P90X Week 11 – Why I Love Workout Buddies

We just finished Week 11 of P90X – literally. About an hour ago I begrudgingly pushed play and mentally tried to prepare for the P90X Legs and Back DVD. This week has been long, to say the least. I am an accountant, and during the first 15 days of the month, we are busy trying to close the books. This past week I worked several hours of overtime, completed 5 P90X workouts and ran 26 miles, including the longest run of my life, a 14 miler on Saturday.

Accountability Partners

In addition to my normal work and workout-load, I volunteered for a charity event today called Chefs of Del Mar, which was put on by Casa de Amparo, which works to help abused and neglected children in San Diego. I was on my feet for 5 hours straight, setting up and then trying to convince attendees to bid on the auction item I was holding (private 6-course dinner for 10 hosted at your home with wine pairing!). When I got home from this event, Mike was in bed napping and I joined him. At that point, I had given up on doing the workout, justifying not doing Legs and Back because of the upcoming half marathon (this Sunday). However, Mike wouldn’t concede to my suggestions to skip the workout or to do it on Monday, or usual day off. Instead, he insisted we push play at 6 p.m.

I was glad we did. Although I didn’t use weights (except during calf raises), in order to spare my legs which are exhausted from the 14 mile run, I felt great within 15 minutes of the workout. I even was able to do 2 chin-ups), one pull-up, AND my first close-grip pull-up, for a total of 4 unassisted pull-ups in one workout!

Runs This Week

Tuesday we ran the 3 mile round trip, 6.5% grade Torrey Pines twice, just as we had the previous week. This time it didn’t feel nearly as good as last week due to a terrible night of sleep the night before, but I made it up both times without walking and by the end felt pretty good. Thursday I ran an easy 6 mile run along the coast with Allison. And when I say easy, an easy pace, but not an easy run. For some reason Thursday night runs are the hardest for me. This Thursday was particularly difficult because of the very strong winds that were pushing against us for the entire three miles back home. I went to bed that night exhausted and woke up for Yoga the next morning feeling the same.

Saturday I woke up feeling fairly refreshed, although nervous for the longest run of my life. Luckily, the weather turned out absolutely beautiful, despite a prediction of rain. Although next Sunday we are running the La Jolla half marathon, our running coach still had us run 14 miles on a route that included Torrey Pines. Luckily we hit Torrey at mile 3.5 when we were still feeling strong. By the time we reached the aid station at the top, we were feeling great. We finished our 7 miles out and turned around in high spirits. The next 7 miles flew by and before we knew it, we were back at the start, having finished 14 miles in about two hours and sixteen minutes.

After the run on Saturday, Mike and I were euphoric. I felt like I could conquer anything and started plotting out my future adventures, including a competing in my first triathlon, and possibly even going for a half-Ironman. We went to a great breakfast and ate healthy egg dishes but split whole-wheat banana-blackberry pancakes as a reward for our hard work. All we could talk about during breakfast was our future conquests and our personal fitness goals. I feel so lucky to have found someone who shares the passion that I have for fitness. Every day Mike and I are inspiring and motivating one another to achieve our fitness goals.

Workout Buddies

At the end of that Thursday night run, I was very thankful to have such great workout buddies. I realized that I haven’t worked out alone in weeks. Mike and I push play together every morning for P90X and I always run with either with Jen and Miranda (who I met in my running group), Asia, Jeremy, Allison, and/or Mike. It makes completing this rigorous program SO much easier. It also makes the fact that I spend 10 or more hours of the week working out that much more enjoyable, since I can kill two birds with one stone by catching up with friends while I run.

Another great benefit of having workout buddies is that they understand me and motivate me. It’s nice to have a support group that doesn’t think I’m crazy for doing a 1.25 hr P90X workout in the morning and then a 6 mile run at night. These friends also inspire me to do my best. Each of my workout buddies has qualities in them that I admire and that drive me to be a stronger athlete. Mike’s unbelievable strength heading up Torrey Pines hill, Asia’s non-stop energy and ability to do multiple pull-ups and an obscene number of push-ups, Miranda and Jen’s drive to follow the advanced marathon training plan rather than intermediate, Jeremy’s great running improvements, and Allison’s unbelievable strength in the weight room are all admirable. Each of us has our own fitness goals, yet we achieve them together.

All of this is coming from formerly solo gym rat. Before this time last year, my workout schedule consisted primarily of group fitness classes, all of which I mapped out on my own and rarely was accompanied by a friend. One piece of advice I have for anyone embarking on either marathon training or P90X, find a friend to do it with you. I guarantee that you will be more dedicated to your program and also find it much more enjoyable.

Thanks to all my workout buddies! I couldn’t do it without you! 🙂