The View From The Top

It's been a hectic week, but I could not let it end without adding my two cents to the hubbub.  Many people have forwarded me Tara Parker-Pope's New York Times article entitled Why Women Can't Do Pull-Ups.  

The piece focuses on a study that purports to prove that some women just can't do pull-ups.  As the Gawker response does a wonderful job of explaining, all the study actually proves is that their training was deficient.  Moreover, by failing to distinguish between the difficult and the impossible, the title tinges the article with a particularly heinous message.  It begs for rebuttal, and has received it in spades from the CrossFit community.  (Some examples here)

Is it harder for women to learn to do pull-ups?  Yep.  Very hard?  OK.  Impossible?  Hell, no!  See Exhibit A:

(This video is from April of this year.  6 is still my deadhang PR.  17 is my kipping PR. )

It took me about eight months of dedicated work before I could do a single pull-up.  I practiced nearly every day by looping progressively thinner bands around the bar and using them as makeshift Gravitrons, until one day I didn't need a band anymore.  (If you were around in the early days of CrossFit Metropolis, you might recall the day that I happily exclaimed, "I got 3/4 of a pull-up!"  That was huge.)  It was a process, but if I can do it, it's doable.  

What irks me to no end is that women will believe this "can't" tripe, that this will amplify the negative noise in the head of a woman who's struggling to get her first pull-up, and that it will discourage others from trying or even considering trying.  There are too many women selling their strength short already; we don't need these kind of messages, especially when the "science" behind them is so plainly flawed.

Ladies, it's not news that sometimes we have to fight a bit harder for what we want.  Take it from me, though: the view from the top is worth fighting for.

-Gym Belle-

It's the Climb

This past Thursday, I participated in a stair climb race, Story by Story, to raise money for InMotion, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to battered women and their children.  I've done some work with InMotion over the past year, and it was my first stair climb, so I was excited.

The 42 story climb took place at 1411 Broadway.  Approximately 1,000 climbers raised over half a million dollars.  Some climbers did the climb twice.  Some wore 10 lb weight belts.  This year, I just did the climb.

I had no idea what to expect, or how long it would take.  I heard it would be over before I knew it, it was hard to imagine how that could be possible.  

It was a pretty social race.  Most people were there with corporate groups.  Few people wore headphones so I went without music.  The groups meant a lot of weaving around people.  I was there with a coworker, but she's an avid runner and super quick, so when we reached the starting line we said we'd see each other at the top.  

I probably went out a little bit too hard.  Towards the middle, I wasn't running so much as walking quickly.  The stairs seemed really huge, too.  But, before I knew it, I was thirty-something floors up and I found the energy to run again.  I finished in a respectable 9:17.  

I was pleasantly surprised not to be sore the next day - just a bit tight.  All in all, it was very fun, and I'd definitely be interested in another stair climb.

-Gym Belle-

Staten Island Half Marathon Recap

More often then not, I spend the 13.1 miles of a half marathon negotiating with myself over my pace.  My commitment to my goal waxes and wanes almost incessantly.  I recalculate.  I justify.  I angst.  

It's exhausting.

It's no surprise that I got my Philly PR (1:57:36) by running with a pace group.  There was nothing to think about.  All I had to do was stay with the guy with the flag, and the PR was mine.

It's also no surprise that I fell apart in Brooklyn when I had to run without music.  I need something to escape into to quiet my mind.

As I travelled to Staten Island last Sunday morning, I couldn't help but catalog potential excuses for not PR-ing.  The ankle that I had twisted at the CMC still hurt.  I didn't have my special race-day playlist because my iPod had died again.  I hadn't had time to foam roll before I left my apartment because I had spent so much time dealing with my music emergency.  I hadn't eaten my two-hours-before-the-race meal for the same reason.  It was probably going to rain.  I had my period.  

The race hadn't even started and my mind was already at war with itself.

And then something amazing happened: just before the race started, I focused.  Maybe it was because I was with friends who laughed with me at my mess of a morning.  Maybe it was because I just couldn't bear to have another bad race.  Or maybe my meditation practice is finally paying off.  Who knows.  For whatever reason, I was in the zone.

The race started smoothly.  I had plenty of room to hit my target pace right out of the gate.  My random iPhone playlist turned out to be awesome.  I mouthed the words to my music pretty much the whole way.  (Yep, I was that girl.)  The course was hilly, but I managed to spend most of the race between 8:44 and 8:50, which was just fast enough to eek out an 18 second PR (1:57:18).  (On a flatter course, I  think I could've pulled off something closer to 1:55.)  I started loosing steam a bit in the last mile, but, overall, it was a great race. 

There were tough spots, but they were moments, not miles.  For the most part, I was able to cruise and just enjoy the effort.  I checked my pace frequently, but I didn't vacillate.  My mind was made up.  I was going to PR.  

It wasn't the most scenic race.  The crowd support was pretty thin.  But I walked (hobbled?) away feeling great.  I shouldn't have needed this race to prove to myself that Brooklyn was a fluke, but I did.  And now that I've got my confidence back, I think I need to pick out my next half.

-Gym Belle-