OK, arms. The party's over.

Once upon a time, I participated in the hundred push ups challenge. I worked hard to do tons of real, straight leg push ups. I made it through week 5 (of 6) by repeating weeks 3, 4 and 5 over and over. It was tough. I never got to week 6 and never was able to perform all 100 push ups consecutively.

But all was not lost because my arms (and core) had gotten a lot stronger just by doing the push ups three times a week. So, really, it was a win. And I took that win, patted myself on the back, and gave up on push ups for a good year or so.

Sure, I would do them when working out with Jillian Michaels and her Shred girls. That was about it, though. I rarely, if ever, did them just to do them.

Well, the time has come to get back to kicking my own butt. Bring on the push ups!

Lisa over at Chasin' Bunnies wrote about how she's doing the challenge and invited others to join her. I seem to not be able to pass up a challenge because I signed up. I'm in. Get ready, arms! Today, I did the initial test and was able to squeeze out 15 good form, straight leg push ups. I almost made it to 16 but that one was crud and my back was all archy, so it didn't count.

Yes, 15 is a far cry from 100 but I'm not so worried about getting to 100 this time around. Lisa is all low-pressure with this challenge so it's more about building strength than actually reaching a certain number. That should work well for me.

Now, speaking of Jillian Michaels (because we were, right?), I went back the Shred last night. I did Shred level 3 using 6lb weights and I feel a little sore today. I'm going to cut myself some slack because a) I've hardly done any cross training in the past few months and b) Jillian and her girls use 3lb weights. So I'm practically a rock star hoisting my mighty 6lbs. Ha!

Right. So, it's almost Friday! Woo hoo! Enjoy it, everyone!

~ Felice

Almost the weekend. Phew.

Wow, am I ready for the weekend. The weather looks like it will be great so my plan is for a regular run this evening and then a long run on Sunday. Nothing like what all you marathoners will be doing, but long for me!

I also have push ups on the agenda. Nope, I haven't given up! I'm still pushing through Week 5, although you could say I'm hanging out in Week 5 because it's been a while and I'm still stuck on Day 2. I had better be done with this by the end of the year.

And, I have 2 toddler birthday parties to go to. So, yup. My weekend will be toddler-rific.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Week 5, Day 1.

In this alternate push up world, today I began Week 5. In the real world, I have been working at this challenge for 10 weeks. For some reason, I have stuck with it. I don't know whether that reflects something good or weird about my character . . .

Either way, today I started Week 5 with the following sets: 30/24/22/20/31*

I did them all. They were tough. Day 2 looks to be even harder but since it has taken me 10 weeks to get to Week 5, I plan to repeat today's schedule for the rest of the week. Call me a slacker, I don't care.


*That last set nearly killed me.

Pushing on.

This is big: I'm moving on to Week 5 in the 100 push up challenge.

It's been a long time coming, since I've been stuck on Week 4 for about 4 weeks. After finishing another go-round of Week 4 yesterday, I decided that I would try the exhaustion test today and move on if I was able to do the required 31 push ups. Lucky me. I did 38.

What?!?!?!

Yeah, I did. So, that means I am moving on. Week 5 -- here I come!

I feel like Yogi Berra.

I've been repeating Week 4 of the push up challenge. For the third time. It's deja vu all over again!

I swear, though, I am getting better at these push ups -- I just can't seem to get good enough to move on the Week 5. Someday . . .

In the meantime, I will be cheering ever so hard for Deena Kastor tomorrow night as she goes for her second Olympics medal in the women's marathon. And right now? I'm setting up to watch the women's 10,000 meters finals at 10:45 this morning. It's all track and field for the next few days and I'm v. excited!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Day 1 of Week 4, Day 3. Huh?

I'm still slogging away with the push ups.

Today was Week 4, Day 3: 25/19/19/17/27, for a total of 107 push ups. Since I gave up completing a week in one try, I'll repeat today's routine on Friday and move on to Week 5 on Monday. Taking two weeks to complete one week by doing each day twice (sounds more confusing than it is), is working for me. It's less stress.

I'm all about less stress.

Aargh!

That's the sound of me screaming through clenched teeth because I didn't read ahead to this week's Take it and Run Thursday until last night. One day AFTER I posted on this week's theme!

Oh, deflation.

