Hundred Push Up Challenge

I DID IT! In the presence of my daughter and son I completed the Hundred Push Up Challenge last night. On further review, my daughter revealed I actually did 102 push ups which provided more inspiration (my son miscounted along the way because he said I was going too fast.) After I completed my last push up, I feel flat on the floor and asked, "Did I do it?" Both of them said, "Yes, daddy." Man, that was the best news of the day. Then I told them, "Now I can not get up!" (My arms were too tired!) As I crawled off the ground, I looked at my daughter and said, "Next goal: 200 consecutive push ups." My daughter replied, "No way!" When I asked her why, she said, "You struggled too hard to do 100 push ups!" Okay, maybe 200 consecutive push ups is a little too optimistic. I think I'll go back to my regular routine of 200 push ups in 20 minutes.

Run Forest Run

I plan to participate in the Run Forest Run event which is a 4 mile race that will be held this Saturday not far from my house. I think I have trained well enough to run 4 miles without collapsing. This will be my first official race.

Last night I did 3.1 miles on the treadmill. Since we had softball practice that evening, it looked like a run was out of the question until I told my body "you gotta do this". I was able to check my son's Algebra homework, eat a small meal and do some chin-ups too.

4 Miles and 97 Push Ups

Yesterday evening I did a little over 6K (about 4 miles) running through the neighborhood while I listened to ESPN 1000 radio. The run was quicker than I expected though I am not sure why. Maybe the cool weather was a big distraction. Next up: a 30 minute Hill Climb this evening.

To add more pressure, I asked my daughter to witness my attempt to do 100 push ups as part of the Hundred Push Up Challenge. Man, I got up to 97 and just collapsed again! I thought I had it this time. Well, now I have to work a little harder this week and test again on Sunday night. I'm almost there!

Almost There

Last night I did 3.14 miles on the treadmill which is about what I wanted to run. I am also looking at two end-of-the-year races, the first of which is next Saturday. The last race I would even consider is the day after Thanksgiving. I'm waiting to get details on both races.

I made my third attempt to do 100 push ups and got very close. When I reached 80 or so push ups, I just knew I would make it to 100. I should have asked the Lord for strength because after I hit 85 push ups, I began to feel extreme fatigue in my triceps. I made it to 91 push ups before my arms completely collapsed. I will get up to 100 soon!

Running in The Dark

This morning's jog was a little over 8K with very little sun most of the time. I guess I must get used to running in the dark for the next month or so while the weather allows me to run outdoors. It was just a little weird because it felt like I was running at night until the last mile or so.

My Rules for Pre-Dawn / Night Running

Since many of my runs start at the pre-dawn hours, I try to follow a few safety rules I learned over the years:

• Assume Drivers Can Not See You
  I call this maintaining "a good run defense." Knowing I can not take on a vehicle forces me to stay as close to the curb as possible. On busy streets, I usually run on the sidewalk unless I see kids in my path which is not likely in dark conditions. On less busy streets, I run against the flow of traffic to ensure oncoming vehicles can see me and that I give plenty of room to vehicles approaching from the rear.
• Wear Light or Reflective Clothing
  I usually wear a bright yellow shirt and headband. I also have reflective shoes to help give off my location on the road.
• Never Run A Route You Have Not Run Before
  A familiar route is easier to navigate in the dark and helps you maintain a sense of composure during times of uncertainty. When I ran this morning, for example, I thought I saw an animal approaching me out the corner of my eye. When I thought about my location, it dawned on me I was looking at a stump. Bottom line is I could have made a sudden move had I not known the path and kept calm.
• Find The Sidewalk or Grass When A Vehicle Approaches Head On
  This is especially important when the vehicle slows down because that's a good sign that the driver either can not see you or is having difficulty navigating around you.
• Obey Traffic Signs/Laws
  J-walking is quite common for me during my commute to/from work during sunlit hours. On the other hand, when I run in the dark I do not want a driver guessing where I am headed. You can never be too safe if you use crosswalks, stop at stop lights, etc.

Hundred Push Up Update

Last night was day two in week 5 of the Hundred Push Up Challenge. I took an extra day off, so my arms/chest were ready for the stress. I did a total of 174 push ups and maxed out at 40. One more day and then I'm at week 6!

Hundred Push Up Update 5

Well, last night I started week 5 of the Hundred Push Up Challenge and I must say that this week is much tougher than last week. When I completed the routine, my chest and triceps were extremely tight. Not to mention, I was exhausted.

