Week 4, Day 1: Two Hundred Sit-Ups

It's getting a little tougher now that I am on Week 4, Day 1of The Two Hundred Sit-Ups Challenge this morning.  I am still able to do 50 sit-ups in set 5.  However, the burn is starting a lot earlier - like in set 2 instead of set 4.  My abs are getting tighter although I can not see any physical difference.

Week 3, Day 3: Two Hundred Sit-Ups

I finished Week 3, Day 3 of The Two Hundred Sit-Ups Challenge this morning.  Just add 50 sit-ups to set 5, pour a little water, and you have my workout. 

Week 3, Day 2: Two Hundred Sit-Ups

I continued Week 3, Day 2 of The Two Hundred Sit-Ups Challenge this morning. Once again I completed the first 4 sets and went on to do 50 sit-ups in set 5.  There's plenty more flab to burn!

Week 3, Day 1: Two Hundred Sit-Ups

I started Week3, Day 1 of The Two Hundred Sit-Ups Challenge this morning.  The goal was to complete 120 or more sit-ups as shown in the ">40 sit-ups" column.  I completed the first 4 sets and went on to do 50 sit-ups in set 5.  I guess my abs are stronger than I thought!

Can You Believe It?

Well, I've only been able to run 5 miles or more on a treadmill a few times. And, today was one of those days. I got on the treadmill early in the day and set the program for a minimum of 5 miles. Following the marathon training program, I ran about a mile at a pace of 10:30 minutes/mile to warm up. Then I ran 3 miles at a pace of 9:05 minutes/mile. Finally, I cooled down for a mile at 10:30 minutes/mile. The run felt great. Since it's snowing and cold outside, I have the ultimate challenge: Running for 8 miles on a treadmill on Saturday!

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.

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!

Fall Is Here

And with the season change, I am finding it a little difficult to stick to a schedule. The good news is I ran a combined 14 miles on Saturday, Sunday and Monday; two of the three days were outdoors. I will need to do more hill training as I can feel my legs getting tired sooner than they should. My lungs are holding out extremely well. Sometimes I think I can run forever.

An Energy Boosting 12K

After thoroughly enjoying my 5-day vacation, I jumped out of bed this morning with a plan to run a 12K. Even though I had to fight through a period of low motivation, I finished the 12K with a 8.30 minute/mile pace. Interestingly enough, the Fitness Tip of The Day was: "At times, you will not feel like exercising. If you're just feeling a little tired or low on energy, go ahead and try to complete your routine. The workout will likely boost your energy level and your mood."

I can say definitively that my energy level and mood get full-day boost after a run - today's run was no exception. Here are articles that discuss other ways to boost your metabolism:

• Can You Really Boost Your Metabolism? - RunnersWorld.com
• 7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism - About.com
• How to Boost Your Energy Level in the Afternoon - eHow.com
• 5 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight This Year - AssociatedContent.com
• Boost Your Energy Levels - msn.com

Getting Over The Hump Using Goals

Today's training run was a 5k (3.1 miles) that started and ended at my driveway. The goal this month is to run almost 128 miles - the most I will have ever run in a month! Mind you, I have run 80 and 90 miles respectively for the months of June and July, so the 128 mile for this month will be a challenge.


When I run, I find that the first .5 - 1 mile is the most difficult for me. After I have run for a mile, I am usually able to run for as long as I can. I only stop when I have reached my distance goal or when my heart rate gets within a few percentage points of my HRMax (178 BPM). Today was a bit of a challenge for me. My mind (the bad guy) and body teamed up this time and told me to quit after the first 1/4 mile. Well, the good guy in me said to keep running...so I kept running until I hit the 5k mark. I got over the hump.


One key trait a runner needs is the ability to push himself/herself when the body says "No more!" Pushing yourself can be dangerous, but I see a lot of people who will quit running after a mile or less when they could do so much more for themselves if they fought it off and kept running. Hey, I know it ain't easy. A big part of my motivation is reaching my goals. Every time I run I have either a distance goal or a pace goal or both.


Setting goals is almost like having my own personal training, at least that's the way I view it. I would encourage everyone to set small goals first and then, as you progress , gradually increase the expectations for your goals. I would have not believed I could run at a 8.65 minute/mile pace after only 4 months. However, that's what I did today. And, I got over that hump too!

In The Beginning...Sort of!

After 4 months of running, I am still going strong. I plan to run in a 5k on September 13 and a 10k on September 20. I've been training for over a month and can now run as far as 8 miles without stopping. Man, you could not have told me I would be able to run like this. See, I grew up sprinting and was known for being one of the fastest, if not the fastest, kids in the neighborhood. I never ran track although I wish I had done so now.

So, how did I come to running? Well, like many people I set goal to exercise 3 times a week. I got budget approval from my wife to purchase exercise equipment in 2007 and in March I decided to buy a $1500 treadmill. My original goal was to walk on the treadmill 3-4 times per week. When I started walking, I quickly discovered I had to move my arms vigorously to reach my heart rate in the target range appropriate for my age (135-145 bpm). Soon after I began pumping my arms up and down, I discover I need to add wrist weights to stay in my target heart rate range. After the wrist weights, I added multiple inclines from 1% to 7%. I even increased the speed as far as I could without actually running and I continued to struggle to reach my target heart rate range. As you can see, my body was gradually getting more acclimated to walking and I had to make a decision. I could either continue to modify what I was doing or I could start running.

After more than a year of walking and making adjustments to reach my target heart rate range, I finally decided to just RUN! I started running 1 mile and gradually increased the distance until I was running 3 miles several times per week. Because I am over 40, I consulted with an exercise expert (my sister) who gave me some tips and pointed me to some very cool websites that I will share with you too. To see how I have progressed and what my limits are, I track my daily running statistics including time, distance, average pace, speed, average BPM, BMI, calories burned. Along the way I set a goal to get my average pace down below 10 minutes per mile (I started running at over 15 minutes per mile!) I can now say that I am able to run 9.5 minute miles comfortably. I have been known to run 8.5 minute miles on occasion.

My next goal is to run in a 5k and, possibly, a 10k in September. Wish me well...