Project Push-Up; The Next Step

It’s been roughly a week and a half since I completed my first half marathon and almost two weeks since my three month training schedule came to an end. I experienced some moderate soreness in my quads and hip flexors in the days that followed, but it wasn’t too bad. I was more proud of my aches than bothered by them. ‘Can’t walk? Who cares! I ran a frickin’ half marathon!’ After two days of solid rest, I’ve notched four tready 5K’s (including a new PB of 29:35), a 4-mile run around the Charles, and two hours of ice hockey. Is it any wonder that my legs still feel like hell?! I also managed to acquire a pretty gnarly cut on my upper arm where my iPhone armband rubbed against my GoWearFit band after I dumped a few cups of water over my head during the race itself. It’s scaring quite nicely. Oh battle wounds, why am I so proud of you? I must be diseased…

So what’s next? Full marathon? Sprint triathlon? Iron man 70.3?!

No, no, and no. Not yet, at least.

Well, except for the full marathon. I have absolutely zero desire to run 26.2 miles.

Prior to half training, I spent four months training for my first 10K and prior to that, I spent three months training for a my first 5K. I guess you could say that I’ve spent almost a year training for something. It may seem like a lot, but I’ve learned some super awesome stuff about myself through all of this madness. I’ve learned that I’m really freakin’ good at sticking to a schedule even if it means shuffling things around and/or doubling up on activities to get the job done. I’ve learned that I really like structure and that being able to see what’s in store a day, a week, or even a month in advance allows me to focus on the task at hand and push through each workout. I’ve learned that I am highly competitive and like to ‘out-do’ myself when the opportunity arises. Most importantly, I’ve learned that I’m a total sucker for specific measurable goals that lie just outside my comfort zone.

As of right now, my comfort zone is cardio. I quickly adopted a ‘cardio is key’ mentality from the get-go and never looked back. After all, I was losing weight at a steady pace and didn’t want to ‘fuck with the recipe’. I soon fell in love with running and its zen-like qualities and with the blinders securely fastened, ignored the benefits of strength training to an unlawful degree. As much as I adore running, I have grown terribly comfortable with it — especially endurance training. Could I work on my speed? Absolutely. Could I work on my form? You bet! I am sure there will come a time when I work on both of these things with unbridled fury and passion, but I’ve got other plans for my body.

I want to get buff.

Even though I have somehow managed to work my way up to jogging 13.1 consecutive miles, I do not possess the strength necessary to complete a single military-style push-up. Seriously. I can do a few of those foo foo knee-style wuss-ups, but not being able to do a real life push-up irks me. I want to be able to do a push-up. Or twenty. I want to be able do a pull-up. Or twenty. I want to be able lift heavy objects at will. Like a Great Dane or a small boat (it’s very important that I am able to lift small boats at my leisure…). I want to strengthen my bones. I want to fill this deflated body with some muscle tone!

I want to be strong in every way possible.

So how am I going to do it? How am I going to get ‘buff’? Am I going to scour the internet in search of every piece of (conflicting) literature written on weight training and muscle building? Am I going to hit the gym and line up alongside every flamboyantly Italian douche bag in the North Shore so I can get my deadlift on? Am I going to hit the machines in hope that static lifting will pave my way to push-up domination? Am I going to broaden my exercise horizons by getting my learn on via YouTube? Am I going to download a handy-dandy app to my iPhone that I can follow? Am I going to take a group exercise class? Am I going to Shred my way to victory in the comfort of my own home?

Truth is, I’ve done all of these things to some degree since the start of my journey, but nothing ever stuck. I didn’t have the know-how or knowledge required to design my own workout program and I didn’t (and still do not) have the desire or the pocket change to hire a personal trainer (unless MizFit is looking to relocate). Standing before a wall of mirrors in the company of a gaggle of Guidos fighting over a 150-lb barbell is not my scene and I have no patience to swim through sea of 40-somethings occupying every weight machine on the floor. I can’t seem to retain any information I acquire from YouTube and every iPhone app I’ve sampled has been totally impractical. Plus, consulting a virtual trainer every three seconds leaves me looking like a total lunatic. Group classes are great, but they’re stagnant and inflexible (my schedules was devised by Satan himself), and I Shredded once before I made the executive decision to banish said DVD to the Shelf of No Return (sorry, Jillian).

These things didn’t work for me and it’s easy to see why: I’m a schedule-loving, structure-doting, competitive masochist on a limited budget with zero time to learn the ins and outs of strength training and no patience or desire to fumble my way through sets sandwiched between a bunch of ex-high school football players!!

That’s where P90X comes in.

I will be dedicating the next three months of my life (and blog) to the P90X program. Doing so will hopefully 1. remove the guess work, 2. provide structure, 3. avoid stagnation, 4. provide measurable growth, and 5. supposedly obliterate every single one of my muscle fibers and cause me to toss my cookies.

Needless to say, it was an easy sell.

I was able to score the factory-sealed set off Craiglist for the low, low price of $85 (normally $154 w/shipping from Amazon) and spent a good forty-five minutes scouring the interwebz for cheap pull-up bars. I settled on a decently priced Iron Gym ($22.95 w/free shipping) and will be acquiring my sister’s heavy-duty resistance bands from her own P90X venture (currently in progress).

The party will start July 1st. Until then, you can find me on the treadmill.

I’ve got a Corporate Challenge to run on the 24th.