Aha! You thought we weren’t actually doing the 100 Push-up Challenge, didn’t you? In fact, we just started week 3 last night. And boy was it hard!

As a review, the hundred push-up challenge is a 6-week-long training program that will get you to the point of doing 100 push-ups in a row.

Initial Test

In my initial test, I was able to do 25 straight push-ups.

Stacie, on the other hand, has never been one for push-ups. So in the initial test, Stacie eeked out 3 push-ups. I also “strongly urged” her to work on her form, but now, in Week 3, she has much better form. It’s all about practice and strengthening those support muscles.

Week 1

We decided to do our training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so that we can take the weekends off. It works out for us fairly well, except some days we’re doing push-ups at 11pm, just before bed (thanks to my graduate classes).

The training schedule for Week 1 didn’t seem too strenuous to me, nor for Stacie (although form was a problem initially, as mentioned). On the 5th sets, where I need to do at least 7, 10 or 15, depending on the day, I was able to push out 15, 17 and 15. On Day 3, I was exhausted from swimming all day with visiting family.

For Stacie, she decided to pace herself and just do the listed numbers. She didn’t quite catch on to why you need to push yourself on the last set until week 3, but I’ll talk about that soon.

Week 2

In Week 2, the numbers inched up a little, but they were still manageable. Again, I was able to push out a few more during the 5th set, but Stacie was just able to do the minimums. If you recall, her max during the initial test was just 3 push-ups, but if you look at the Week 2 Schedule, you’ll see the highest number for Level 1 as 6 push-ups on several days and several sets.

But she didn’t give up and didn’t fail to get through each set. Plus, her form was improving so that she was able to keep her head up higher (almost horizontal to the body). If you find your head down below your heart while doing a push-up, you have bad form. You can see proper form push-ups here, as well as alternative forms if you just can’t do the standard push-up.

On this past Saturday, I decided to test myself to see how many push-ups I could do on my off day. I was able to push out 32 straight push-ups, which is a 22% improvement. You can see the updated max number in the sidebar graph (currently over to the left of the screen).

Week 3

Oh boy, I guess I didn’t look ahead to see what we were in for in Week 3. I had to double-check the numbers to make sure they weren’t typos! Sure enough, though, I had to do sets of 25,17,17,15 and M25 (minimum 25). Ok, I think I can do that, and I did. I was even able to push out 27 on the last set (2 extra) to finish the night with 101 push-ups total.

But poor Stacie. I had no idea her training requirements would jump so much. She went into shock when I told her the numbers: sets of 15,12,12,10, and M15 (minimum 15). But she’s only done 6 at most! How can they more than double the minimum set?

But guess what…Stacie was able to do 15 in a row on her first set. That’s an 80% improvement over her initial number (3). And then she did 12, then 12 and then 10. But that last set killed her. She did 8, then quickly did 3, then 4. I guess it’ll count on this one, but now she knows what’s in store for her on Wednesday!

How about YOUR progress?

So how are you doing with the program? How about starting it today if you haven’t yet? If you can only do 1, then at least it’s a start. And if you can’t do any, try out the alternative push-up forms. I may sound belittling, but that’s just me being a guy. Perhaps you have wrist problems so you can only do knuckle push-ups, or wall push-ups. Anything counts as long as you’re consistent and you’re improving.

So give it a try and see if you can get to 100 push-ups in 6 weeks! And keep checking back for our own progress as well!

Yes, I admitted it! Even I, a registered dietitian, can get lazy!!!

And, yes, I also decided that I didn’t want to train to run 26.2 miles. I wanted to train to run shorter distances and run faster. So, after talking with my husband, who had also signed up with me, we decided to sell/transfer our marathon numbers to other dedicated runners, and admit our change in goal. It’s OK to change your goals, and there will be more info to come on this topic at a later date.

