So, I have (obviously) been running in an effort to increase my abilities, stamina and speed. But, like most people I am an instant (or quick) gratification sort of person. I would like to grow stronger, lose weight and run further NOW. (This probably helps to explain how I manage to over do it and cause myself injury on a regular basis. My wonderful wife put a lot of effort into keeping me from hurting myself just after my surgery.) I started to do some research into exercise programs that could be done at home to increase my strength and lose the girl-scout-cookie fat that likes to stick to me. There are three main ones I have looked at so far: P90x (heard incredible things from several people on this), Cross Fit (I have come to the conclusion that this is something like a cult and you can’t figure it out without help. I have no idea what the “exercise of the day” is, or how you find out) and Insanity (I liked the commercials).
My first priority is that it has to be able to be done on my own, at my house on a varying schedule as my family’s schedule is anything but consistent. The second aspect is that it can’t require much in the way of the equipment. I don’t have the money to buy much equipment, nor the room to store it. And third, it has to be something I will actually do. Unfortunately this one will only be tested by time.
It seems that any of the three fit the first requirement. For the second one, it seems that I have everything I need for p90x (pull up bar and resistance bands), I also have everything needed for Insanity (doesn’t seem to need anything). Crossfit I still don’t understand, so I have no idea if I have the equipment. On the third requirement, Insanity is only 60 days long, which bodes well for completion. P90x is only 90 days and it looks like the work outs are intense, but not AS intense as Insanity. This could be important since my surgery was less than three months ago. Crossfit, I have no idea, but its adherents seem to be lifetime members.
I haven’t really decided which I would rather do yet, I thought I might try out a couple of workouts of each and see how it went. Yesterday I took the “fit test” for Insanity. Well, it is definitely intense, and that was just the test!. During a rest break I went and got a bucket as I wasn’t sure that my breakfast was going to stay down (it did). Having done it yesterday, everything from the middle of my back down is sore today. Whomever decided to combine jumping jacks (leg motion) and push ups was a sadist.
after my stomach settled (an hour after the test), I decided to do a short run. One and a half miles in the VFFs (why shouldn’t my calves hurt as much as the rest of my body?) That felt AWESOME. No calf pain while running at all! I was tempted to go further, but held myself back with a new-found sense of self-control, combined with a desire to avoid the crippling pain I felt before.
I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.
Once and Future Runner 
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