7 weeks left - 7:00 mile

7 weeks to go, first real test after a week of warm-up runs.  Needed a 7 min mile.  Didn't feel great, but I nailed it at exactly 7:00.0.  First lap was too fast - 1:35, 2nd was also too fast - 1:40, 3rd lap I felt the burn and 4th lap nearly died.  Mental check -- pace yourself.

You've got...that dying feeling...

First run - killer.  7:42 mile.  Probably shouldn't run full out in the heat and humidity for a first time.  But it was a true show of my current fitness.  Decided to give myself a warm-up week before my next test - that would likely be a test of what I call my 'underlying fitness'.  That is, how fit my body is once I've broken it in for about a week.  Need to get a 7:00 mile to start this process.

What I'm Doing and Why

I have had four physical goals, in some form, since I was 12  and others since about 18, but never pursued them seriously.  8 years of landscaping kept me in reasonable shape, but now at 29 I am a high-school teacher.  Since Phys Ed is not in my portfolio, to say the least, my fitness is on a serious decline.
Since I've had these goals but never failed to reach them (having never really tried), this has given me a false sense of confidence.  'I was capable of .... ergo, I am an amazing athletic specimen.  Hi-ho!' I guess I have decided to call my own bluff, since I've got 8 weeks off for summer and absolutely no excuse.
So here's the personal bests I hope to actually attain, starting this summer (in order from most to least attainable):

Bench-press my own body weight (say 150 lbs)

This is a popular goal for lots of guys that work out.  It's seen as a beginner's benchmark for upper body strength, and since I've no interest in lifting a lot of weights, that's about as much as I'm willing to commit to.  But I think it's pretty attainable, but strangely, I've decided not to pursue this particular one this summer.  Cardio is what I need most.
My personal best: about 125 lbs at the age of 22 in 2005 or 06, after treeplanting and landscaping for 4 summers, but not after having lifted weights.

100 consecutive pushups

This is another popular goal for guys, albeit probably a bit more than a beginner's goal.  Since it's a pretty good measure of general upper-body and core stamina I'm pretty excited about this one.  Plus it can be practiced anywhere, even on commercial breaks.  Calisthenics are a pretty universal and old-school test of fitness, so there you go.
My personal best: 63 consecutive pushups (also at 22).  I don't remember exactly, but I think this was a case of do 40 tonight, 41 tomorrow, etc.  I don't think I've ever done that longer than a few weeks.

Jump to touch a regulation 10-foot basketball rim 

I have fantasized about this goal more than any other, playing basketball from about 10 and practicing dunks on my adjustable net from about 12 years old.  Never really 'trained' for it, though, other than just a lot of jumping and doing some stairs when I played highschool ball.  I am 5'8", so this is a 'tall' order for me; requires about a 34 inch vertical.  I have gotten close and very clearly witnessed my dad (who is almost 5'9", just a bit taller than me) handily grab a 10 foot rim at the age of 35.  Even if the rim sagged a few inches, this was a full on grab, so at least a 10 foot jump. This from a guy who does not play basketball or any other sport requiring explosive jumping.  He claims not to remember this.  Pff.
My personal best: grabbed a 9'6" rim consistently from about the age of 15 to 18, probably peaking at about 9'9".  Jumped to about 9'4" or 9'5" last summer.  Yes--I still measure this.

Run a 5-minute mile

I have always liked middle-distance running, although I was never particularly talented.  I think it stems from Gr. 6, when I came within a second of the school record for 1500 m for my age group.  (6:05, which is still a pretty awesome time!)  I was in martial arts back then and of course I was 11.  From then on, I felt like I was capable of being really good, so why bother trying?  (Kind of a big part of my worldview, I've discovered).  In high school, I improved my time to 5:18, but I never really trained - I probably ran no more than 15 or 20 times a year.  In 2005 and 06, I got back into running a couple of times for about 6 weeks .  I think I got my 1500 m back down to 5:38.  A mile is around 1600 m (4 laps), so that's about a 4:41 1500 m.  This is a very ambitious goal that probably represents my physical limits when I was 18.  So yeah...
My personal best: 5:18 for 1500 m (a 5:39.2 mile) when I was 16.