Running Through Life

Confusing? Not really - just think like me.

Week 2 of pushups - elbow still in great pain.
Set 1 - 9
Rest - 60 sec
Set 2 - 11
Set 3 - 8
Set 4 - 8
Set 5 - max (at least 11) 7 - failed again.
Total - 43/144

Week 1 of Core Training - this is the training that was developed for Tyler Hansbrough and myself. I think he reads this blog and it pushes him to do better. Well, probably not, but it makes this old man feel better. Anyway, a set of 10 exercises with a medicine ball.

Medicine balls are expensive. I bought a kettle ball. 10 pounds. Smallest I could find. Steel ball with a handle on it. Should be close enough. Though I think the medicine ball would strengthen the fingers more during gripping. Note - don't use handle of kettle ball.

10 exercises -
1. Big circles - hold ball above head and big make circles (up, left, down, right, up). Do 10 in each direction.
2. Woodchopper - Start with ball overhead. Bend over, swinging the ball through your legs (do not let go or the TV will suffer) and then swing the ball back up over your head. That's 1 rep. Do 10
3. Standing Russian Twist - Hold ball straight out in front of you. Pivot on your right foot, rotating the ball and your torso to the left. Then reverse, pivot left foot and rotate right. 1 rep. Do 10
4. Squat to Press - Hold ball at your chest, squat down and then explode up pushing the ball overhead with full extension of the arms. Back to start position. That's 1 rep. Do 10
5. Medicine Ball Situp - with ball on your chest and preform a situp. Do 10

And there were 5 more. I successfully did the first 4. Then I tried a situp. No go. So I dropped the kettle ball and tried a situp. Nada. I cannot do a situp. I tried. My diaphragm is telling me that I tried. I CANNOT do a situp. How many times do you want me to say it here. It is impossible. I even know the secret of the Dragon Warrior and still cannot do a situp.

I can crunch. I got my shoulders off the floor. Maybe 3 inches, maybe 6 inches. I don't know. I did 5 of the best situps that I could. And because of that realization I quit. No, I stopped. And I was tired. The last 5 exercises all had something to do with some type of crunch work. It is possible that I shouldn't do these right after my pushup routine.

Maybe, pushups in the morning. Hansbrough's workout at lunch and Alwyn Cosgrove's workout at night. Think that is too much. Maybe. But how else am I going to beat Tom?

Week 1 Running workout - This starts the first
week of running with Team in Training. 40 minutes of running today. Basically a weekly running work is -
Mon - 40 minutes running
Tue - 45 minutes cross training
Wed - 30 minutes running - specialized, strides, pace laps, etc
Thu - Rest day
Fri - 40 minutes easy running
Sat - various long runs - 4 miles up to 20
Sun - rest

This is always the part I failed to do. I would always run with the team on Wed and Sat but never run on my own during the week. I was still proud of my last marathon time as it was what I wanted to run.

With the new Illinois marathon in April of 2009, I have a time as well. I think a sub 4 is doable. I just need to train. So maybe I will. And my competition will be looking at this to see what I am doing, but it is a blog and I can write anything I want. Is it real or is it Memorex?

That is what I have done today except for the running part. And Cosgrove's part. After all, it is only 8:33am.

taip ilgai, nes dabar (so long for now - in Lithuanian)