Tuesday – nada

Wednesday – 1 torture set

Thursday – 1 torture set and bike on the trainer for an hour

Friday – nada

Saturday – 1 torture set and one hour on the bike trainer

Sunday -nothing physical at least – I’m working on training and food.

Reflections – My mental state got better and better as the week progressed.  Training is becoming more of a habit again which is really good for my mental state.  I’m still having a hard time with food.  I’m working on making fruit smoothees part of my regular diet.  I need more veggies.  I like protein.  It’s like I have all the pieces but I haven’t figured out how to bring them all together just yet.  I’m tired of having extra weight to haul around.  I don’t need it.  I’m a little frustrated because despite the fact that I have all but quit drinking, I haven’t seen a significant impact on my weight.  I suppose I’m taking in the calories from other sources but I haven’t figured them out yet.

Goals for next week

1.  Run at least twice 2.  On the days that I do torture sets – do 2 torture sets instead of just one  3.  Eat better – planning meals helps 4.  Leave work at work

We (Mer, John and I) did push-ups today (22, 30, 20, 20, 30) and then Meredith and I ran.  We are doing intervals – run a quarter mile easy, run faster for quarter mile, then easy, then faster, then easy, then faster.  It’s only 1.5 miles right now.  But, we’re not working on distance – we’re working on speed.  I think we are going to keep this distance for about a month and focus on speed.  It was a total of 17:46 (2:52, 2:20, 4:07, 2:21, 3:44, 2:19).  The quarter miles that were easy ones involved some walking too.  It’s hard to see those numbers sometimes (the slow ones) but it’s pretty exciting to see the numbers on the “faster” ones.  Those are sub-10 minute mile times.  Yay.  I know I can’t do that for a whole mile yet but that’s okay. 

Also – 400 sit-ups and 3 sets of biceps and triceps – 25 each at 8 lbs – while watching football.

Yay.

Yesterday, we did push-ups (20, 25, 15, 15 and 25) then I did a veggie tales torture set (they have become known as this because I couldn’t remember dude’s name – Vince Delmonte – but it triggered my memories of canned vegetables – and well the sets are torture right now). 

Today – I biked on my trainer for about 30 minutes. 

This week has totally sucked in terms of working out.  It has also sucked for me mentally.  I want to be exercising but I’ve been completely exhausted each night.

I’m watching football right now but I don’t think I can even stay up for that.

Happy Friday.

We did week 3 of the push-ups challenge.  We might have to do it a couple more weeks.  We took last week off and … well… I can sure feel the break – I felt much weaker than I normally do.  Oh well. 

Back story –>  As we map out what our year of training looks like, leading up the B2B we have about 2 months of “free time”.  (Okay, so it’s not really free time, but it is time that we do not have a triathlon specific training plan mapped out.  So, we decided to focus effort on strengthening our respective cores.  To me, that means lots of sit-ups. Like normal, I  just jump in and start doing what I know without much thought (note the sit-ups logged in the previous weeks).  Meredith, on the other hand, is really great about exploring options and figuring out which one is best for the training plan and goals.  She is a fantastic fitness information sherpa!  So, she found this thing about Six Pack Abs (there is a link to it on the hundredpushupschallenge.com website).  She did more exploring and found a couple of youtube videos demonstrating some of the strategies and exercises for strengthening your core. 

Current story –> I did one of the sets of torture series of exercises tonight. (If I can figure out how to upload the you tube video, I will).  It didn’t look that bad to me.  But now I realize I need some sort of fitness glasses.  IT WAS REALLY TOUGH.  Description – 15 seconds of an exercise then 15 seconds rest for 6 exercises.  Doesn’t sound bad does it?  I mean, anybody can do an exercise for 15 seconds, right?  Holy crap.  I learned tonight how very far I have to go in some ways.  15 seconds of push-ups (not bad really especially since we’ve been doing the 100 push-ups challenge), 15 seconds rest, 15 seconds of mountain climbers (um – okay so now I’m breathing heavy), 15 seconds rest, 15 seconds of thrusters a.k.a half – burpees (why are they called that?) (now, I’m breathing heavy or trying to and trying to figure out how to get both of my legs to come in the way they are supposed to), 15 seconds of rest, 15 seconds of high knees (this feels relatively easy ’cause of some of the other workout stuff I’ve been doing), 15 seconds of rest, 15 seconds of squats (okay – not bad, challenging but not bad), 15 seconds of rest, 15 seconds of jump squats (this one requires a bit of coordination that I’m not used to figuring out so that part was a bit of a challenge the first time around).  I was PANTING by the end. 2 minutes and 45 seconds of work-out and I’m panting.  I’m not sprinting.  I’m not pedaling up a huge hill.  BUT, I’m panting nonetheless.  Then I found out that I was supposed to do 2 more sets.  EEK.  I took more than the minute break (so I could actually catch my breath) – probably more like a 5 minute break and then started the second set.  HOLY CRAP!  My weaknesses are totally exposed during the second set.  I know that’s not a bad thing but it sure is humbling.  The thrusters and jump-squats kicked my ass.  I had a hard time getting my legs all the way forward and pushing all the way up toward the end of each 15 second interval.  The third set was even worse (or better depending on your perspective).  And, it was just the warm-up!!!!!!!!  It was just the freaking warm-up. 

