Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I went to pick-up our girls from camp and got backed up in traffic about a mile away because they were shooting a movie by the waterfront.
This created a bottleneck so the whole way through was gridlock?not uncommon for downtown Toronto.
Now if you?re a parent, then you?ll understand our stress. See, at daycare or day camp, you MUST be on time to pick-up your kids. If not, then the camp will take their stopwatch out and charge you $36/minute for EACH MINUTE YOU?RE LATE!
I don?t consider myself to be a cheap guy, but paying out the ear because I?m a couple of minutes late just isn?t acceptable.
So, I put the car in PARK (it was gridlocked anyway) unbuckled my seatbelt, told Rozanne to take the wheel, opened the door and RAN to day camp about a mile away?I had to get there in about 8-minutes before I started getting charged.
I bolted down the waterfront like a man on fire, weaving through tourists and pedestrians! I got there and made it with time to spare ? 6 minutes, 24 seconds (or something like that).
Some of you may not think that this is a big deal, but if you?ve read my newsletters and blog posts you?ll know that I HATE running. I come from a background where 400m is long distance!
So how was it then that I was able to run all out for about a mile in just over 6 minutes and NOT train like a runner or run distances longer than 100m?
Well, I?m not sure, but it could be the insane amount of kettlebell swings that I?ve been doing lately that really work my abs, low back, butt and hamstrings.
It could be the limited rest periods that I take between sets in my workouts.
It could be the hills that I sprint up in Toronto?s Riverdale Park once or twice a week?but that usually only takes me 25-30 seconds.
Who knows? All I know is I got there in time and didn?t have to break the bank for being late?NOW THAT?S FUNCTIONAL TRAINING!
CL
-The FitAndBusyDad
P.S. Oh, yeah. Rozanne showed up in the parking lot 30-minutes later while the kids were playing in the playground and I was talking to the other parents by the monkey bars about how insane the traffic in the city was.
P.P.S. Click HERE to become a better runner without having to run!
3 thoughts on “Run Faster, Without Training Like A Runner”
Hey Chris,
I just finished going through your blog-what an excellent site. You got something good here-the fitness tips, the food bits and the light-hearted stories/sometimes rants. Good stuff, keep it up! Lorrie
Hi Lorrie, thanks for swinging by the blog! I guess blogging everyday life, just gives you genuine, somewhat entertaining content. Keep coming back!
-Chris
A 6:24 mile is really good for someone who does not run. Nice work.