I’m not sure why I’m starting this challenge. I have a plausible
excuse floating around in my head, but I know that’s not it. Not really.
Plausible excuse:
About 3 months ago I sprained my ankle pretty badly playing
soccer. I folded over the outside of my left foot and very distinctly heard a “pop-pop”.
It was somewhere between a Grade II and III sprain, which means the ligaments
were at least partially torn, if not completely. I was off my feet for a week,
on crutches for another week, in a brace for 2 more weeks, and unable to walk
for more than half an hour for several more weeks. Balls. For the 3 months
after the injury I participated in exactly zero exercises that could have been
considered truly challenging cardiovascularly or muscularly.
12 weeks after the pops, last Thursday, I gingerly ventured
back onto the field to mixed results. I was able to play the full 90 without pain
and with minimal swelling (hooray!); but in my time away I lost acceleration,
top speed, endurance, and most of all, touch (aww). More importantly, I was at
the top of my game when I went down, and I’m afraid I’ll never get it back. I
am getting old, after all.
OK, maybe I’m moving towards the real reason for this
challenge after all.
The Challenge:
Starting today, and for the next 100 days, I will do 100
pushups and 100 sit-ups per day. At the end of the 100 days, on September 23,
2014, I will have completed 10,000 pushups and 10,000 sit-ups.
Rules:
- The 100 are due on a daily basis; I cannot roll incomplete sets over to the next day
- Extra sets not paid forward; if I complete 120 pushups today, I still owe 100 tomorrow, not 80
- Sets do not need to be paid in full in one sitting; Each 100 may be completed throughout the day
Metrics:
- 100% success is defined as 100 consecutive days with a minimum of 100 pushups and 100 sit-ups performed each day.
- However, taking reality into account, successfully completing this challenge will be defined as missing no more than 5% of the challenge days, and completing all 10,000 pushups and sit-ups.
Accountability:
Check-ins with pictures will be made in 10 day increments, starting
with day one (today), for a total of 11 entries.
Baseline:
I’m starting from pretty close to zero. Today I did 20
pushups, and then 10 sit-ups in my first set. I did more pushups than I expected,
but far fewer sit-ups. I always considered my core to be pretty strong, but
clearly it isn’t. I guess it’s better to
know how pathetically weak I’ve become, rather than remain blissfully unaware.
I ended with 60 pushups and 45 sit-ups before showering and
leaving to jot this down. Tonight I owe another 40 pushups and 55 sit-ups.
Goal:
The goal as of today is pretty clear; in addition to
completing the challenge as defined by the success metrics, I want to be able
to complete 100 consecutive pushups and sit-ups with no breaks. I imagine I
will be able to do this before the challenge is over, so the goal may be
modified to include a time limit. But first things first, for sure.
