Wheels On Fire

How are you all 100 Pushups people going? I confess I only got round to starting this past Sunday. So far, so shaky! But what a novelty to have a challenge that takes 15 minutes instead of your entire bloody day. It's so quick that it's not even worth making excuses not to do it. Last night I did my pushups at midnight in Lancashire in a sad hotel room. My train had got in late as one of the engines CAUGHT FIRE... but I pressed on despite my brush with death*. How's that for commitment!?

Speaking of wheels, after consulting my cycling guru Dr G, I've decided to postpone New Years Goal No.5, the Sea to Sea ride, until next spring. As I've mentioned before, 2008 has been stupidly hectic and I've not actually been on a bike since the fanbloodybrilliant Tour de NYC last October! And given that my entire road cycling experience is one 10 mile loop around Dunfermline and one afternoon in Manhattan, I realised it wasn't realistic to get trained up by the planned September date.

After the Moonwalk I am all goal-ed out, to be honest. I just want to exercise purely for fun for awhile and enjoy the summer! And have more time to get confident on my bike, which stills feels like an alien blue beast. I went back to kickboxing on Monday night and instantly felt a big surge of mojo. It's violent, it's sweaty, but it soothes my soul.

* More of an "incident" than a brush with death. Like a polite request from the conductor to please get off the train before we all went down in flames. Hee hee.

Comments

[1 · Posted by MizFit · July 02, 2008 at 09:55 PM]

I just want to exercise purely for fun for awhile and enjoy the summer!
-----
amen to that!

mightcould I seize it for why Im not too too gangbusters about the pushing upward??

:)

Miz.

[2 · Posted by Flora · July 02, 2008 at 10:26 PM]

About the bike, are you sure it's the right fit for you? Because I thought my bike was an alien yellow beast, or else that all my childhood bike prowess had evaporated through my skin somehow. Then I swapped bikes with a friend one day and discovered that my bike was just alien to ME and that a bicycle didn't necessarily have to feel like a medieval torture device. Perhaps you need to try a different bike?

[3 · Posted by dg · July 02, 2008 at 10:37 PM]

Hiya there Flora! The bike is a good fit; it's incredibly comfy... I got measured up at the bike store. The alien beast feeling is in terms of all the levers and stuff, like I have to shout to Gareth all the time, "which one do i press to make it harder to pedal!?" this is the level of incompetence i'm dealing with. so i just need to get more comfortable with cycling itself, really :)

Miz - it's a bit of a chore, innit? but we must press on, my dear... press on! :P

[4 · Posted by ginna · July 02, 2008 at 11:20 PM]

I started the pushup thing barely able to do 3, but I've progressed a lot more quickly than I thought I would. I got through week 2 easily, but it may take awhile before I can move on to the big time.(week 3)

I had never tried Green and Black's until reading your blog. I don't know whether to curse you or thank you.
It's good that you are giving yourself time to bond with the bike. Whacking into a traffic cone an a bike can be more serious than doing it while walking.

[5 · Posted by Jen · July 02, 2008 at 11:27 PM]

About to do Workout 1 of Week 3 in the push-ups, and I'm a little scared of the numbers required of me: 20, 15, 15, 13, 20. I did my second "exhaustion" test yesterday per the program, and I just barely made it to 21 (pats self on newly sculpted shoulder). But, um, a total of 83? Seems rather ambitious.

[6 · Posted by Miss N · July 02, 2008 at 11:30 PM]

I'm just about to start Week 3 of the pushups.. Wk 1 & 2 went very well - though a wee shoulder injury is delaying my start to wk 3 to today - 4 days after I should of started it.. I agree - a challenge like this that takes little time and shows results is brilliant!!

[7 · Posted by Mel · July 02, 2008 at 11:33 PM]

I can so relate to wanting to exercise for fun! This is and was the "wall" I hit last week! I think also it's that whole thing about changing the mindset so that you can actually allow yourself to enjoy exercise rather than just viewing it as a means to an end :o)

WELL DONE on the Moonwalk! I am seriously impressed and from memory you referenced the distance in NSW landmarks? Cowra may have been mentioned? Anyway, I understand and felt your pain ;o)

Keep up the awesome work Shauna :)

Mel.

[8 · Posted by vickie · July 03, 2008 at 12:43 AM]

at least it wasn't a plane with an engine on fire! although sliding down the emergency slide might have been fun - you could have done pushups at the bottom. . .

[9 · Posted by lbtepa · July 03, 2008 at 02:19 AM]

Plans are for changing! You'll have a much better time if you're more prepared :)

[10 · Posted by Meagan · July 03, 2008 at 02:42 AM]

I've just finished week 2, although sometimes I haven't followed the training schedule exactly. I'm able to do 14 now in the big rush at the end, which is 6 more than I could do at the beginning. I'm taking the do-push-ups-till-you-collapse test again on Friday - let's hope I make it to the next level...

[11 · Posted by Meg · July 03, 2008 at 02:52 AM]

I'm slogging along with the 100 pushups...somedays I feel like i'm going to easy on myself, some days my arms feel like wet noodles.

It's a shame I wasn't reading back when you were in my neck of the woods for the Bike Tour of NYC! I might have gotten up the gumption to join the ride!

[12 · Posted by Christine · July 03, 2008 at 07:45 AM]

yeah.....

about those pushups....

[13 · Posted by tokaiangel · July 03, 2008 at 11:52 AM]

The push-up challenge has made me realise how utterly useless I am at following any set of instructions that have not been devised by me personally.

Needless to say, I am doing a push-up challenge very different to everybody else's. But I am doing it! And consequently progressing at snail's pace!

