Shun the Mush!

CRUNCHES: Week 1: Day 2: Column 2 www.twohundredsitups.com Total: 59

I've been trying to do this challenge for a few weeks, but it never felt good. I was confused about the 'proper' crunch form, and I started just doing full sit ups, but my back was always doing this arch thing, and I was afraid that the pain could cause serious problems. So, I watched this guy, who, though a little flamboyant (just look at those shorts), really helped, I think. Today's workout felt good, and my back never went into the arch that I was having problems with.

JOG: Didn't go for too long. My legs were still kind of wonky from Monday's run, and Mom wanted to play a little bit of tennis, so I thought I'd go light today.
Total(walking and jogging): 2.12 miles

I walked briskly for 10 minutes, going about .83 or a mile (according to www.mapmyrun.com) Then I started jogging. I checked my stop watch as I approached half a mile, and it read 0:00:03. Three seconds! Somehow I started and then stopped it at three seconds, but, you know what? I didn't care. As a matter of fact I felt an incredible sense of freedom. I have always run for time, and it just felt good to not count down to myself "OK, just keep going for another minute. OK, just keep going for 30 more seconds." So, I jogged for about .6 of a mile, and I think it took me 5 or six minutes to jog that distance, but that's just a guess. Then I walked for 3 minutes and then jogged my second distance. I began to run into a headwind and, while it was a cool, and should have been welcomed after the oppressive 87*F heat today, it was just too much. It felt like I was running half as fast as I did the first distance. But I went as hard as I could manage for 4 minutes and then walked back home in seven minutes. Not a major workout, but ok for the heat and the wonky legs.

I'm basically following the training schedule I picked up at http://running.about.com/od/getstartedwithrunning/ht/getstarted.htm (I'm somewhere between week 3 and week 4).

I've done this training before, for the past two summers, And this is where it all started.

A few years ago I thought "Wouldn't it be awesome if I could actually accomplish something?" And for some reason or other that translated to "Wouldn't it be awesome if I could run a marathon?" And me, not having worked out since playing soccer in Highschool, started running. It lasted the summer, and the fall, but come December of that first year, I kind of stopped. Then spring came, and I didn't really start again, and summer came, and I started again, and then fall came, and I stopped again.

I think one of my problems was that all I did was the running. I didn't change my diet. I didn't do any weight training. I didn't see any real results, and I plateaued at jogging three sets, for 10 minutes, three days a week.

But now I'm going all out, I'm going to get fit, not just for a marathon, but for life, and this is my training log.