InDestructiBull

Challenge Wrap-Up [+1 Level] Supporting Goal #1: Run 5 miles each week. I achieved this goal 5/6 weeks of the challenge. I'm really pleased with my progress. This challenge brought be a few personal best times and I'm really proud of them. In the past year I've gone from hating running to enjoying running and even running to relax, which I never thought would happen. [+4 STA] Supporting Goal #2: Complete a full-body weightlifting workout every other day. I achieved this goal 5/6 weeks of the challenge. I'm really starting to see results from these workouts. I've gotten some definition in my arms, shoulders, chest and abs. I'm definitely stronger than I was at the beginning of the challenge. [+4 STR] Supporting Goal #3: Drink 3 liters of water every day. I achieved this goal 6/6 weeks of the challenge! It's amazing how much being properly hydrated helps all aspects of feeling happy and healthy. I'm glad I've gotten into the habit of carrying my water bottle around. [+5 CON] New Stats: Level 3 Mord'Sith Ranger STR: 7 | DEX: 2.5 | STA: 11.25 | CON: 10 | WIS: 6 | CHA: 5

Another good week for my goals! I just finished my 5 miles of running for the week. I like the system I have going where I run 4 laps of my block twice a week and 5 laps of my block once a week for a total of 5.2 miles. When I get comfortable with that schedule I'll try to push myself to running more than 2 miles at a time, but for now this is a good challenging but not discouraging pace. My best time for 2 miles is currently 18 minutes 19.4 seconds (I figured out my ipod has a stop watch so now I can stop estimating my times, haha!) I'm in the middle of week 5 of the hundred push ups challenge, which basically means I can do a total 160 push ups within half and hour. I can also do about 40 push ups without stopping. My squats/lunges/dumbell lifts/abs workouts are less impressive, but I continue to do them and challenge myself with them. Maybe next challenge I'll pick a different area to really focus on improving. As I type I'm finishing off the last quarter of a liter of water for today. EXCITING!

Checking in! I'm happy with how this challenge is going. I attended a con AND moved back home after my summer internship ended on Wednesday and I still managed to keep up with all three of my main goals decently well. Usually such large disruptions to my daily schedule throw off my diet and exercise routines, but this time they didn't! - I ran 5.2 miles this week: two 1.6 mile runs and one 2 mile run. I wasn't keeping track of my time for the 1.6 mile runs, but I did time the 2 miles I just did: 18 minutes! A personal best for me! - This week might not have been so great for my weightlifting workouts. I did one full, formal workout (abs, squats, push ups, etc) with counted sets, but the rest were less intense and more sporadic (some push ups here, some free weights there). I'm inclined to call it even, though, since I also moved all my stuff out of one house, to my car, and into my apartment. Lots of lifting involved there. Once I clean my apartment so there's enough space to do push ups I'll get back to my regular circuit workouts. - I have to admit I haven't been keeping strict count of the amount of water I've been drinking. I just kind of refill my water bottle whenever it's empty. I purposely didn't drink all three liters on the days when I had to drive long distances just so I wouldn't have to stop to pee as often. I do know I've been drinking more water every day than I usually did before this challenge started.

Who ran 3 miles in 36 minutes today? This Bull! Same path as I ran on Monday, but three minutes faster! Hell yes! I feel AMAZING!

I finished week 3 of the hundred push ups challenge today. That means I did 88 push ups over the course of my 20ish minute workout. Not too shabby. I interspersed my push ups sets with abs and squats. I've kept up with my water drinking, too. It's kind of incredible how much more energy I have when I'm properly hydrated. The new water bottle my girlfriend brought me from San Diego Comic Con helps a lot. =D

Three miles down for this week's running goal! I finally tried out the Appalachian Trail loop: one mile on the road, one mile on the trail, one mile on the road. My time was around 39 minutes. I think that's pretty damned good considering it was an extra mile more than I usually run and I don't usually trail run. There's definitely room for improvement, though. I hope to fit in another three of these runs (one more this week, two next week) before I move back to real life in two weeks. I have to say, though, it is terrifying when the Attack on Titan opening theme music comes up on your workout mix when you're in the middle of the woods...

A brief update on the end of Week 1: I'm 3 for 3 on achieving my goals this week. I ran 5 miles, completed all the workouts I intended to do, and I've even kept up with my water drinking (bathroom breaks be damned!) I'm feeling great! Bring on week 2!

