Galloway, P90X, and 3.1 Miles Walk Into a Bar . . .

Oh, me.

This has been a cold, rainy spring. Usually, when spring arrives, it heralds in my running season. I'm fair-weathered runner. My last run was back in October. I don't even think about running again until the sun is out and the temps increase.

Not this year. The sun is lost. Temperatures have been chilly.

We had a fluke of a beautiful day back in March. I ran that day - but seeing as I was in the middle of P90X at the time, my muscles were way fatigued. It was ok, but not the greatest.

Today, we had a rainless day. Cloudy, yes. But for about an hour, the sun peeked through. Zane was at a friend's house, so I quickly dressed and made the most of the opportunity.

It has been just over a month since I finished P90X. I have been doing extra cardio during the week since completing the program, and mixing it up with weight training. I have been consistent with exercising at least 5 days week. It's been that way for over year now. I was curious, though, how my running would fair, seeing as I've not touched the pavement with my Sauconys since that last race. Would P90X and Turbo Jam prove to help my pace and comfort while running 3 miles?

It has been 7 months since my last run.

I. Felt. Great. I was just under a 10 minute mile, which is fantastic for me.

I lost NO GROUND.

Why?

Because I've been consistently working out since my half-marathon. Building strength, getting lean, upping the cardio. Cross-training.

It is so nice not to have to start from scratch.

Not sure I'll be doing a ton of runs this summer. I've kind of met my goal. I am going to try an adventure race for a change of pace (ba-dum-chh) and see if I get hooked.

My sites are set on July 16th.

Ruckus Pittsburgh. Here I come.

P90X: And . . . Scene

January 3, 2011.

Day 1.

After successfully keeping my weight off from ChaLEAN Extreme and the various Beachbody workouts from July-December, all I gained was a bit of fluff in the mid-section. While nothing like it was when I first began my journey a year ago, make not mistake - I was looking a bit more round.

DAY 60.

1/3 of the way done. The muscle definition is CRAZY. Weight loss? Only 5 lbs. Inches lost? Only a tad. So how does one explain the difference between Day 1 and Day 60 without those numbers????  I don't know.  But, the pictures tell the truth.

Body under construction here.

April 3, 2011

DAY 90!

Done.

I COMPLETED P90X!!!!!

Huge difference between Day 60 and 90. Muscle definition still present, but I'm less puffy. More trim.

Total pounds lost? Only 5.

Total inches lost? Just around 5.

And yet, look how my body responded???? These results are very similar to my ChaLEAN Extreme results from July, but one step further. I'm stronger. I'm even leaner. My abs are more defined (they are the first to go when I fall off the wagon).

So, how am I planning to keep this up?

Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire for cardio, and P90X - albeit a shorter version. Rather than hitting each exercise twice, Ill be hitting them only once. I want to be able to continue doing an unassisted chin-up and build up to doing more. I want to increase the push-ups on my toes. I don't want to lose strength.

But I do want to continue working on my core and lose that last little top layer of fluff - and Chalene is my trainer for that.

I celebrated 1 year of being a coach with Beachbody on March 24th.
It has also been a year since I CHOSE to make exercise a regular part of my day.

The two ARE connected.

Thank you for following this journey. How about joining me on it.

P90X: Week 11, Shoulders and Arms

Huge milestone today.

Unassisted chin-up or pull-up?

Nope.

I'm learning where I'm strongest physically. And it ain't at the bar. At least not during this round of P90X.

However.

Shoulder strength?

Triceps?

Biceps?

Holy moly, folks, the improvements that I've made on these muscles in just shy of 90 days are pretty incredible. And I've been tracking my progress, so I'm not just pulling numbers out of the sky.

Today, I, as Tony would put it, "Brought it." Big time.

I pushed through each rep, even adding another when I didn't think I could - with visions of P90X Recovery Formula dancing in my head. No kidding. I love that stuff.

I did not slack ONCE.

And then, on Ab Ripper X, for the first time ever, I was able to complete the entire 15 minutes without stopping. I made contact a few times on the Oblique V-ups, and completed all Mason Twists (49) with legs raised.

Just as with ChaLEAN Extreme when it took me almost a full 90 days to complete Burn Intervals without stopping, I can now say that I've reached the place with P90X where I can get through Ab Ripper X without pausing.

BUT.

IT TOOK TIME.

There was NOTHING easy about the last 11 weeks. NOTHING. I have yelled at the TV, eaten carpet, bonked (due to poor nutrition), cursed the chin-up bar (yes, I have), and wondered if I would really get through 90 days.

I essentially have one more week and then a week of Recovery.

And then, my friends, I am a P90X grad.

When I meet Mr. Horton in June, I can proudly say, "Sir, you told me to bring it. And I did."

Turbo Jam will be a nice respite from the heavy lifting, and a chance to really focus on cardio and core. After that, who knows what will be next.

But, you know me. I'll plan it out.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me!