But, I liked it.  I liked that it kicked my ass.  I like that there were different exercises – not just sit-ups.  I like that it’s making me breathe hard and that I can really feel my muscles working. 

I like the se sets of torture.  Weird.  Freakish even.

I hope the rest of you freaks out there have a great year.  Happy torturing exercising!

Tuesday – nada (this was officially Christmas in our house)

Wednesday – 400 sit ups, 10 minutes of aerobic workout, 3 sets of 25 at 8 lbs (triceps and biceps)

Thursday – I worked in the yard for about 4 hours – hard work too!

Friday – nada (well other than cleaning the house)

Saturday – dance party (so lots of dancing)

Sunday – today is my 40th birthday!!!!! I did nothing.

Tuesday – pushups (14, 18, 14, 14, 20)

Wednesday – can’t remember

Thursday – can’t remember but we might have run (3 miles)

Friday – pushups (20, 25, 15, 15, 25), biceps and triceps (3 sets of 25 each @ 8 lbs), sit-ups (400) bike (42 minutes)

Saturday – nada (other than yard work)

Sunday – 18 minutes running (speed work)

Monday – I did nothing.  Oh wait, I watched football and did some bicep work and tricep work.  I’m using light weights and high reps because while I am interested in getting stronger, I want my arms to get firm not bulk up.

Tuesday - I biked on the trainer for an hour (right now it’s an excuse to read a book).

Wednesday – I biked on the trainer for an hour (read my book for an hour) and did push-ups (5 sets – 14, 18, 14, 14, 20).  I think I also did more bicep and tricep work.   Oh yeah, we ordered this video that is a dance cardio workout.  We tried learning the moves and did that for about 30 minutes.  I think altogether I only got about 15 minutes of workout – I was struggling.

Thursday – NADA.  I even watched a little bit of football but couldn’t convince myself to do ANYTHING other than stuff for my job.  Arggghhhh.

Friday – I biked on the trainer for an hour (read my book for an hour) and did push-ups (5 sets – 20, 25, 15, 15, 25).

Saturday – I walked Tallulah and walked to the library.  Later, I did some aerobic work (jumping jacks and leg lifts while hopping like I was doing jumping jacks – it was quite difficult) for about 8 minutes interspersed with a bunch of sit-ups.  [I am gonna start doing this thing where I do 1 sit-up then 3, then 5, then 7, etc., all the way up to 39.  I never thought about the numbers until today when I was trying to figure out how to describe it.  So, you start by counting up and then counting down - like count up to 20 then back down to 1 - doing sit-ups for each count.  I used to do it up to 20 which is what I did tonight and will continue until it gets easy.  I think it ends up being a couple of hundred sit-ups or crunches or whatever they end up being.  I know it works my abs.  I can feel it.  And core work is good, right?]

Sunday –> I did push-ups (22, 30, 20, 20 , 28), sit-ups and some bicep and tricep work  and biked on the trainer for 30 minutes.

Total time biking on the trainer –>3.5 hours

Total number of pushups –>300 (wow – that’s a bunch)

Total number of sit-ups –> 800 (cool)

Total strength training- bicep/tricep work - 3 days (3-4 sets, 8lb weight, 25-30 reps – each day)

Total aerobic stuff – 23 minutes (8 minutes Saturday plus about 15 minutes for me on Wednesday with the dance cardio workout)

I’m not motivated to run – at all.  The trainer is appealing because I can – you guessed it – read my book.  I’m liking the push-ups and the tricep and bicep work.  And, we just got this fun dance workout video.  But, holy crap, you gotta know how to dance already.  So, that one’s been pretty intimidating for me.  I’m hoping to get into it soon.  At the very least, it’s giving me some ideas about exercises to add to my workout.

So far – not looking too good for the half-ironman next year.  But, we have not-quite a year to get ready, to get that motivation back. 

Happy training.

http://www.beach2battleship.com/

And, way fun that so many blogger folks will be heading this way.  YAY again! 

I’ve been out of it for a bit – gotta get back out there and tag in with you fabulous folks.