This doesn’t mean that I won’t run another marathon; I would like to build a healthy base of running solid miles, be more consistent in my running year-round, and build some muscle before the next marathon try. I would also like to have a few short-distance races under my belt before I tackle another long-distance race.

So, next weekend, October 28th, you will find my husband and me on the sidelines in Washington, DC, cheering on those two runners who bought our numbers (legally), and the 30,000 other runners who are marathoners!! We are proud of them all!!

“While training last year, I knew I was burning tons of calories, so I took it upon myself to make up ALL of those calories when eating. I relished in my ability to eat whatever I wanted, and almost any quantity I wanted. What was the end result? I still had to carry my 226 lb body 26.2 miles on race day! I didn’t lose a single pound. Granted, I had converted a lot of fat into muscle during training, but I deserved that horrible finish time. I barely “Beat the Bridge” and finished with just under a 14 minute mile pace.

How could I do better this year?

Yeah, I could just push myself harder this year (which I am anyway), but if I continue consuming the same amount of food as I’m burning in calories, I’ll still have to haul my fat 226 lb butt across that finish line. Or, I could reduce my calories to a reasonable amount to provide energy to complete the run and recuperate, and carry less weight for 26.2 miles.

I chose option #2 this year. I’ve already lost about 7 lbs in the last 1.5 months of running, and I hope to be down to 205-210 by race day. However, I have to balance my goal to lose weight with my body’s need to sustain itself during training. If I take in too few calories, my body will give up on me, and I could possible injure myself permanently. Or I could end up gorging on food once this period of “fasting” is over.

What lessons can we take from this post?

Keep in mind that Mike is attempting to lose 15-20 pounds over the course of 5 months (which is about -0.5-1 pound a week). Don’t try to lose weight too fast –aim for 0.5-1 pound a week for sustainable weight loss.

Also, by eating adequate amounts of healthy carbs and protein, but keeping fat in check, you can lose weight without sacrificing the carbohydrates and protein you need for those long runs. For example, eat grilled chicken instead of fried chicken and a baked potato instead of french fries. As well, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you start working out after taking a hiatus, you might not see weight loss but might lose inches around your “trouble spots”, which is better overall!!

Mileage = We ran 9 miles this week: 3 in the gym, 3 outside, and 3 on the track.

Pace = Sorry, not available right now.

Rest = Variable. I have problems sleeping! (Does anyone else have a hard time sleeping after a good run?)

Emotions = Our 3-mile “long run” this weekend was AWESOME. We did some speed work and after we finished the mileage, I wanted to keep running. That’s what I love about running–the desire to continue (it’s probably just endorphins, but I love the feeling anyways).

Lessons Learned = If you are following a training plan (for a 5-K, 10-K, 1/2 marathon, or marathon), don’t vary from the plan! We missed our walks this week, and that threw me off, physically AND mentally. I remember how important it was for us to strengthen and stretch our muscles after those long runs last year, and so I encourage you to stick to the plan as much as possible. These training plans have been used and tested by many, and they work!

Mileage = 14.64 miles. Our long run this week was 8 miles. One day we opted for a “long walk” instead of a run. As walking also strengthens our legs for the marathon, this walk day is included in total mileage (but not pace).

Pace =11:22 min/mile. Our short training day was fast-paced and a hill workout. Good times! Our 8-mile run pace was decreased when my husband fell about 5 miles into the run (a patch of concrete was on the sidewalk–and it was dark outside–you get the picture). He’s OK although a bit bruised physically, mentally and emotionally…

Rest = Fair. I didn’t sleep well this whole week (nightmares are icky) but was rested for our Saturday run.

Emotions = Loving the runs. We ran at night for our long run. It was AWESOME (minus the fall)! It was breezy, about 67 degrees outside, and it made the time go by faster. It was definitely a fun trip (no pun intended). I hope we’ll do more evening runs (maybe in a more well-lit area though).

