I’ve been asked about my progress on preparing for a marathon. (You can read about my initial lapse in sanity here.)

The update is: this girl isn’t signing up for a marathon anytime soon. LOL! 😀

I laced up, went to my local track, and started running laps like I was back in high school.

But the thing is… I ran sprints in high school. It’s all my body knows. Run fast… run hard… then rest. The longest distance I’ve probably ever ran without walking is four miles (not that elliptical mess… actual foot-to-pavement miles.) 😐

So while I was on the track, I had the mindset of running long distance, but my body was ready to stop after the first few laps.

I had to change it up last minute. 💡

I conjured up my inner coach and decided to run 400m (one lap) and walk 400m four times, then I ran 200m and walked 200m four times, then I ran 100m and jogged 100m four times. I ended my session by doing 10 sets of stairs in the bleachers. 😯

When I was done, I didn’t feel the fatigue of a marathoner. I felt the burn of an athlete—a feeling that will keep me from dreading the thought of working out.

That’s when I realized that, like with everything else in life, I have to do me. 🙂

Who cares if you post on Facebook about all the miles you ran? I can’t determine the success of my workouts by your Instagram pics and “I did it” tweets. I like running sprints and lifting weights. Keep your cross-country runs. 😉

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is my preferred method of working out. And since I can’t always leave the house for more than an hour to get a good workout in on the track, I’m starting to like workout DVDs even more.

As a supplement (and sometimes replacement) to my “sprint days”, I’m doing Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred. Say what you will about Jillian, but her 20-minute workouts will kick your butt.

She uses weights and dynamic poses for the ultimate calorie burn. In the workout, they use 3 or 5-pound dumbbells; but I use 10-pound ones because I’m something like a boss. 😎

I did P90X years ago for a good three weeks before I decided that I couldn’t take Tony Horton gushing over himself for another second. Yes, you look great at 50… but isn’t that your career? Get over yourself! 🙄

Then, I hopped on the Insanity bandwagon right before my wedding in 2012. It’s 60 days of intense cardio. I love my Shaun T, so I can’t speak ill of him. But that girl Tasha in the video who thinks she’s Shaun T’s co-host? Can’t do it. And I saw you cheating on your fitness test, boo. But that’s none of my business. 😛 Anyways, I finished the program and loved it, but I don’t have the time to go through the cycle again.

So now I’m on to Jillian’s 30-day shred. (See the trend of me wanting to do workout plans that end faster?) I figure it’s only one month long, so I have to stick with it. There are three levels, and you stay on one level for 10 days before moving on to the next one.

Right now, I’m on level two, which is a beast! She tries to trick you in level one by making it doable. Then, she snatches your confidence and makes you trample on it in level two’s increased intensity. 😆 I’m scared to see what level three looks like. The good thing is that by the time you’re ready to punch Jillian in the face, the workout is over.

Anyway… sprints and weights. It works for me. And to all you long distance runners, feast your eyes on this fact:

Judging from these pictures, I think it’s safe to conclude that marathons rob you of your youth.

Now I’m just hating, but back to the point…

The key to working out is doing something you think is fun. That way, you’ll stick with it; and change comes with consistency.

Do what works for you—except for Zumba… nobody has respect for that. LOL! I kid, I kid… 🙂