I think I've done a really bad thing: The week of December 21st

This past week I managed to exercise twice: one was a really nice 5k run. The other was a 5 mile run with the one minute walk breaks throughout after every 5 minutes of running. I'm going to be doing all of my longer runs that way now, given my propensity for injury.

As for my "really bad thing"... well, I signed up for UW-Madison's online marathon training class. It begins January 20th and goes through May 19th. How in the world they can train you for a marathon in 16 weeks is beyond me. But, I thought I would go along for the ride, so to speak and at least see what additional resources they have. The training ends on the weekend of the Madison Marathon, which is the same weekend as Syttende Mai. I'm NOT doing the Madison Marathon but am going to stick with Syttende Mai. The class description said you can use the program to train for shorter distances as well--anything from a 5K to a marathon, so I'll shoot for the 17 mile Syttende Mai.

I've decided for training purposes I really like the Jeff Galloway book-- which takes a 26 week approach. That being said, I have quite a shift to make towards being active 6 days a week....

Sunday, 27 December... Just a Bit Better Than Last Week

This week I beat my blistering pace of one work-out per week. I increased it to three work-outs, but one of them really barely counts:

Monday: 50 Minutes (7.5 km, or about 4.6 miles)

Saturday: 30 Minutes (about two miles... most of this was done walking. It was the day after Christmas, and my stomach still felt really full!)

Sunday: 60 Minutes (8.7 km, or about 5.4 miles). I really wanted to go for 2 hours today... but I just kind of quit.

My goal for next week is to work-out four times... and to have one really long/slow distance in there- maybe 2 hours/8 miles.

I'm a loser too!

I exercised one time also! Yesterday!!! I did get on the treadmill one other time for a whole mile, but I don't think that even counts...

Yesterday I did a really long session of 8.5 miles... 120 minutes. I would jog 20 minutes, then walk 5. This is only HALF of what Syttende Mai is.... my knees started to hurt so I stopped. I suppose if I would actually exercise one or two other days during the week it might help??? Maybe it's the treadmill???? Maybe it's because I also am a dirtbag????

Sunday, December 20... and I'm a LOSER!

Well, I am officially a dirt bag. I exercised ONE whopping time this week- Monday: 40 minute treadmill. That means I took the following days off: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Okay, it's the week after my PT test, but COME ON! Why was I working out- due to fear of a stupid PT test, or because I respect myself and want to feel good/take care of my body?.... REALLY! Tune in next week to see if I am really, truly a dirt bag... or if this was a temporary slump.

Sunday, December 13

Well, I am posting this a week late- this is the exercise I did the week before my PT test, the week before I lost my pants! So... I did quite a bit, particularly compared to my next post! I exercised 5 times this week-

Monday: 60 minutes treadmill (8.6 km)
Wednesday: 60 minutes treadmill
Thursday: 40 minutes treadmill
Friday: 30 minutes treadmill
Saturday: PT Test (2 miles in 19:25 :(, 20 push-ups, 70 sit-ups). Lots of room for improvement!

Am I Back????

Okay, there is NO WAY I can top that post! I did NOT lose my pants, nor did I shat in them! FINALLY i think I am getting some relief from that! I had to cry uncle and move my exercise indoors, which meant two days of activity:

Saturday: 3.75 miles of hill walking
Sunday: 7.5 miles (took me nearly 2 hours). What I did was jog 1 mile then walk .25-- then jog a mile and walk a quarter. So, I really jogged 6 miles in all. I was hoping to go 8, but I tripped at 7.5 and knocked the key out of the treadmill and shut the thing off. I figured that was close enough. It finished up the pattern evenly anyway.

As for my stomach, i did have to take a quick 2 minute bathroom break around 2.25. But it wasn't as scary as it has been. I think I'm making a recovery. Let's hope in Hawaii there are porta-potties though... just to be safe.

Oh, the humiliation...

Well, I took my PT test today. Army doesn't have a waiver like Air Force does, I took it outside in -26 F weather. It was so cold that my pants slid down... and were around my knees before I even noticed. That was a first for me, and also for the poor NCO who was grading my PT test. Luckily, I have experience with these types of situations (like when I shat my pants)... so I am confident I will bounce back.

Well, um, okay

So, you think it's bad that you've posted 5 days late! I've posted so late I can't even remember what I did! I had to read my last post to remember where I left off! I've been having a lot of "stomach" issues that have really put me behind in my training... like jog as far as you can go in the city without stopping in someone's yard. Last week I think I exercised twice. What am I up to THIS week (Friday)... um... one.

I have to figure out something. I'm losing all the progress I was making.

Sunday, 6 December

Last week I exercised 5 times... nothing really high mileage, lots of slow sessions of jog/walk mixed.

Tueday: 2 Miles on Treadmill (17:13)
Thursday: 30 Minutes on Treadmill (SLOW; JOG/WALK 2.2 miles)
Friday: 2 Miles on Treadmill (18:01)
Saturday: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes (SLOW!!)
Sunday: 1 Hour (Super-Slow; 4 miles JOG/WALK)

Sunday, 29 November

Well, it's probably not a good sign that I'm posting last week's post on the Friday of the FOLLOWING week (essentially 5 days late). I exercised 4 times last week, though- two really short exercise sessions and two long ones. Monday I did a 30-Day Shred Work-out (a 20-Minute workout... I did the arms only; no squats/lunges because I wanted to save my knees). Wednesday I ran two miles (to see what my PT test time was looking like)... I ran it in 17:18, not a blistering pace, but good enough to pass the PT test. Thursday I did a long one- 2 hours and 5 minutes... about 9 miles I think (really slow jogging with a bit of walking). Sunday I did another two hours ... even less mileage and even slower (much more walking), but I stayed on the treadmill long enough to counteract the worst effects of multiple Thanksgiving dinners.

Okay, our Thanksgiving celebrations in Mongolia didn't look exactly like this one... but I managed to pack down quite a few calories anyway!