More Hill Training

Today's run was a 10K hill workout that worked pretty well for me. I finished with a 8.17 minute/mile pace even though the route I chose had quite a few hills and inclines. Hill training is important for runners for a number of reasons: it helps build stamina, strengthens the legs/tendons/ligaments, helps reduce injury and improves form. I found the article Everything You Need To Know About Hill Training on the RunnersWorld.com website and wanted to share what I learned.

Uphill Running

When you are doing your hill training, it's important to remember that you must run differently depending on whether you are going up or down a hill. The article specifically says that when going up a hill, you should do the following:

• Shorten your stride and take smaller steps if necessary
• Slow your pace, specifically if you are out of breath
• Maintain an upright posture
• Use an ankle-flicking push-off rather than a full, explosive motion
• Run through the top of the hill without stopping
• Gradually accelerate down the hill

Downhill Running

A big problem with running down hill is that runners tend to sprint or fight gravity both of which can cause injuries. To avoid injury and maintain control, the article says that when going down a hill, you should:

• Do not sprint down the hill!
• Picture gravity moving you down the hill
• Maintain an upright posture
• Keep your feet close to the ground and land as light as possible
• Emphasize quicker turnover rather than longer strides as your pace increases
• Lengthen your stride only when you feel you are in control
• If you find you are out of control, shorten your stride

The article also discusses six hill training techniques that I plan to use going forward. I will leave it to you to read the article on this topic.

Enjoy

Hundred Push Up Update 4

I'm at week 4 of the Hundred Push Up Challenge. I completed 130 push ups and max'd out at 36 at the end of the routine. It would have been nice to do more than 36. Considering that I did all 130 push ups in less than 10 minutes, I am satisfied with the workout.

The Importance of Rest

After completing a 10K this morning, I added up the numbers and noticed that I have run almost 24 miles in 4 days. That's an average of almost one 10K per day since Saturday! You can imagine that my body wants a break and I plan to rest tomorrow. Why is rest so important?

Hall Hidgon, a well known marathon expert recommends the following for runners training for a 10K: "Rest is an important part of your training. Friday is always a day of rest in the Intermediate program. Be realistic about your fatigue level and don't feel guilty if you decide to take an additional day off. (Best bet is Monday.) Specifically consider scheduling at least one extra rest day during the stepback weeks." Hal has a lot of good information on running 5Ks, 10Ks, Half and Full Marathons. He's even posted FREE training programs!

The web site RunningInjuryFree.org suggests: "Since a day only has 24 hours, we need to follow a heavy run with a "rest period" to give us the 48 hours needed for recovery. Some people do this by walking or running 3 or 4 times a week, with rest days in between. Others do this by following a heavy walk or run with a light walk or run." The latter type of training is called Cross Training which a combination of heavy and light workouts.

While I generally prefer to take full day to recover, my training program is a combination of Cross Training and resting in between long workouts/runs. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you clear your workout with your doctor!

Hundred Push Up Update 3
Yesterday I started at week for in my quest to meet the Hundred Push Up challenge. I was a little sore and was still able to finish all 5 sets of push ups.

A Cool 12K

After running more than 35 miles in six days last week, I started the week with a 12K in the cool summer Chicago weather. The temperature must have been in the mid to upper 50's when I left my driveway this morning. And when I got home, I could not believe how cold my hands were. As with Saturday's 16K, my pace was very slow in the beginning. After the first mile, I picked up the pace a bit and considered running as fast as I could...nope, that would have been a bad idea because I never would have finished the run. The natural inclines of my path provided a pretty good workout too.


Hundred Push Up Update 2
I rested a few days before making another attempt to max out. When I got past 70 consecutive push ups, I thought I had the one hundred push ups easily. Then about 10 push ups later, I started to feel the burn in my arms and chest. I tried to go farther and was able to get up to 85 consecutive push ups. My goal now is to start with Week 4 and then finish the plan in the next three weeks or so.

Can You Do One Hundred Pushups?

I found this site HundredPushUps.com and thought I would pass it along. The site was created by Steve Speirs to challenge people to do 100 consecutive push ups. Steve provides a very good plan for meeting the goal of 100 consecutive push ups over a 6 week period. And, you only have to workout 3 days a wee (sounds good to me).

I am gonna try this soon and let you know how it goes. Just so you know, for the past 9 months I have been working out 3-4 times a week using The Perfect Push Up. I am able to do about 200+ push ups at each workout. When I got home from work yesterday evening, I maxed out just to see how many push-ups I could do. I only did 70 which was a little disappointing but good considering I did 200 push ups (in sets of 4) the day before.

Push ups are a very good way to tone the upper body, arms, and abs. And I have found this exercise compliments my running schedule well. Read more about the benefits of doing push ups and TAKE THE CHALLENGE!