I noticed that I lacked discipline in my diet and exercise routines. That being said, I did exercise periodically prior to this moment, but I knew that I was capable of accomplishing more and using my time more wisely. The fact that this assignment allowed me to directly apply what we learned in class in my life is appealing to me. There have been many theories and terms that we have covered, but items such as the self-determination theory, social support, and the stimulus-response theory stood out, probably due to incorporating them in my behavior change.