Cranking it to Eleven

I've been planning on incorporating some weight training with this whole fitness "thing"... mostly of the high-rep low-weight toning (or "wimpy") variety, but haven't really followed through because I wanted to make sure I was in a bit of a running grove first.  Well, yesterday was my half birthday (28.5 is an important milestone)... and I figured that's as good a day as any to start (I'm sort of a numbers geek).

So I ran a good 5k... actually a PR (again, not sure if I'm yet allowed to use "runnerspeak"), and felt good, and then went to go try to get slightly stronger.  I want to keep it pretty basic... abs, then just a round of upper body: bench, row, pulldown, butterfly, curls, tris.  Sure, Ideally, I would do more, but am slightly apprehensive to start too much, being worried that I won't carry it through.  So this will be sufficient for now, and we'll build from here...

Anyway, for abs I was doing reps of an exercise I'm unqualified to accurately describe... but it looks sort of like this (only more attractive, albeit a good deal sweatier).  Anyway, just when I thought I couldn't do anymore...

I was saved yet again by the ultimate motivator:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eij5IGNNcc&w=480&h=390]

The Rocky IV soundtrack.  Incidentally, this is my 4th favorite song on the soundtrack... making it my 5th favorite song in any movie ever, just a notch behind "Don't You" from the end of Breakfast Club, and one notch ahead of "Your Eyes" from Say Anything.

Anyway, the song is right, not only situationally for me in that moment, but existentially for all of us in life in general... There is no easy way OR shortcut home (unless you mean from Escondido Elementary School, where I went attended the 2nd grade... then there's a sweet shortcut home through the woods).

So I completed what I would conservatively estimate were about 8000 more medicine-ball-crunch-things (see previous photo), and went on my way to grunt wimpishly while looking wimpy, trying to lift wimpy amounts of weight.  I assure you... whatever it LOOKS like I can lift (and I'm not under the assumption that you think it's a lot)... it's less.  So much less.  I'm frighteningly weak.  Trust me.  I know things.

That said, I had a good run, and wimpified my way through some extra weight training, so I fully anticipate not being able to use my arms tomorrow.  Can't wait.  But for now, I feel pretty good.  Distance: 5k

Food was good today.  Small bowl of cereal, salad for lunch, veggie stir fry for dinner.  Bam.  Food: A- (only a minus because, on an enjoyment level, I could have used some chicken on that stir fry)

And the Magic Number: 229.4 lbs.