The Working File

Much, much better than Day 1.  Back in my Level 2 sweet spot, I did just fine on Day 2.  The program requires:

22
17
17
15
20 minimum
91 total

I did 25 in the last set, for 96 total.  The Day 3 workout is tougher than the Level 3 Day 1 workout I tried and did so poorly on.   I see three advantages going in to Day 3: (1) I’ll have 2 more workouts behind me, so I should be just that much stronger; (2) I will have 2 full days rest; and (3) the Day 3 workout allows 120 seconds between sets, and the Day 1 workout only allowed 60.  I’m cautiosuly optomistic I’ll do OK.

That was too tough.  As I wrote Saturday, I did enough pushups in the interim test before Week 3 to graduate to the third level of difficulty.  The jum was too much.  In fact, the jump from Week 2 Day 3 at Level 2 to Week 3 Day 1 at Level 2 is pretty high.

Here is Week 2 Day 3 at Level 2.  Each workout is 5 sets, and the last set is always as many as you can do subject to a minimum:

10
10
8
8
10 minimum.  That’s a total of 46 pushups, and I did 25in the last set for a total of 61.

Here are the sets for Week 3 Day 1 at Levels 2 and 3:

20                         25
15                         17
15                         17
13                         15
20 minimum         25 minimum
83                        99

Even at my above-mimimum 61 for the end of Week 2, those are significant jumps.  I tried doing Level 3, switched to Level 2 partway through the set, and ended up just doing as much as I could for the last 2-3 sets:

25
17
10
12
15
79 total.

I think if I had started at Level 2, I might have managed to finish the Level 2 workout, but I can’t be sure.  I will continue with Week 3 at Level 2 from here on out.  I think I can manage it, but if it’s too hard I’ll just repeat Week 3.

I also have one criticism of the program instructions.  It isn’t clear when or how you are supposed to fit in the interim tests.  The instructions stress the importance of rest, including the extra day between weeks, but when you do the interim test, you lose some rest time.  You could extend the weekend an extra day or two, but then you end up working out on different days, and the instructions definitely contemplate that you can work out the same 3 days each week for  six weeks.  It isn’t clear what you should do.  I hesitate to criticize, because it is really a great program and costs me nothing; I’m actually quite grateful, but clarifying when to do the interim tests would be an improvement.

I did the test at the midway point of the 3 day rest period, so I had roughly 36 hours after the last Week 2 workout before the test, and 36 hours after the test and before the first workout of Week 3.  I don’t think the latter was enough.  My arms still felt a little tired when I began the first workout of Week 3.  After Week 4, I’ll do the test 24 hours after the end of Week 4, leaving 48 hours before starting Week 5.  If that means a lower score on the interim test, so be it.

Wow.  Firmly locked in second place far behind a dominating Jimmie Johnso, Kyle gets a break when a caution comes out, leading to a restart with two laps to go.  Taking avantage of the bunched-up restart, Busch takes the high line and passes Johnson on the next to last lap, then holds him off during the last lap for the win.  This was possibly the most impressive win and most exciting finish of Kyle Busch’s 7 wins this year.  My girls are starting to get ho-hum about it (they were mostly excited that he was in the M&Ms car this week again), but I’m not.

In the video below, the restart and the action begins about one minute in.

One week ago I reported on my start with this program.  I have now finished the second week, and just this morning I took the two-week test.  I did 28 pushups in a single shot.  This is an improvement over the 10 pushups I was able to do in the test I took at the outset of the program.  This result also pushes me up into the hardest level of the training program for the next two weeks.  While I’m pleased with that, it’s also daunting, as it involves a significant increase in difficulty. For example, my last workout for Week 2 required 5 sets totalling at least 46 pushups.  In the last set you do as many as you can (with a minimum).  I blew past the minimum and did a total of 61 pushups instead of the required 46.  The first workout at Level 3 for the next week requires a minimum of 99 pushups.  That’s a very big step up.

If I have to, I can always revert back to training Level 2, if necessary, but I hope that doesn’t happen.  Another update will come at the end of week 3.

Let’s start with my usual disclaimer about all things Nascar — I’m not an expert.  I’m actually quite the newbie, and just blog aboput stuff as I start to figure things out.  One thing I know, though, is that I really enjoy restrictor plate racing.  It was after the Talladega restrictor plate race earlier that I acknowledged that I’m a Nascar fan.

A restrictor plate is a device used to limit the engine’s airflow.  It reduces power, and therefore speed.  It also flattens out the difference between cars.  As best as I can tell, most fans of restrictor plate racing like it because it has a lt of massive crashes.  This happens because when all the cars can run at about the same speed, there is less passing, and they tend to bunch up in a giant string, sometimes 2 across.  They run so tight together that a small incident can cause a huge pileup.

