Ultra Eagle Competition

Last week I completed the Ultra Eagle Competition my trainer holds every year at RAF Lakenheath. It sucked! :) Here are my thoughts:

1. Perhaps I was not as ready for it as I thought I was. I thought I could do it in 20 minutes.
2. Perhaps I was still recovering from the Paris Marathon.
3. Perhaps I still had antibiotics in my system - I'd been off them for a week.
4. Perhaps I didn't believe in myself enough.
5. Perhaps I gave up on myself too soon and should have tried to push through that skyrocketing heart-rate.

Who knows? All I know is I was not pleased with my performance. I've been training with Herman for a year and a 1/2. All the events in this competition are familiar to me, I have done them time and time again. I even took time and trained for this competition. Not as much as I would have liked, but do I normally hit the gym on a weekend? No. Did I? Yes. 

I was slightly nervous, because I didn't know how I was going to accomplish each event and still breathe. When I trained for it I only timed myself on each event, not the amount of time in between events. During the competition the clock does not stop. So it is intense, which is okay, I've done intense. However, I was having some issues with my heart rate. My resting heart rate is 50-60. When I put my heart rate monitor on it was already at 100...okay, nerves, right? I got on the elliptical for just a few moments to warm up. When I stepped off my heart rate was 140. Not normal, especially for that tiny warm up. 115-120 would have been more like it. So I started the competition with my heart rate higher than I wanted.

Before I got on the bike for the first event, I turned my music on. I thought if I'm gonna do this craziness I am going to need something in my head besides ME. 

1st event: Cycle, level 10 for 1 mile. Now all of this is timed so you want to get it done as fast as you can. I beat all my training times on this one. That made me feel good, but my heart rate was up there now and I had to get on the Row Machine. 

2nd Event: Row 500 meters. My time on that one was about normal, which surprised me because I thought with my heart rate already in the 170's I was gonna loose it. It was here that one of the people helping thought he needed to tighten the strap on my feet...next year I will tell everyone "Do not tighten anything!" I have BABY feet, they slip no matter what! They slip in my shoes...it's life, I deal with it. Anyway, when I went to get up and go to the next event I could not get my feet outta there! It really flustered me, don't be locking me in somewhere when I gotta be moving!

By the way I love the way my arms look in that first picture on the row machine! I should really take more pictures in the gym. I usually don't think about it as I'm too busy sweating my hind-end off!

Event 3: 50 sit-ups on an incline. This killed me, as I could not breathe by this point. Usually, I knock these out in 1-1:30 time. It took me almost 4 minutes according to the sheet they gave me. 4 minutes - not fast enough, but as you can see by these beautiful pictures I was struggling here.

Event 4: 30 strict push-ups. Which I can do, thankfully!

Event 5: 30 Sept-ups with 10 lbs each hand. I was hurting here, but I kept going. I strongly dislike step-ups. I'm not sure why but they are the enemy!

Event 6: 30 reps back pulls with 25 lbs each side. Back pulls are one of my favorite exercises, but on this day they were not as fun as usual. 

Event 7: Jump Rope 100 revolutions. 

Event 8: Shoulder Press, 25 lbs each side, 30 reps. Another exercise I like. Here I was trying to catch a breath an prepare myself for the torture of the next event...it didn't work.

Event 9: Run 1/2 mile on a 10 degree incline. I had wanted to reach this part within 10 minutes. I didn't. I was far from it. This was also the part I dreaded most. That incline kills me. So guess what I'll be visiting a lot this year? Yep, there is more than one way to skin a cat and I am not going to let that thing get the best of me again. If you look at the 2nd picture to the right, that is the look of defeat. The look that says, "I didn't make it." I thought about getting off that darn thing and just leaving. I only stayed for 2 reasons:

1. My Mama didn't raise no quitter. I may let myself down from time to time. I may get so close to quitting that people don't believe I'll continue...funny thing is that pisses me off & I just gotta prove them wrong. I may walk away, but I'll come back. I do not quit.
2. My trainer, Herman. Even though I already felt like I'd let him down by not going faster, I couldn't quit with him standing there watching me. I've come so far since I began training with him and I have never said "I can't" or "I won't" or "I quit" and this day, this day was no different. I had to do to this, I had to finish it; for myself and my trainer. 

Once I realized I just had to finish it I tried to run a little, but my heart rate was pretty high and that really freaked me out. I wasn't used to it being so high for so long. It took a long time for it to come down after the competition too. I was not expecting that to happen at all I can tell you that. I wish I could of run the whole 1/2 mile, but I didn't have it that day.

Event 10: Chest Press, 30 reps with 25 lbs each side. Another exercise I like...I like lifting weights, have you guessed that yet? If you look at my face tho, I'm not enjoying it at that moment haha. I was never so glad to be done with a workout, but I was disappointed. I didn't reach my goal and I knew I didn't win one of the top 3 spots. My finishing time was: 29:25. YUCK! I guess I'll chase that 20 minute mark next year.

Once again, I felt a bit defeated and a bit pissed off at myself. So much so, that I was just a tad emotional for a moment. Not normal for me and it ruined one of my secret gym goals! I was never going to cry in front of my trainer. Oops! Not only did I get a little teary in front of him, but everyone else! Damn emotions. :) Tears are not something I do...

My friend Jessica sorta laid into me about it, I wish I could find what she said to me about it on Facebook, but it seems to be missing. Herman was great. They both kept telling me how proud they were of me. It felt good to hear, but I sure wish I had done better. Next year, right? Only got 1 more shot at it before we leave. Unless Herman leaves...which I never know about. I'm going to miss him like crazy when that time comes, he is a great trainer and I really appreciate all he does.

I got a T-shirt for my efforts. It's massive. I can sleep in it or bum around the house in it. Someday it will go in my quilt that I plan to make from all my event shirts...when I'm tired of wearing them that is.

And that my friends was my very first fitness competition...gonna have to train a little harder. Time to step up the game, seriously!