Yeah, the theme for this week is Look Back, Look Ahead -- a mid-year running goals progress check. And I, like a dork, wrote about this on Tuesday. Those of you who haven't already read the post can go find it here. Feel free to check it out and then come back and I will entertain you with New and Exciting Additional Goals!

Go ahead.

I'll be here when you get back.

Just waiting.

No rush; read at your own leisurely pace.

We'll all just hang out here, waiting for you to re --

Great! You're back. OK . . . let's move on . . .

So, in addition to what I outlined in my other post, I have some new goals. They are:

1) To run more.

To do this, I will --
A) Attempt to run in the morning. It will be tough considering I am really not a morning person at all. I will be successful if, by the end of the year, I am consistently running one morning a week.
B) Start adding long runs to my routine. I can handle this. I will be successful if, by the end of the year, I am consistently running one 6+ mile run each week.

(This next one is cheating a bit, since I'm half-way through it.)

2) To complete the 100 push ups challenge.

To do this, I will follow the remainder of the 6 week program. It will be successful if, by the end of the program, I can complete 100 consecutive push ups.

Manageable goals, both of them. I think I should be able to achieve them, along with my others (to run consistently (done!), complete three races (almost done) and to run a sub-24 minute 5K (very close)). One thing that will help me along the way is to continue reading the great running blogs out there for motivation!

Half way.

On my second attempt, I finished Week 3 of the push up challenge and I'm moving on to Week 4 starting on Monday. That means two things: 1) I completed 106* push ups this morning and 2) I am half way through the program. Three more weeks and I should be able to do 100 consecutive push ups.

Should.

We'll see.

Those of you participating in the challenge: How's it going? Have you had to repeat weeks like I have (both Week 2 and Week 3)? Or has it been all easy-peasy for you?

Have a great weekend!

*No, not in a row. With 2 minutes of rest in between the sets of: 25/19/19/17/26.

The Sad Runner.

My cat died today. If you have any interest, I wrote about the ups and downs (he had chronic renal failure) on my other blog. So, I won't rehash it here.

Ugh. It has me all down in the dumps.

I've decided to repeat Week 3 of the push up challenge, in an effort to go easy on myself this week. My runs will be what they will be. Maybe long, maybe short. Maybe fast, maybe slow. I'll just have to see how I feel.

Damn. I feel sad about my little Mo!

Where's my A stuff?

Runners, as CoffeeBetsy so aptly put it, go running anyway. Meaning, even under less than ideal circumstances.

Like this evening, for example. It was H. O. T. today, still very much so when I wanted to head out for a run around 5:45. So, I went to Plan B and made dinner early and went for a run as Owen was putting Conal to bed at 7:45.

It kinda sucked. I felt all squoogy and just off. I slowed down, pulled back to a mere jog and decided that tonight's run would be more about just getting out there. The neighborhood was peaceful and I felt peaceful jogging at my slower pace.

And then something happened. As I was listening to the crickets, the birds and the frogs, I started to feel good. Then, great. I was feeling great! So great, in fact, that I picked up the pace. Still great. I picked it up a little more -- great. I sped up the hill in one of the cul-de-sacs and as I crested it, I still felt great.

I kept up the pace through the flat stretch and then pushed it up the next hill. I passed a woman walking with hand weights and we exchanged pleasantries. I had fleet feet and I sprinted down the other side of the hill, landing lightly, and ran strong over the rest of the route.

As I finished my run, I thought of this: Sometimes you go out there and you just don't have your A stuff. You might even be working with only a solid C. But you go out there anyway and, before you know it, you've got B stuff and a few minutes later, there you are. Enjoying an A+ run. You found your A stuff along the way.

Friends, this run was awesome.

And now, for a push up challenge update . . .

Today started with 22. Then 17/17/15/20 for a total of 91 push ups. 91! Holy crow...

Do-over Day

This do-over thing was the right idea.

Today, I completed Week 2, Day 1 of the push-up challenge. It was a total breeze! I couldn't believe it. The schedule called for five sets of push ups, with 60 seconds of rest in between sets. The sets went like this: 12, 12, 9, 7, max (at least 10). I cranked out 15 for my max and felt pretty psyched about that! I think I'm getting better at these push ups and I believe that doing Week 2 over again will help me in the long run.

