Fitness Check #2

A new month brings a chance to see if all of this working out is getting me anywhere. I feel like it is, and the scale says it is. But there's only one way to find out. Last month's results in parentheses.

5k Run = 20:30 (21:37)
As soon as I started, I knew I was going to make a pretty decent improvement over my March time. I felt lighter on my feet and, believe it or not, I could tell from my shadow that I was starting to look more like a runner than I did last month. I ran a very balanced run and, also unlike last month, didn't need to completely empty the tank to hold a 7-minute pace. I actually felt pretty comfortable throughout the run. I pushed myself, but not nearly as much as last time. Averaged 6:36 per mile for the 5k run.

Pushups = 31 (20)
I knew I would improve here, as I've been doing some light lifting once or twice a week. Also, as I just said, I didn't come nearly as close to emptying the tank during the 5k this time around. I got back from the run, stretched for 3 to 4 minutes and then did one set of pushups until exhaustion. This time I hit 31 and am relatively pleased.

Jumprope = 175 (143)
Didn't know what to expect here as I've only been doing the jumprope thing about once a week, but it went pretty well. Roughly 4 minutes after completing the pushups I went into the garage, set the two-minute timer and began. My calves were screaming by the end of the two minutes, but I did improve and that's all I really cared to see.

Time to break it all down. Last month was my initial foray into this fitness testing thing and on my self-devised scoring system (lower score is better) I scored a 1249.

Run = 1 point per second = 1230 pts
Pushups = deduct 1 second per pushup = 1230 - 31 = 1199
Jumprope = deduct 1 second per 5 jumps = 1199 - 35 = 1164

So, I dropped my score by 85 points. That's great. But more importantly I weighed 191.6 pounds after the test on March 2nd, and today I weighed in at 186.6. So I got faster and lost 5 pounds. Very cool. I celebrated this minor accomplishment by heading back out two hours after the test for my weekly Tuesday night mountain bike ride. Got in 10 fun miles and came back covered in mud. I also had the unpleasant experience of slamming my crotch into the bike stem. It's okay; Kristin and I didn't plan on having kids anyway.