What I like, however, is another side-effect of the restrictor plates.  They increase the benefit that two cars get from drafting one another, when they really tighten up the space between them to mere inches or less.  Two cars will get into such a position, and suddenly benefit from a speed boost that provides a temporary advantage that lasts for as long as they can maintain their relative position.  The speed differential seems to far exceed the differential that can be obtained in any other races.  This leads to a lot of impromptu teamwork throughtout the race between ever-changing pairs of drivers who might have little in common except fortuitous circumstances.  At the end, drivers are less willing to be the second car in such a pairing — you are esentially agreeing to make a strong run to finish second.

I looked for YouTube clips that demonstrate the drafting effect of restrictor plate racing, but it seems all the restrictor plate compilations focus on the crashes.  I settled for footage of the finish of last night’s Coke One 400 at Daytona, won by our family’s favorite, Kylel Busch, who also won the Talledaga race I mentioned above.

I am so very much not qualified to be a source of information on this, but I’ve noticed a meaningful number of people coming to this blog searching for information on the M&Ms car, and Kyle Busch sponsor information, that I feel I should make the attempt.  I’m guessing that (1) there’s a fair number of people who started — just as my family did — rooting for Kyle Busch this year when he began racing the M&Ms car, and (2) who wonder  — again just as my family did — why he doesn’t drive the M&Ms car in every race, as happened last night.

Here’s what I was able to figure out a few months ago when I had the same qustion, which occurred to me one weekend when he drove the Interstate Batteries car instead of the M&Ms car. Here is an article from the Nascar site that has the details, which I will summarize.  M&Ms is the primary sponsor.  Interstate Batteries used to be a primary sponsor for Joe Gibbs and the No. 18 car racing until this year (before this year, Kyle didn’t drive No. 18 or for Joe Gibbs either).  When Interstate was set aside for the more high-profile M&Ms car, it was kep as primary sponsor for 6 races a year.  Mars candy has the other 30.  Of those, the vast majority are run in the M&Ms car, but a few others Mars candy products such a  Snickers also get a turn in the spotlight.  There’s always at least some M&M stickers on the car when it runs as the Interastate car, and vice-versa.  In addition, there was one week that Kyle ran an Indiana Jones car, that also doubled as an M&Ms car.  There’s obviously a lot of flexibility in nascar sponsorship deals.

Finally, I’m sure you can find them yourself, but if you’re looking for a shortcut:

Here is the M&Ms Racing Web page.

and

Here is the Kyle Busch homepage.

M&M

I have twice before written about my indecision over whether to stick with Phanfare.  Their update to version 2.0 is pretty much complete, and I was finally switched to the new version last week.  After all the kerfuffle. I’m staying.  It still has fantastic features and service, and I never found any really adequate replacement.  For anyone who doesn’t like the new Phanfare and wants something similar, but different, it still seems that Smugmug is your best bet.  The latter is robably better for professionals, or for individuals who just want more customization in their site.  I’m staying because the new version works for me, I don’t particularly want to deal with the work of switching over to somewhere else, and I just love Phanfare’s features.  It has fantastic slideshows, video support, and other great features.  If you are interested in a high quality photo hosting site for your personal or family photos, and especially if you are concerned about privacy, I recommend Phanfare.

I started this program last week.  It’s a simple, six-week program whose gimmick is that it is designed to get you able to do 100 pushups in that time.  More realistically, it’s just designed to increase your stength and improve your fitness.

You start by taking a simple test of how many puhups you can do in one shot.  I did 10, and probably could have added 2 more, if I really, really struggled.  This determines your initial training level.  Then three days a week you do five sets of pushups, in quick succession with brief rest periods.  Last night I finished the first week, doing a workout of 43 pushups in about 10 minutes, including 12 in the last set, and I wasn’t particularly winded when it was over.  This was nice progress over my initial test in which I did 10 pushups with no prior sets to tire me, and was quite exhausted when it was ove.  It’s obvious that you can improve a lot in a short amount of time, but sometimes, after an initial steep improvement curve, things level off.  The program is designed to keep you moving up.  We’ll see how it goes.

You perform the same test –how many pushups in a sengle set –  every 2 weeks to adjust the workout level.  You can also repeat a week if you think it is necessary.  Having gotten through the first week, I’m reasonably confident I will follow through, and will try to post on my progress weekly.

In addition to you fun with friends and family, and catching up on your chores, please spend some time this weekend to commemorate Memorial Day.

First, you might want to educate your self a bit. I learned a lot by reading though some of the links below:

Here is a good source of information on Medal of Honor recipients in the War on Terror. Scroll down to read about them all. Next, I would suggest visiting milblogger Blackfive and his Fallen But Never Forgotten Series. While there, you might also read through the Someone You Should Know series.

Then, please do something to help our current service members. This should mean more than thinking “I support the troops,” or supporting politicians who favor some course of action, whether it be supporting the war, ending the war, etc. A good place to start is, of course, the USO. If you want to get beyond the mainstream, Blackfive, again, has some great ideas.

Finally, if you set aside some time this weekend for worship, please pray: for our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, for their soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, for non-combatants, for the innocent, for the not-so-innocent, and for an end to the circumstances that sometimes require war.