So, having learned that do-overs are good things, I'm hoping to take a do-over on eating. Let's just say that my diet while on vacation was a little less than stellar. We're talking Doritos, M&Ms, Cheetos, ice cream, burgers . . . it goes on and on. But, you know, it was vacation and that's a time to let loose.

Now, though, I'm all over the healthy eating and, in fact, I'm looking for new ways to healthify (so what if it's not a word???) my diet. I found this interesting article, which made me pleased that I eat blueberries and cinnamon and reminded me to get that Asian cabbage salad recipe from Bridget. It's also prompting me to bring back the beets. I love them. Why haven't I been eating them? Dunno -- but I think I will start again!

My first step in refining my diet is to drink more water. I will hydrate! I will!

Can I have a do-over?

I need one for the push up challenge. While on vacation this week, I just didn't make the time for push ups. So, I'd like to take a do-over on Week 2 and start fresh on Monday. Thank you.

As for running, however, I definitely made time. I ran four times while away and it was terrific! I had mapped out a few routes before heading down to the shore and I found that doing so really helped to make sure I went out for my runs and enjoyed them. I varied the routes a little after I found out that Avalon (where we were staying) had a little boardwalk along the beach that was perfect for running.

Running gave me some much needed time alone while staying in a beach house with 16 (count 'em!) other people and it was a neat way to see more of the town.

It's a miracle I can lift my arms to type.

Day 3 of the push up challenge. Basically, a repeat of Day 2. Only harder. And my body is sorer. More sore? Both, probably.

But, I'm glad I'm doing this. I feel stronger, in that can-barely-lift-my-arms type of way. So, I'll keep going. Only 5 weeks left!

And here is where I shift gears awkwardly --

I was over at MizFit's blog this morning, when I was avoiding starting my push ups. Her Friday posts are called Link Love, where she shares all kinds of links to cool stuff found around the Internet. One of them really got me today, in part because it called up my total inner geek. It's called Typeracer and, I don't know, I guess it reminds me of waaaaaay back when I was first interviewing at publishing houses in NYC and I had to take all kinds of typing tests. Plus, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I love a challenge!

Shifting gears yet again --

I'm going on vacation. Yahoo!!! So, I'm checking out some running routes where we'll be staying, getting that all set so I can be a happy runner while I'm away. I love running on vacation -- I get to see new sights and the different routes help shake things up.

Jersey shore, here I come!

Day 2.

This 100 push up challenge is kicking my butt. Seriously.

Today is Day 2, which calls for 54 -- yes, that's right, 54 -- push ups, broken into sets of 12/12/10/10/10, with 90 seconds of rest between sets.

How was Day 1 so easy and Day 2 such a killer?

Why am I such a sucker for a challenge?

Because, you see, I am. I'm a sucker for a challenge. I signed up for the NaBloPoMo challenge over at The Little Jobber, in part because I had to see if I could write something (of interest, I hope) every day for a month. And I signed up for this push up thing because I had to see if I could actually work up to 100 push ups in 6 weeks. Why not, right?

I guess that's part of why I like running -- it is a challenge. Every time I go out for a run, there's a challenge involved. Will I run as far as I've planned to? Will I gleefully bound up the hills? Will I add a few strides at the end of my run? And then there are the races. As I've mentioned before, I love races. Since I'm not the fastest runner out there, I'm not going to win any races. But, the challenge lies in running my own race: Meeting my goal, feeling good when I'm done, running strong across the finish line.

Yes, the challenge is a big part of why I like to run and I enjoy a good challenge. And, for all the soreness of my arms this morning (and my core -- why didn't I know that push ups are all about the core????), I really am enjoying this push up challenge.

Pushin' it.

Have you heard of the 100 Push Up Challenge? I learned about it on Workout Mommy and after visiting the site and reading the details of the challenge, I decided to take it. After all, how cool would it be to actually be able to drop and do 100 push ups? In a row! I'd be so impressed with myself.

I took the initial test last week and I squeaked out 17 good form push ups. Yes, the full-on push ups, not the bent-knee kind! So, with that information, I started the challenge today. It requires a commitment of three days a week for six weeks. Check it out -- and check back to see how I am doing because I'll post updates throughout the challenge. Unless, of course, I can't move my arms to type . . .