Swingfest Swingdown 2008 - Week 1 Update

Welcome to the first of thirty weekly updates that will be coming every Sunday until the completion of the Swingfest Swingdown 2008.  The Swingfest Swingdown is a motivational contest and tool that Mrs. Gentlenibbles and I, along with some of our readers, are participating in to help us get in the best shape of our adult lives for Swingfest on July 31, 2008!

Update-Swingfest discount now available through Swingercast  

Since this is our very first update, Mrs Gentlenibbles and I would like to describe what exactly our goals are and our Fitness Plans for reaching them.

Mr. Gentlenibbles

My starting weight was 229 pounds on January 1, 2008.  My fastest 1 mile run was 10:08 minutes.

My overall goal weight is yet to be determined, as I would really like to get in prime shape and I am not sure what that weight would be.  I was 205 pounds when I started college and have not been that low since.  The problem is I was more muscular back then, as I was fresh out of football and working out much more.   Since my frame is smaller, I probably will need to set a goal a little lower than this eventually.  But, for now it is a great starting point and who wouldn’t be happy weighing what they weighed fresh out of High School.  So my initial target is 205 pounds, when reaching that weight I will re-examine and adjust accordingly.

My true desire for this fitness plan is not necessarily losing weight, but improving my overall stamina for exercising and “other things” ;).  I have always loved running and have done it off and on for about the last seven years.  In the past, I always had the philosophy that long slower runs were the best route for training.  Often getting up to running seven to nine miles a day.  Recently, after not running for over year I was coerced into running a 5K with my wife and some of her coworkers.  I was able to finish running the 5K without any problems, even carrying water for Mrs. Gentlenibbles along the way.  The problem is the pace I run (over 12 minutes per mile) does not provide the intense cardio needed for higher level endurance and fitness.

So with the above in mind, I have scheduled my fitness plan around conditioning my body to learn to run at faster paces and then extending those faster pace runs for longer distances.  My first goal is to get my one mile run under 8:00 minutes, and then train to hold that pace at longer distances. (2 miles, 3 miles, etc.)  I ran a mile last week at 10:08 minutes.  Once I feel comfortable training at the 8:00 minute pace, I will start over training for a faster 1 mile run. (maybe a 7:30 minutes or 7:00 minutes).  With that achieved I can work on stretching distances again.  All of the above is done while trying to eat a healthy balanced diet.

To condition my body to this new pace, I have broke longer jogs up into smaller faster runs, with jogging or walking intervals in between. 

For Example: This weeks schedule

• Sunday:  6 = 1/4 mile runs at 8:00 minutes per mile/ alternated with 1/4 mile walk/jogs
• Tuesday: 3 = 1/2 mile runs at 8:00 minutes per mile/ alternated with 1/4 or 1/2 mile walk/jogs
• Thursday 1 = 1 mile run at max sustainable pace and 2 = 1/4 mile runs at max pace/ alternated with 1/4 mile walk/jogs

This is the workout I am requiring of myself, but I am trying to also go to the gym for upper body strength and conditioning 2-3 times per week.  The reason I am considering this optional is to prevent myself from burning out.

So to recap my long-winded description above:

• Starting Weight 229 - 1st Goal Weight 205
• Starting Mile Pace 10:08 minutes - 1st Goal Mile Pace 8:00 Minutes

Mrs. Gentlenibbles

Since I am not the scientist in the family, and much less analytical than Mr. G, my goals and fitness plan are a little more fluid than his.  As time goes on I will get a better idea of what is working, and what realistic goals should be.

For now my goals are:

To lose 15 pounds and lose enough Mr. G has to buy me a new wardrobe!

My Fitness Plan is:

Go to the gym for 45 minutes runs a minimum of three times a week.  Over time I would like to increase the speed of my runs, which in turn would increase the distance I would be running in the 45 minutes.  I am also going to really work on eating healthy.  I eat pretty healthy most of the time anyway, but I eat just enough bad things a week to counter all the healthy stuff I eat the rest of the week.

In order to increase our motivation by holding ourselves accountable for our weekly fitness progress, we have created a fitness journal for our readers to see:  It is located here, and can be accessed from the Swingfest Swingdown 2008 Main page.

If you would like to officially enter the contest and be eligible for prizes Sign Up Here!

For those who have entered, those who wish to enter, and those who would just like to unofficially participate leave your comments on what your story is and how your first week went below!

May you all have great workouts and fantastic sex this week!

~Mr. and Mrs. Gentlenibbles