Trying something new

Since November, I have been struggling with being motivated to exercise. I have essentially decreased my exercise regiment from 5 or 6 days a week to 3 or 4 days a week. Interestingly, I have been able to not only to maintain my upper body strength but increase my strength. Though I am increasing the length that I jog, I am jogging less frequently. One difference is that I feel like I am not as toned and I can tell a difference in my abdomen.

 

I feel like I need to do something different, but I have not figured out what. I know for sure I need more motivation, and possibly a change in my routine.

 

When a friend invited me for a trial workout with Operation Boot Camp, I thought this would be great. Maybe I could get some motivation and direction in how I can change my workouts. The trial workout was fun--well as fun as a workout can be at 5:30 in the morning. There were lots of people there since it was bring a friend day. I knew several people including two of the instructors. They were friendly and encouraging, but not in the over-enthusiastic cheerleader kind of way. The beginning of the workout was tough--that may have been because it was so early in the morning.

 

We started out with a short jog to our first "station" where we did a few calisthenics and stretched. We jogged to each station. I cannot remember all of the exercises we did, but the hardest was the plank. We held this position for minutes at least twice. We also did one set of sit-ups, squats, tire kick-ups, and several side shuffles. I thought my legs, particularly my inner thighs would be sore, but it was my abs and obliques that were the sorest.

 

I got a great workout and I was able to do the entire workout without resting and it was very effective.

 

In this program, participation is expected – and monitored – for every single session. Instructors are with you the entire time. Although there were lots of people, the instructors were able to watch and gauge our abilities.

 

It seems that the program is a total fitness program that includes nutrition information and log book, as well as intense workouts. This may be the reason that it is so expensive--because of the individual attention.

 

I am going to participate in one of their workouts that is open to the public. But, I don't think I will be able to join this group anytime soon. Expensive is an issue. An even more important reason is that I will be traveling over the next few months that will prevent me from fully participating in the program. In each of the summer months,  I would miss at least 8 days.

 

Overall, Operation Boot Camp is a good program, but someone would have to convince me why what I would get out of it that would warrant the expense. Of course, my travel schedule will be probably be an issue.

 

Thanks Dana for the invite! I really did enjoy it and wonder what the next workout would be like.

Another Good Jog

Today, like Wednesday we started at a faster pace than our usual start. Jeff dropped back a bit, and I was wondering if maybe we were going too fast for him to last all 12 laps. He, however, caught up easily and on the last sprint of the last lap, he was able to keep it well enough to beat me by a step.

Like a typical August day, it was humid, but we performed well. We made the 3 miles in less than 32 minutes. I think it was a best time and slightly better than Wednesday's time. I hope we can keep it up for next week's early jog. I am hoping, before then, to get in a solo, long, thinking jog in on Sunday morning. The Sunday morning jog will depend on Saturday's activities, though.

Jogged Yesterday

Yesterday, Jeff and I had a very good jog on the track morning, despite the humidity. We started our jog a little faster than normal. Surprisingly, we finished with our second best time ever. Neither of us had been keeping the jogging up to the level we should have been so I was surprised we did as well as we did.

We jogged 12 laps in the middle lanes. The first 4 laps are regular jog (faster pace for us than normal). The long straight ways, we run starting on the 5th lap. Starting on the 11th lap, we sprint (our version) the straight ways.

Our time is usually 34 minutes. Yesterday, we finished in 32 minutes. We want to get our time under 30 minutes. In order to do that, we have to pick up the pace in every part of our jog, particularly in the beginning. If we keep challenging each other, we can do that.

Someone asked me "What are you training for?" I am not training for anything specific. I would like to be able to run in a 5K race--the small community fundraiser where nobody cares what your time is. The reason I want to run in a race is just to say I did.

Reasons to train in sprints or heavy bench press or any other technique are to stay fit, look good, feel good, have endurance, be strong, be challenged, etc. At 65, Harrison Ford can still fit into his Indiana Jones clothes. Wow! Isn't that a goal! To be able to wear the same clothes 20 years from now.

In order to stay fit, I have to be fit and continue to work out in various ways. Eventually, exercise gets boring. So I use challenges and goals in order to keep the boredom away. Jeff and I race during the sprints which makes the run fun. Besides, the jog and the run make me feel good--the after-cardio feeling. Using the time as a measurement, I feel accomplished when we finish in a fast time (for us).

Jogging Variation on the Track

This morning was a typical 12 laps (approximately 3 miles) around the track with the exception that my jogging buddy decided to out run me on the sprints and turns on the 11th lap. Although I ended up flying past him on the last sprint of the 12 lap, I really like his approach. He will do much better next time.


This is our strategy. We stretch, we walk around a little, then we start a fairly slow pace for the first lap. We try to speed our pace slightly during the 2nd or 3rd lap. On the 5th lap, we increase our pace on the straight-ways and slow it back down on the curves of the track.


On the 11th and 12th laps we sprint on a shorter portion of the straight parts. This particular morning he went sprinted on the 1st straight-away and did not slow much in the curve. He basically jumped way ahead of me. He did the same thing on the 2nd straight-away. I gained a little.


Since he was so far ahead of me, I did not realize that he had given everything on that 11th lap. I lessen the gap between the two of us. By the time we reached the last of the 12th lap, I sprinted right by him.


We had fun. We learned some lessons. We are ready to do it again. My lesson is that I slow too much in the curves. We in general need to speed that portion up. If we practice it a little more, maybe he nor I will give out.


We know that interval running is good and that it breaks up the monotony.