TA x

[14 · Posted by Cat · July 03, 2008 at 12:43 PM]

we're going great over here, I'm coasting till M gets back from DM so we can start week 3 together, still can't do one off the toes but the incline of the coffee table has me doing 12, not too shabby so maybe at the end of 6 weeks going off the toes will be a possibility! M is improving like mad too, he's always popping his biceps at me now lol a geek with muscles. too weird. :D Happy that your brush of death was not fatal!!!!

[15 · Posted by bushra · July 03, 2008 at 03:13 PM]

i am so going to get round to this, honest i am. i was a fan of The Plank during my gym days so i'm hoping this will have the same effect.

i finished your book yesterday, and when i was telling the mister about it i felt so proud of you..! thank you so much for putting into words just how hard it can be to see yourself as a normal person, i find it so hard to explain this, so i will just point people in the direction of your book and say 'you wanna know why it's not nice to call anyone big/plump/fat? here's why!'

[16 · Posted by Jen · July 03, 2008 at 04:57 PM]

I haven't heard of the 100 press-ups before, but it sounds GRAND since that was one of my new year's resolutions!

Eeeeeeeep!

Can't wait to get started!

[17 · Posted by Laura N · July 03, 2008 at 05:54 PM]

Had to laugh at Ginna's comment about G&B chocolate. You should totally get an endorsement or a % of sales or something, b/c I only started buying it b/c of you, too!

Goal-less work outs are glorious. I'm *so* not excited about training for a half marathon in October. Maybe in a few weeks I'll find some excitement.

[18 · Posted by Sagan · July 03, 2008 at 10:00 PM]

Hurray for playing and summer fun! Also the push up challenge is SO good.

[19 · Posted by Gracie · July 03, 2008 at 10:59 PM]

Shauna, have you notices that people are selling your book on Ebay? That's REAL fame when you're actually an Ebay auction!

Whooo hooo!

[20 · Posted by Kek · July 04, 2008 at 12:31 AM]

Pushups are awesome. Like everything, they only suck when you can't do them... and of course the more you do them, the better you get at them. Just like riding a bike. Or anything physical at all, really.

They used to be my most hated exercise. These days I lurve them, and they've been replaced in the "most hated" category by many, many others....

Jump squats, for example. *groans*

Hope your tootsies have recovered from the Moonwalk.

[21 · Posted by Lisa · July 04, 2008 at 06:24 AM]

The pushups are going alright. I hardly managed to get throu the first week, but now it's getting better. I'm still totally stunned about me doing more then 5 pushups in one go! It's so fascinating! And it's good for my selfesteem too. I've never been so proud of my arms as I am now. Thanks for posting the link, I would never have found it myself! =)

[22 · Posted by Jaykay · July 04, 2008 at 07:54 AM]

Okay, I admit that I had to start the challenge again as I didn't get past Day 2 of Week 1.....not good!!

I'm about to do my first Marathon on the Gold Coast this weekend, but I have to run instead of walk....walking would have been so much easier!

[23 · Posted by Americanlass · July 04, 2008 at 08:30 AM]

Well, I just did my Week 1/Day 2 pushups, just managed to eke out one more than the recommended # for the maximum set. (Granted I took a lot more than the 60 seconds rest between sets!) My arms are already getting a flogging from my new job though, at a bakery...bread dough is HEAVY, especially after you've thrown it around for 8 hours!

Speaking of good chocolate, today I tried a teeny bit of Lindt's 99% for the first time -- WOW. Definitely bitter, will take awhile to get used to!

[24 · Posted by monica · July 04, 2008 at 08:30 AM]

My pushups are going nowhere. I took a fall on my bike and my upper body is out of commission. Just lots of walking for me for a while.

Exercise for fun: Yes!

[25 · Posted by South American Slimmer · July 04, 2008 at 10:37 AM]

American Lass, I agree, 99% Lindt is the way to go. It really hits the spot when you need a chocolate fix, but it's so intense and bitter that it's difficult to eat more than one or two squares a day. They are skinny little squares so calorie counts are minimal (I reckon around 25kcals). Not bad for satisfying the choccie monster.

[26 · Posted by marta · July 04, 2008 at 07:07 PM]

GRRR! I keep forgetting to do my stinky pushups!

[27 · Posted by Diet Betty · July 05, 2008 at 11:24 AM]

That's a great challenge - just tried the 'initial' test though and i couldn't do any at all, gargh, the shame! Shall hav to try 'girly' push-ups instead!

[28 · Posted by John · July 05, 2008 at 12:39 PM]

Just finished week 1, and my pecs and abs, surprisingly enough to me, are what is sore, not my arms.

[29 · Posted by MizFit · July 07, 2008 at 10:51 AM]

checking back in on you in an effort to motivate my own pushing upward....

;)

Miz.

[30 · Posted by cranky · July 07, 2008 at 02:41 PM]

Hey, is it just me that can't get onto Momo's blog?

[31 · Posted by Vicky · July 07, 2008 at 06:40 PM]

Hi Shauna, I've been reading your blog for a while - enjoyed the book too! I've decided to start the 100 push-ups challenge too, and today is Day 1. I ache already, but I'm hanging on in there in the hope of not automatically flopping onto the floor whenever push-ups are mentioned in my Body Pump class! Fingers crossed!

[32 · Posted by Kimberli · July 11, 2008 at 11:18 PM]

Push-ups were going great, but I had to stop for two weeks to go on holiday. I probably should start back at Week 1 again.
I did the C2C a few years ago over 4 days. I'd like to do it again now, since I am a much better cyclist than I was then. Another great route is the Coasts and Castles (C&C) route from Newcastle to Edinburgh. Still lots of hills...but castles!!