INSANITY Program

I bought the Insanity workout three years ago, and I've never made it past the first month. To be honest, I've never made it past the second week. But this time I'm hoping to change that. I know I won't be able to do it as well as the people in the video, but I will try to the best of my ability.

Day 1 was supposed to be the fit test, which I didn't take because I've had visitors ALL DAY. This cannot be allowed to repeat. Visitors or not, I must make this program a priority.

Everything else will have to wait.

1-Hour Run CONQUERED!

A few months ago, I made a pledge to myself that when I ran for an hour straight, I would get myself a Garmin.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE GOAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED!

Big Day Postponed

I was supposed to do my first hour-long run today, but postponed. My washed workout stuff didn't dry, and it's too expensive to risk wearing wet. Try again tomorrow.

Tainted Run

Today I went out to do a 30 min run when I could hear a dog crying. I thought it was a puppy the way it was whimpering, but discovered it was an adult dog. Never heard a grown dog make such a pitiful plea before. Then I heard its owner beating it. I heard the beating two doors down. I went looking to see if I could locate the abuser and I found him. I actually saw him beating the dog. I don't know what to do. The police in my town probably won't care and the Animal Control makes Roscoe P. Coltrane look competent.

I am documenting what I saw. Hopefully contacting the Humane Society in another city will result in some aid.

Way to ruin a run, dog-beating asshole.

Not too bad today!

Did another 25+ min run. Was supposed to go longer, but was cut short by douchey track team. I'll do extra burpees today to compensate for the unfinished run. I have this rule, though, that if my runs are cut short and it's completely not my fault, it still counts.

But I felt like I was pushing myself a bit more this run, and it felt really good. My heart feels strong and I'm not as tired as I normally am. I can't wait until Fall when the humidity goes down and running won't be quite so daunting (hopefully).

Beginner 10K - "easy" run

It was a short run. It should have been easy. Shoot, it should have been fun. But no, it wasn't and I was ready to quit before I started. This humidity is murder!

Aw hell...and I still have those 10 burpees to do.

How to make your own medal rack

I've got two finisher medals (yay!). There are three more races that I am hoping to do this year that have finisher medals. So I decided to start looking for a medal rack to display the documentation of my commitment to running. Here's the deal: the cheapest one I found was $40, and I didn't really like any of them. It didn't take me long to realize that I could just buy a tie rack for a fraction of what these medal racks cost.

That train of thought expanded, and now I think I know how to make a personalized medal rack. The best thing about this idea is that if you get sick of your medal rack design you can just unscrew the tie rack and get a new piece of wood and decorate another design or paint over the original design. And if you don't want to go all the way out with a wood background, there is no reason you can't cut out a piece of poster board and decorate it. You could create a photo collage of your races or some other design, tape the paper design to the wall and screw the tie rack under on onto it.

If all this decorating isn't your thing, you can just find a moderately attractive tie rack and call it a day. You would still come out much cheaper than buying a medal rack.


Materials:

- Tie rack that can be mounted on a wall (preferably a lightweight metal one like this one)

- A basic piece of lumber that is at least 7 inches wider than the width of your tie rack and is at least 2 inches longer than the tie rack. (For example, if your tie rack is 3x15 in dimension, you want a piece of wood that is 10x5. The wood piece shouldn't be more than 1.5 inch thick since this is to be put on a wall. Any major hardware store can cut the wood for you.)

- 2 screws long enough to secure the tie rack

- 2 screws at least 1.5 inch long

- 10-inch long wire (frame wires can be found in hardware section)

- Paint, rhinestones, photos or whatever you want to use to decorate your medal rack

Step 1: Decorate the wood piece. I plan on spray painting my tie rack as well.

Step 2: After the painting, glued photos, rhinestones or whatever you use have dried in place, use the two screws to attach the tie rack to the wood piece

Step 3: (If you have access to a drill, just drill two small holes at the top of your new medal rack, hang it on the wall and call it a day...that is what I plan to do.) Wrap the ends of the wire right under the head of the screw. Secure the screw to the back of the wood piece like you would on a picture frame.

Enjoy your new medal rack!


(FYI, I intend on posting a photo of my finished product, but like all my projects, it takes me forever to come up with a design.)

I'll be glad I did it...tomorrow

I waited to the last minute to do my Xtraining (oh, and did I mention I'm doing a Tribesports 10 burpees a day challenge, too?). I did the workout. Right after the workout, I did the burpees. Then I did 20 minutes of yoga. I really, really, really want to throw up right now.

Burpees are proof that Satan is real and he hates us.

"You're a runner."

Today I was telling my sister about how for years I thought about doing a 5K. It was my New Year's resolution for at least five years. And every year, I told myself I would try again next year. This year, not only have I accomplished that resolution, I've shattered it. I've done three 5Ks, two obstacle races (Run for Your Lives and Barbarian Challenge) and two fun runs. Seven races. Seven races in seven months, and I'm training for my first 10K at the moment. In fact, today I got my race t-shirt for my first virtual run. I talked about driving a distance and suddenly realizing that I had run that same distance that morning.

She said, "You're a runner. A real runner."

She talked about how so many judge the physical capabilities of others by their size and how wrong they are. I commented that I'm slow and I run like a penguin. She replies, "But you run, and you run far and you don't stop running. You're a runner."

And I thought, yeah...I guess I am a runner. A real runner.

Beginner 10K - Xtrain

This plan doesn't have a lot of cross-training opportunities. I am just going to randomly insert Xtraining on my own. The rest of me needs work, too.

Beginner 10K - Day ???

Today was a 30 min hilly run. I made a route. In fact, I've made several routes. But I wonder why I bother, because I always deviate from that route. I went a good mile or so off track today. My legs felt like they were filled with cement. The best part of this run, ironically, occurred when I was feeling at my worst. I was walking--no, slogging home--when this chica walker passed by me. And she had that contently smug "I-just-passed-you" look that we all do, myself included. But as she breezed by, I thought, "Chick, please...you're walking. I just ran."

...and back to reality...

Clearly I let yesterday's epic run cloud my judgement. I know what time I was supposed to exercise today, and I had the free day to do it. But I didn't get to it until almost four hours later.

Massive humidity and increased heat humbled me. I will not be so foolish again.

(OK, odds are I will be that foolish again, but I will make a concentrated effort not to be.)

EPIC MORNING WORKOUT!!!

When my alarm went off at six this morning, I was seriously thinking of skipping...again. Skipping has been a regular occurrence for me. But this little voice in my head went, "Do you want this or not?" And my reply was, "I do." So I got up and drove to the track.

I started with a 10 min warm-up walk then ran 50, yes people 50 min straight and did another 10 min walk.

But it's not over, because for the first time ever (dah-dadah-daaahhh!)...

I get to add this:

3 x 100

That's right! I did strides! I actually did that which I did not get when I was first aware of them. And I feel pretty good about them, too!

(I was supposed to do 4 x 100, but douchey track team showed up and they don't take well to interlopers.)

But it's OK, because this was an EPIC MORNING WORKOUT!!!

UGH

I've been slugging about, not really doing anything. Disgusting, I know. But at least I have a race this week, an Independence Day one to boot! Ah, virtual racing: I get to pick the track and when I run it. Good times.