100 Day Challenge

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.