yesterday's tragic event at the boston marathon was just awful. it really hit close to home. we don't run big race events very often, but the boston marathon was definitely one race we'd hope to someday be able to run. i know it's one of those races where you'll have to qualify to get in or be a part of some kind of charity group. i figure if we can't qualify it ourselves, maybe we'd consider raising money for charity and running it that way. yes, all of this one day in the future as we tackle city marathons one at a time.
i heard about the bombings at this year's boston marathon 3 hours after the incidents. i know, a little late. but when i heard about it, my heart just dropped. i felt so bad for all those spectators, participants and event members near the explosion sites. just thinking about them how moments before they were cheering on all the runners (maybe even a loved one who was running the event) who were approaching the finish line or approaching and crossing the finish line themselves. oh, it's just awful. i think i went to bed thinking about it. i had to tell myself i needed to get to sleep because i had a 4 or 5 mile run this morning. i needed to keep up with my half marathon training as i will be running the sf marathon in june. i'm sure and hopeful that after yesterday's tragic event that security will be tighten around all marathons or big events. i heard the london marathon is this weekend and that the event will go on. the london marathon is also one event on our list we'd like to run in one day too. i told m we'd have to get an england address first before we can even apply to run. actually, he already has an england address, i just need to get one myself. or he'll just run it without me, and i can cheer him on. (you see? it's terrible right, just thinking about how it could be anyone, at any event.)
okay, moving onto other things more on a lighter note. how have i been doing in my 30-day exercise challenge? not bad actually. so far, i've passed the halfway mark and i am proud to say i have been going strong, still is and i hope to reach the finish line in top form. i did however modified what i had set out to do once i got going on the exercises though. instead of resting on the 7th day, i work out 5 days straight, then rest on the 6th day. after each rest day, i bump up my reps on the different exercises. i'm proud to say i can do 110 squats easy – yes, just like that. so far, so good. i think after this 30-day exercise challenge i'm going to do another one but with much tougher exercises such as lunges and arm strengthening moves. yeah, i'm not a big fan of lunges so that will be tough. we'll see how many lunges in a row i can do. ugh, i hate lunges, just thinking about it. hehe ;)
modified 30-day exercise challenge:
- day 1-5: start with 50 squats on day 1, increase squat count by 5 (should be at 70 squats on day 5), 30-sec plank, 20 pushups, 15-sec side planks (each side), 20 dips
- day 6: rest
- day 7-11: start with 80 squats, increase squat count by 5 (should be at 100 squats on day 11), 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks (each side), 30 dips
- day 12: rest
- day 13-17: start with 110 squats, increase squat count by 10 (should be at 150 squats on day 17), 60-sec plank, 40 pushups, 30-sec side planks (each side), 30-sec plank, 40 dips
- day 18: rest
- day 19-23: start with 160 squats, increase squat count by 10 (should be at 200 on day 23), 75-sec plank, 50 pushups, 45-sec side planks (each side), 45-sec plank, 50 dips
- day 24: rest
- day 25-29: start with 210 squats, increase squat count by 5 (should be at 230 on day 29), 90-sec plank, 60 pushups, 60-sec side planks (each side), 60-sec plank, 60 dips
- day 30: 250 squats, 2-min plank, 75 pushups, 75-sec side planks (each side), 90-sec plank, 75 dips
oh, i've joined a bunch of groups on fitbit to keep my motivation going. in one of the group forums, someone started an independence day (july 4th) challenge. it's for anyone who wants to lose or maintain weight or be able to do a certain set of exercise or whatever by july 4th. so my goal for that challenge is to lose those last 10 pounds! yes, it's so frustrating. 18 months later and i'm still not back to my pre-baby #2 weight. ugh, i know.
independence day challenge (as of 4/15/13):
- starting/current weight: 106 lb
- memorial day goal: 101 lb
- independence day goal: 97 lb
i think if i really discipline myself, i can get there. i'm also trying to eat better, so hopefully that will help a bit? i don't know. i haven't been eating very good lately, even with all this exercising and half-marathon training. so today i've decided that if only i can get myself to eat very good (strict 1200-1400 cal diet) 2 days in a row, i can splurge a little bit on the third day. so eat good 2 days, splurge a little 1 day, and just keep repeating. when i mean splurge, i don't mean eat all the crap i want. it just mean if i want to have ice cream, i can have some. just not the entire carton! so yes, with that said, good luck to me! :)
alright, we'll see where i am come july 4th! i'm excited. now i say, if you want to set a goal for this independence day challenge, why not?! whether it's losing weight, maintaining weight or having the ability to do 50 or 100 pushups in a row or 250 squats, etc… you can certainly join in!
okay, stay tune for updates. :)
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random stats i'm throwing out there (more for me, personally):
- miles ran this year as of today (according to my data on garmin): 137.73 miles
- lifetime steps with fitbit as of this morning (member since feb 24, 2013): 749,254 steps
- weight lost since january 1 of this year: 3.2 lb
- today's weight: 105 lb
