Week One, Day Three: January 14th

Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15

Actual Workout:
Running: 2.10 miles, 20:58 total (just under 10 minutes pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 3, 6 sets of 1
Situps: 3 sets of 20, 2 sets of 10
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Dips: 3 sets of 3

Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Green salad with chicken, corn, tomato, cucumber, a small portion of cilantro dressing

Dinner (6:00)
Three pieces of teriyaki salmon
One piece of teriyaki chicken
One helping of white rice
A dozen green beans

Night (10:00)
Medium cappuccino with non-fat milk and three packs of sugar

Thoughts
This was definitely my toughest workout day yet, although I only have a three day sample size to choose from. I was still sore from swimming on Tuesday, and had to wake up for a morning class, so by the time I went to the gym for my run at 4:00, I was a) aching and b) tired from hours of class. Nevertheless, I hit the ground running. My first mile went very well--I didn't start to feel tired until about the .75 mark, and I finished in about eight minutes. But, as soon as I hit the one mile mark, it was as if I hit a wall as well. My legs felt heavy, my breathing got staggered, and as much as I tried to keep my mind off running (there were some good basketball games on the TV), I couldn't help taking breaks every .25-.30 of a mile. By the time I was done with my two miles, I had come close to eclipsing the 20 minute mark. I decided to do an extra minute, just so I could make up the time that I spent walking during breaks.

Exhausted already, I attempted to do some pullups. At this point, I don't have the brute strength in my arms to do them a) well or b) consistently. Even when I was more of an athlete, I always had FAR superior leg strength to arm strength. Anyway, after cooling down a bit from running, I went to the bars, and after one set of one, was able to do a set of three, which was surprising. That's not to say I did them well (I used my legs to generate some momentum), but I got up and down. Still, after that, I could only manage a few more sets of one. Disappointed, I decided to do some dips--which are a part of the latter section of the program--since I felt that could supplement what I missed with pullups. I did far better with the dips, and was able to do three full sets of three.

After returning back to my dorm, I started with pushups and situps. I did two sets of situps, which caused quite a large burn in my abs as I got to the fortieth situp overall. I switched to pushups, which were also hard, since my arms were still sore from swimming. In each set, I was able to do the first five with relative ease, but the second ten burned. After two of those, I switched back to situps, and got to the tenth situp of my last set before having to take a break. I powered through the final ten, and then wrapped up with my last two sets of pushups.

By the end, I was drenched in sweat, panting, sore throughout my body, and fatigued. I was happy overall with the day, but disappointed that I had so much trouble with the running. My time didn't drop--if anything, it might have gone up a tad. I was on a different treadmill, which was a bit harder, in terms of running surface, than the others, and, despite a long line to get on a treadmill, the person ahead of me passed on this particular one because it wasn't good for his legs. I don't want to blame the treadmill for my non-improvement, but I have to consider all factors. From now on, I'll try to keep it constant and stick to one treadmill.

As for eating, I forget breakfast...again. Crap. But, I did have a relatively healthy day overall. Maybe too much fish at dinner time, but I was starving after my workout--I needed to replenish. As an aside, unless otherwise noted, I drink water with meals, which is why I made sure to note the late night cappucino. Overall, I'm eating a bit less than before, and healthier, but still feeling full. I have to add a regular breakfast, though, or else my metabolism won't start for the day until lunch time. And, with swimming coming up tomorrow in the morning, this is all but a necessity. Basically, I'm looking at a piece of fruit (apple or banana, usually), and maybe a bowl of cereal. Breakfast isn't served in our dorm, so unless I make eggs on my own, I have to stick to cold food. Either way, I'm happier with my eating habits. I need to make sure that I eat enough, though, that I'm storing a lot of energy--as I said yesterday, this will ensure that when I workout I'm burning fat instead of muscle.