I'm Stronger, Than I Ever Thought That I Could Be

Pushups are the devil. I'm pretty sure only really sadist exercisers truly enjoy them. But I can't deny that they are an excellent display of upper body strength, something I typically lack. So this 100 Pushups Challenge was indeed going to be a challenge.

Pushups remind me of the karate classes I took when I was younger. They remind me of military punishment. They do not make me think of having a good time.

The first day I had to do the test, to see where I was stating from. I tried to do them from my toes and squeaked out a pathetic 2 pushups. On my knees, I managed 17. So I would be doing the challenge with modified pushups. I was ok with that (at 187 lbs, I was ok with that). Nick was even going to do the challenge with me.

By the second day of week 5, I did 101 pushups. Not all at once, in smaller sets, but in my mind, it was goal accomplished right there. There was still another week to go, but to me, I had succeeded.

I did get through week 6 (I was actually surprised how quickly I progressed, but miss one day and it felt like you were back to square one). On the final test, I did two sets of 50 pushups, and that made me very happy.

A tougher goal for me, but I stuck to it and finished it.

Take Control Of Your Mind And Meditate, Let Your Soul Gravitate To The Love

I had a fabulous run today! Even with the lovely mist I was being covered with, I felt nearly invincible. What a difference it made to do 3 (albeit longer) intervals as oppose to 4. What a great run. It was almost effortless (I said almost!) until I under-estimated where my last interval would end, and then had to run an extra (long) block. But overall, I feel great.  Now I just need to get caught up on the almost two weeks I am behind!

I feel like I've been mildly ignoring my goals recently, and especially since Nick started the 100 pushup challenge earlier this week, I really feel like I should start working on some of them a little more intensely. I think I will hold off on the pushups until winter (it's a good indoor activity), but there's lots of things I could be doing, and with 6 weeks of vacation coming up, I could be getting together a list of books to read as I lounge in the sun! So I hope to put together some ideas for my literary goals over the next few days. I am also attempting to put together some good quotes for my top 101, so here is a sample:

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

You can't escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

- Abraham Lincoln

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.

- James Oppenheim

A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse.

- Stephen Dolley Jr