So far this challenge is off to a fantastic start. I met my water and weightlifting goals yesterday without a problem. The weird instant headaches I was getting last challenge (whenever I tried doing push ups) have yet to resurface, so I'm back to feeling like a total badass when I do my exercises. My workout consisted of push ups (following the Hundred Push Up Challenge Week 2), squats (4 sets of 20) and a variety of crunches/abs exercises. I went for a run this evening right before sunset. It was my first run in several weeks so I was a little worried I'd have to cut it short or walk for some of it, but I managed to maintain a nice steady speed (uphill and down, check me out!) for two miles. My time was ~23 minutes; not my best but I'm really pleased with it, considering how long it's been since my last run. The weather was gorgeous tonight, as is the scenery along my route. For my next run, I'm hoping to try the loop my roommate discovered: one mile up the road, one mile of trail running (on the AT, no less!) and a mile on another road back to the house. I intended to try it this evening but it got dark faster than I'd anticipated. I'm really excited to try it out, though. I think it will be good for me to spend some time on the trail during this challenge, considering it's my ultimate goal to hike the entire thing! I'm glad I chose to take on the "drink more water" part of my challenge. I feel like I have more energy already. I also feel like I'm going to spend the next six weeks getting well-acquainted with the restrooms at work. So many potty breaks! I did notice that I tend to drink a lot of water all at once rather than sipping at in constantly, so I'm going to work on pacing myself through each liter. Hopefully that will mean fewer potty breaks...

I'm pretty excited for the new format of the six week challenges. I'm less excited by the new signup sheet for the six week challenges, though. Specifically, I'd like to suggest that "Gender" should either a) be optional, have more options to choose from, or c) be a text box to fill in however one wants to. (Option C is, in my opinion, the best way to go.) It will go a long way towards making NerdFitness more inclusive and welcoming towards those whose gender is more complicated than those two little clicky-bubbles.

Let's Try This Again... Last go 'round didn't go so well for me. Long story short, I didn't claim any points or even a level for the previous 6wc. I learned a few things from my experiences this summer and now I'm ready to get back on the trail. Without further ado: My Main Quest: Hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine (and then the Pacific Crest Trail, and then the Continental Divide Trail. But one step at a time) Supporting Goal 1: Run 5 miles each week [+5 STA] It doesn't matter whether it's one mile five times a week or five miles all in one go, a few laps around the block or a loop on a trail, I'll travel a total of 5 miles at a running/hard jogging pace. To be scored on a weekly basis. Supporting Goal 2: Complete a full-body weightlifting workout every other day [+5 STR] Workouts will include legs (squats, lunges, etc), arms (dumbell lifts, etc), upper body (pushups, inverted rows, etc), and abs/core (crunches, planks, supermans, etc). Duration 15+ minutes, cycling through 15-20 rep sets of each exercise. I'll probably switch up what exactly I do every few workouts or so. I tend to get bored and unenthusiastic doing the same thing all the time. To be scored every other day. Supporting Goal 3: Drink 3 liters of water every day [+5 CON] I have a one liter bottle which I will carry around with me all day. I'll fill it at breakfast and empty it by lunch. Then I'll fill it at lunch and finish it by dinner, fill it again and empty it before bed. To be scored every day. Motivation I still don't have a photo of my motivational phrase, mostly because I haven't written it out or put it up anywhere yet. In the meantime, here's what I'm going to lean on for the next six weeks. They're lyrics to a song I've loved since I was a kid. Having a tune to go with the words will help them run through my head like a mantra. "I want to be strong, to be strong as the land around me. I want a heart that's as wide as the sky. I want a spirit like a moving mountain stream. I want to look people straight in the eye." Coming Soon: 'Before' photos and photo of my motivational statement. I'm still coming up with just the right way to word it. There's a 99% chance it will be unintelligible to anyone but me. The things I find deeply motivating also tend to be deeply personal.

I ended up bailing on this 6wc. Maybe I should have known better than to take on a challenge when I knew I was going to start a new job/move to a different state/deviate significantly from my usual life/etc. in the middle of it. Maybe I'm just making excuses for myself. Either way, I didn't finish this challenge and so I'm not going to claim any points for it. I'm not even going to level up. I do plan on rebooting this challenge for the next 6wc next week. I may tweak some goals for the next go 'round, we'll see. I know I'm capable of succeeding at these goals when the time is right.

Weekly Update #4 I took this past week off from push ups to let myself rest a bit and maybe see if the weird headaches would go away. I rebooted my HPUC workout today and so far things are going well. I started over from week 1 doing knees-down push ups. I think my problem was I upgraded from inclines to knees-down too fast and pushed myself too hard. I had no problem (and no headache!) doing my workout today. Hopefully I'll be able to stay on track for the last two weeks! As for my other goals... I pretty much dropped the ball on them too. It rained pretty much all week, so I didn't get to run at all. Also no banjo practice since my housemates were always around. I did cook for myself all week, though, so not all was lost... Success Rating: C- (Only one goal completed. Womp womp...)

