I never think I’m doing enough for the people who sponsor the tour – so this year I pledged 10,000 push ups before I leave in June for Nova Scotia.
No, I wasn’t drunk when I made the pledge. This is to help me get in shape for the 1,700-plus miles that lie ahead. At least that’s what I’m telling myself
Training is pretty basic. Turn on WISN and Mark Belling at 3 p.m. Listen to the podcast on my computer while completing 10 sets of 20 military push ups. Throw in some arm curls with my sand-filled Flintstone weights, maybe a set of dip off a chair (those are tough), some random cleaning during set recovery to spice things up and by 6 p.m. I’ve got the first phase of my winter workout complete and the house isn’t as messy.
I’m sure this scenario is similar to how Vin Diesel trains.
I scratch notches in my daily diary. Stay consistent – which is the secret anyway, right? Reviewing my stats from 2009 are incredible; my God I was sculpted. Knocking down 250 push ups a day with my toes on a step in an attempt to ramp up the level of difficulty.
Starting over now and completing 100 push ups on my knees was a harsh reality check. I watched YouTube videos of guys doing push ups just to get inspired. Three weeks before the announcement I managed to complete 1,900 push ups on my knees so I could be ready to go with a full military routine once the pledge was in place.
I’m at a ‘little pink girl’ stage of training but I’m making progress. As of today I’ve completed a total of 880 push ups with 142 days left before I leave.
Things like this note from Natalie that I received while biking in Alaska keep me focused.
Judy Wow! What an accomplishment. I enjoyed following you every step of the way. You inspire me. In the midst of struggling with my training this summer you have put my mind in a different place to move forward. Thank you for that. Your perseverance has motivated me beyond what my mind is telling me I can do right now. You are a blessing to many, that is apparent. So many qualities. You have found your gift and are using it with purpose. Be Epic Natalie 🙂
This is me working to ‘Be Epic.’ Next week I start my program with ThedaCare. They’ve selected members of the media to participate in a pedometer challenge. Walk/run 10,000 steps a day. They supplied me with a $15 pedometer. I also had to find a training buddy. I put a shout out and a man named Mark said he’d be game.
Mark is 53 years old….. he’s also a mailman and walks 10 miles a day. That’ll push me!
I’ll close today with another favorite note from a guy named Mike. He followed my last tour in Alaska.