They call them Mondays for a reason
I knew going to bed last night that what I had to look forward to wasn’t the run, but the finishing of the run. This morning, I woke up listening to it rain very hard out my window, and knew that I couldn’t think about the sprinting itself. I hit the snooze button an extra time or two, but then I got up.
At the park, I realized a few things. 1. Off-leash dog areas are great, but when you’re sprinting, you feel a little more vulnerable. I think dogs are used to seeing slow joggers, but I felt that if I took off in a dash, the dogs would chase me. They didn’t. This time.
2. You feel really stupid doing sprints in front of other people. I kept trying to time it so that I wouldn’t really be sprinting past or by any other runners or dog owners, but it happened a few times anyway. Afterwards I thought about it and realized that it’s ok. It doesn’t really matter, and that the important thing is that I’m out here. Of course, it was about that time that a very thin man came zipping by at his normal running pace, and I realized that I didn’t even sprint that fast. Which leads me to #3.
3. I don’t sprint fast at all. My sprint is probably about the pace of a good runner, when they’re just running. Again, that fact is a little embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as not trying. So, I’ll not worry about that either.
Today’s workout was the same as yesterday’s, except I took a little longer to warm up and cool down. The 60-second breaks also continued today instead of the 30-second ones. We’ll work on that as we go. In total, 18 minutes from out of the car to back in the car. When I got home I really had to wonder if I was that successful at actually ‘working out.’ How many calories did I actually burn? How much fat did I burn? Did I make progress in weight loss? I don’t feel that today’s workout really pushed me into the fat burner mode that I want, but I think that in a few weeks, when I’m going for much longer (and harder), it’ll be a different story. I just have to build up to that. As for yesterday, I did feel really good all day, and I do believe that my metabolism was boosted throughout the day, so I’m hoping for the same result today.
The scale? 228.2 lbs. Same as yesterday. My scale has a bodyfat percentage meter on it, which said 30.0%. I doubt it’s that accurate, but I figure I’ll track that too, and at least use it as a measuring point.
Feb 21st 2008
hi how long should hiit last on a bike?
May 10th 2008
I use to be just like that. I talked to this personal trainer one day and he said the best way to stay motivated is to make a journal of exactly what you do every single day. Honestly it really work when I looked at it on paper it was different. When you see no improvement on paper in terms of reps, sets, and distance and haven’t done anything you feel like a lazy asshole that day then get motivated to get on them running shoes and pull out the wieghts.
Aug 14th 2008
Hi, I did a google on HIIT as I want to add it to my routine. Like you, I hated running. Notice the past tense. I now like running because I’m now on a hormonally balanced diet called the Zone Diet. You can google it for more information, but it is a moderate, balanced diet that yields amazing results. Joslin Diabetes Centers recommends a diet that is almost identical. Dr. Sears, the creator, has worked with athletes that have brought home 24 gold medals. Jenny Thompson was the most prolific Zoner medalist and her count was just surpassed by Michael Phelps a day or two ago.
Christian Vande Velde is a Zoner - he recently finished 5th in the Tour de France.
I’d also recommend spending some google time on “pose running.” It has helped me a lot, but takes some time to get your calf muscle strong enough to support the work load.
I’m a decade your senior and I feel better than ever - and I mean this factually. I really really do feel better than ever. I effortlessly lost 25+ lbs of fat while adding ~70 lbs to my bench press - I started pretty weak.
My foundation is the Zone Diet, pose running is a great tool and I hope to add HIIT as another tool in my arsenal.
Best of luck in your exercise adventures.