Welcome New Runners!  If you’re here for my Free Couch to 5K podcasts.  There are two versions.  You can download The Original pop version or The Rock version here.  If haven’t run since elementary school recess or you need tips to better your form and increase your speed, you should download my eBook The Official 5K Training Guide here.

2014

2013 was a good year for me.  I grew spiritually and emotionally, and shrank physically!  What more can I ask for? You can read my full 2013 recap here.  I’m still working with my trainer Dan.  I took my Little Sister with me to one of my sessions.  She said she was scared.   I told her that he was not the drill sergeant type, and that he doesn’t yell or scream.  But, I also told her that he still demands results.  Although it was literally freezing cold, she left her coat in the car to run into the gym.  I told her that she would be wet with sweat when we left, but I guess she didn’t believe me.  When we got there, he had us warm up on the elliptical stair climber machine for 5 minutes.  “That wasn’t too bad,” she said. I just giggled, when I thought back to my first training session.  Then Dan pulled out two floor mats for us to do core exercises.  This is when it got much more difficult for my sister.  She started sweating and struggling to hold a push up plank.  He chuckled and told her, “this is just the warm up.”  She rolled eyes in disbelief and shot me a stern glare.  I just laughed too.  She had no idea what I had talked her into.  After the core exercises Dan taught her how to do a proper squat with her knees wide.  And then we took turns doing what felt like one million squats each.

Lis Sis got nervous when we crossed over to the other the side of the gym with the free weights and weight machines.   I told her how much the “boy’s side of the gym” used to scare me, but now I think nothing of it.  She said she always does the treadmill and the elliptical at the gym on her college campus, but didn’t venture over to the weights, because “that’s where all the athletes work out.”  I told her about Dan’s theory on how treadmills and ellipticals are “a waste of time” and how he wishes he could put signs over them to let gym members know.  He showed her how to do an assisted pull up on the machine, and told her to do 10.  She looked completely exhausted.  She panted, “I work out several days a week and I feel like I’ve NEVER worked out before.”  I told her I said the exact same thing after my first personal training session with Dan.  I’ve worked out regularly for years, and never worked out like that before. After the pull ups, he showed her how to do push-ups Dan style. It like a modified girl push-up, but harder.  While she did push-ups, I did pull ups.  When I did push-ups, she did more pull ups.  After about the second round, she was pouring sweat, and she said “Oh my God, I think I’m about to cry!”  She wasn’t really going to cry, LOL at least I don’t think so!  It’s just shocking to the mind and body when you think you’re in shape and discover there’s so much more your body is capable of handling.

He took her down to 8 pull ups instead of 10 and added  more weight to make it easier for her during the last few rounds.  As if this weren’t enough, there was a weighted bag that we had to toss back and forth to each other.  He told her, “your sister lost about as much weight as this bag weighs.”  I think she was too tired and annoyed to care.   I told her during just about every session there comes a point when I just don’t like Dan at all. She told me, well right about now I hate him.  We finally finished, after I jumped back from one last frustrated toss of the bag.  She was soaked with sweat.  She started to like Dan again as we sat down and he worked out my training schedule and individual sessions for me to do before our next session.

We ran back to the car,  and several minutes later, she was still shivering, saying “I can’t get warm.”  “I TOLD YOU!”I reminded her.  She said she totally underestimated how hard it would be and how much she would sweat.  “He’s so nice though” she said, “it’s hard not to really like him.”  I told her he’s really good at what he does, he demand results without screaming or beating you down.  I saw one trainer yelling at his client about how she was “wasting his money” when she didn’t move fast enough.  And I saw another softy trainer with a really over weight lady standing still moaning and complaining about how her family always pushed food on her.  Dan would be like, “tell me all about it, but hold that plank for 10 more seconds while you tell me.” LOL.  Anyway, I’m so glad my sister got the Dan experience and has some real exercises that get results to take back to school with her.  We were both sore for days!  But it’s worth it!  How’s your new year shaping up? Are you sticking to your resolutions?

1 Comment
  1. I just stumbled onto your blog by doing a search for couch to 5k songs. I don’t have a smartphone and was looking for something I could download to my mp3 player. I haven’t started yet, but this looks perfect for me! I’m reading through your blogs and I just want to say that you are an inspiration. I can relate a lot to the trials you write about and I hope to kick this fat thing and turn it into fierce! 🙂 Thanks!

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