Lessons Learned = Vary your training runs. We are varying hill workouts and speed workouts. It will help you become stronger and faster and more prepared for race conditions. Consider one workout a week of hill repeats, and the other training run as a speed workout. More to come on this.

Well, happy running this week! Thanks for reading our weekly training updates!!

Here’s the recap:

Mileage = About 12.6 – 13 miles (one day we didn’t count mileage well).  We would have gone further during one of our “short runs” but my allergies, combined with the humidity, caused me to stop. I’m sure that there were other things I could have done to continue running (anyone have any tidbits?).

Pace = Our pace this week was pretty good at an average of 11:18 min/mile. We finished the end of our long run in under 10 minutes (which was a better pace than we started)! The humid/allergy-laden day hampered our good pace this week. 

Rest = I was fairly well rested by the long run start. We postponed our Saturday long run until Sunday because of the humidity (and our weekend plans).

Emotions = Psyched. Our good pace through the long run gave me a new level of excitement! I LOVE running!  As well, I felt well-rested and had minimal gastrointestinal distress before our long run (I didn’t have dessert the night before and we ate an earlier dinner).

Lessons Learned = We’re a team! It’s important to DEVELOP A SYSTEM if you run with someone else. For us, Mike is the leader of the pack. He tells us when we’re going to run and when we’ll take our walk breaks. I monitor our mileage and our pace (as I wear the Garmin).  I am also the motivator, getting us through those long runs (so far).  As well, I make sure that we get our carbs and water during our runs (as needed). 

 Well, that’s it for this week.  Please stay tuned as our season progresses (especially the lessons learned!).  Thanks!

Here are our stats from the week:
Mileage = about 12 miles this week (one 6 mile long run plus two 3 mile runs)

Pace = I had a sub-10 minute/mile day this week, but overall finished the week with an 11:18 min/mile pace over 12 miles.

Rest = not as well this week, thanks to traffic and the Memorial Day weekend. I’m tired today!

Emotions = excited about the sub-10 minute miles. We’ve decided to increase our pace on our short running days, and I’m excited about this secondary goal of continuing sub-10 minute/miles.

Lessons Learned = Don’t eat dessert the night before a long run. I thought last Saturday’s nausea was due to eating late. However, Friday night I had cake for dessert at a local restaurant, and like clockwork, I was feeling nauseous before our run Saturday morning. I had eaten too much fat and calories without giving my body ample time to digest it.  Also, it is key to eat a good breakfast the morning of a long run–Mike didn’t really eat much before we ran, and he was not able to complete the 6 miles this weekend because he was STARVING!
Stay tuned to my weekly running recap throughout the next several months for more tips! Thanks for all your comments!

If you still want to run this race, you can do so via MCM’s Charity Partners and run for a charity organization. See www.marinemarathon.com for more information.

Or, you can choose to run the 1/2 marathon or the 10K instead of the full marathon. Whatever you choose, I wish you good luck, good running, and good eating along the way!

Stay tuned for more running tidbits throughout the coming months.

• Run 2 days (short runs of about 30 – 45 minutes each)
• Walk (or cross-train) 2 days and
• Run one long run

So, 6 days of being active, and 1 rest day each week until the Marine Corp Marathon in October.

Here are the stats:

• Mileage (running) = about 9 miles this week, some of the mileage was walking between the running (Jeff Galloway stresses short walk breaks to keep your legs from getting tired–this will be key as the mileage increases)
• Pace = roughly 11:30 per mile (see Mileage above for explanation)
• Rest = well-rested because I only worked 2 days! However, we’ve been traveling in a car for several hours and eating poorly while on vacation this week.
• Emotions = excited and anxious about training. I didn’t keep in shape this winter, so I am already feeling guilty. As well, I experienced major knee pain last summer during training and worry that it will come back.
• Lessons Learned = Don’t eat late the night before a morning run! I had a late dinner last night and felt horrible this morning before my run. Ugh!

I’ll be posting regular weekly updates about our marathon training. We’d love your support too!