I didn't train this morning at 4AM. Yes, my 66-session streak of 4AM mornings have been snapped! Did I sleep in? NEVER! I actually hit my 3AM mark. I had a bit of an exploratory expedition this morning to see if I want to change the upcoming The Third Expedition. At 3AM, I read again out of Sproul's systematic theology text. I also used Logos to generate a 365-day reading through the Bible in a chronological order. Along with other aspects of this quiet time, I chose to extend it past its 3:55AM end, like the last time, and took it another hour, straight through my first hour of cardio.

But, don't fret—I haven't broken my training days streak: 67 sessions and strong. At 5AM, I went into my Back routine and finished to 6AM with cardio. It was a more aggressive day for me as I upped the weight of 3 out of 5 exercises: incline bench DB row, DB shrugs, and DB straight leg deadlift. In review, I believe I just had more in the tank because I didn't have the first hour of cardio to break me down.

Now, after all of that, is this change something I will implement? I don't think I will—don't get me wrong: 2 hours spent in His written word and books commenting on the Bible is two hours well spent. But for now, it's an issue of efficiency and mental stamina. My first hour was strong and I packed a lot of content into a relatively small space. But, I lost my focus in the second hour compared to the first. With the wealth of time that two hours presents, I think it can be a temptation not to push as hard or stay on point with the objective. Not that I wasn't doing everything I planned on doing, but my absorption strength began to taper off.

It's like back in the day with those 1hr 25m classes in college on Tuesdays and Thursday. I could get through the mornings well enough, but once I get into the 12:40pm class, my passion faltered to digest World Civ from a guy, who in 1998 divined we would be speaking Chinese as they would take over our country in twenty years. Well, it's 2018, I ain't got a bit of Mandarin down—despite longing to train at a Kung Fu school! I still regret not taking that opportunity in Anchorage.

I like the feel of being energized to hit my quiet time and then explode into my training session. That 3-3:55AM period is the perfect setup for a solid 4-6AM.

Lastly, due to a secondary matter, I don't believe I'll switch out my treadmill in lieu of that 2nd hour of the soul; I have more fat to burn and desire to increase my stamina, so I can be healthy and free to choose a running lifestyle in the future. While I had a great workout this morning, I did miss the extended cardio. It remains not as efficient as I'd like, but I'm working toward a solution for it. Sure, I'll have my lunch cardio, but the morning cardio is my bread-and-butter and sets me up for the rest of the morning.

But for now, 67 morning sessions and counting...