and the next challenge is...

...100 push-ups. Exciting, eh? I came across this website awhile ago and thought a hundred push-ups in six weeks would be a worthwhile goal. And since I've given up triathlons, at least for the time being, and the swimming that goes along with them, I fear I'll soon have the prepubescent upper body of a professional cyclist. I'll start the program on Monday. I can only do 46 now. Just 54 to go.

Bless Adrienne's heart, for my birthday she got me a 90 minute sports massage that I cashed in this afternoon. If anybody ever needs a gift idea for me, look no further. It was great. It also served as a reminder that I need to stretch more. I know I should stretch regularly, but if I'm tight on time, it just gets skipped. So along with my push-ups, I hope to gain some flexibility.

Given my remarkable, lifelong inflexibility, I doubt I'll ever be able to do the splits, but I found this excerpt from a "how to do the splits" article on a cheerleading website too good not to share...

Remember, you must focus on and want the splits, or else you’ll never get them. The wanting part is easy. Who wouldn’t want to do the splits? The focus is the hard part. Stretching in your kitchen, for instance, is a bad habit. You’ll see that bag of chips and box of cereal and be completely distracted. You’ve lost your focus. If you truly want your splits, you should be stretching like you’re meditating. Think of nothing other than those splits, breathing, and your flexibility. This is not the time to daydream. Now go stretching, and remember, think:

splits, splits, splits, splits, splits, splits, flexibility, splits, breathe, splits, splits . . .

I'll keep you posted on my progress. If I reach my goal, I promise I won't start looking for a 1000 push-up training program.