Weekly Update #3 Week 3 was a little rough for me: my push ups have gone to shit. I made it through all three workouts, but I get a pretty bad headache when I do more than 30 or so. I'm concentrating on my breathing and form, so I'm pretty sure it's not related to either of those. I could probably stand to drink more water, so maybe that's the problem. I don't have headaches any other time or during any of my other workouts, so maybe it's just weightlifter's headache? I am going to skip the push ups this week and start again at a lower level next week. That should give my body some time to recover and get its act together. Ouch. My other goals are going much better in comparison. I made up for the cooking I didn't do last week and the banjo practice I didn't do last week. I got a full two hours in, in pieces here and there throughout the week. I can sit by the creek in the back yard and pick away for a half hour or so at a time. I love it up here! My BBWWs have been uneventful. I added 10 reps of everything to each circuit today. It's a little harder now than it was at the end of the week. I may up the reps or add another circuit next week or the final week, but for now I'm feeling good. I deviated a little from my running schedule, but I am going to give myself full credit because I skipped a run in order to spend the day hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I covered about 7 miles of trail, 5 more miles than I usually run. It wasn't the most challenging hike I've ever done, but it felt damn good to be on the AT again. My life goal - the goal that inspires me to work on my strength and fitness - is to hike the whole thing, so I am 100% ok missing a run for this opportunity. The best part is, I only live a mile from a trail head, so I can go on more hikes all summer! I also achieved a different lifelong dream today: I held a falcon on my glove for the first time. I've wanted to get the opportunity to work with raptors pretty much my whole life and this summer I get to do it. Words can't describe how happy I am. Success Rating: B (minus points for struggling with the push ups, PLUS A BILLION POINTS for hiking and achieving a lifelong dream)

If hiking counts as running, then I get 6 more levels. If it doesn't... it should. Just sayin'.

4 for you, Sailor Pluto! You go, Sailor Pluto! (I ran another 30 mins today!)

Status Update (I stopped numbering them because I keep getting off-count) Feeling like a badass because today I had my first 100 push ups workout! It kicked my ass, but I made it! I even switched to doing knees-down push ups (I'd previously been doing incline push ups but they weren't challenging enough) so I'm feeling really proud of myself. Saturday's workout will be 120 push ups. We'll see how much I miss incline push ups then... My BBW workouts are getting easier after only two and a half weeks. I'm already noticing a difference in my strength and muscle tone. I'm going to finish out the week doing the same rep count and circuit count that I have been so far, then next week I think I'll up the number of reps for each circuit. I've been doing 20 of everything (squats, lunges, dumbell rows, and seconds of plank) so I think I'll go for 30. I'll stick with 3 circuits for now.

Sweet! I'm on this. I've hit level 2 already!

Status Update Cooked myself dinner from the co-op. Went for a fantastic run in a beautiful new location. Back on track!

Weekly Update #2 Week 2 fell apart a little bit compared to week 1. I fit in all 3 runs, all 3 HPUCs and all 3 BBWWs. However, with my parents visiting and treating me to dinner for several days, I didn't do much of my own cooking (only 3/5 days). I also didn't manage to fit in any banjo practice (but I did win immunity for my voice acting competition this week, so the time I spent recording for my challenges rather than practicing my banjo were well-spent!). Moving into week 3, I'm still messed up in terms of my schedule. I didn't work out on Monday and I did my push ups and body weight workouts today. Looks like I'll be doing TThSa HPUCs/BBWWs and WFSu running this week. I also didn't cook for myself Monday or Tuesday so far, but I will definitely have to cook for myself for the rest of the week and all weekend, so I'll get my full five days this week. I've moved to the land of farmers markets and co-ops for the summer, so I'm eager to get to cook with some great local produce. I don't yet know how my new roommates will feel about me playing my banjo, however... Success Rating: C (2.5/4 goals addressed)

Status Update #8 (and 9 and 10, since I missed yesterday and the day before. My Bad.) Actually, now that I think about it, I probably haven't updated because I don't have much to report. My workouts continue to be pretty darn good. I did 91 push ups today! I've been running with StriderSenshi, which is a lot of fun. My home-cooked meal plan might end up falling by the wayside for the weekend because my parents are visiting and want to check out a bunch of restaurants while they're in NYC (who could blame them?) They've been nice enough to invite me out with them all weekend, and as a grad student, I feel I am obliged to follow Diet Rule #1: Always accept free food. I have yet to decide whether that means I fail at this goal for the week. On one hand, I am not cooking for myself for 4 days rather than 2. On the other hand, I am not being lazy and choosing takeout, nor am I buying the restaurant food I'm eating. Maybe I'll just cook for myself all 7 days next week to make up for the extra meals out this week.

Status Update #7 Not much exciting to report today. I managed to get a run in between rainstorms. I think my speed is gradually improving, but I can't really quantify it yet. Ho hum.

Status Update #6 Not much to report from day 1 of week 2. HPUC and BBWW are still on track. I didn't cook tonight but I had leftovers from previously-cooked meals rather than takeout, so that's fine in terms of my goals. It rained all day today, so I'm hoping tomorrow will be less wet so I can run outside. I'll be on campus tomorrow so I can go to the gym if I have to, but I'd prefer to run outside...

Weekly Update #1 Week one went really well! My push ups and BBW workouts are fantastic so far. I can feel myself getting stronger already. I went to a family gathering and my relatives were impressed with how much I've slimmed down and toned up since I saw them last (Christmas/New Year's, I think) I'm definitely eating better, I've saved a bunch of money, and I've really enjoyed cooking. I even inspired my girlfriend to start trying to cook more often. My banjo is back in tune and I haven't forgotten nearly as much as I was afraid I would have. I even participated in the Rangers' first mini-challenge! Bring on week 2!!! Success Rating: 4/4 goals addressed! A

StriderSenshi and I completed a training mission this afternoon. It involved lots of posing on top of rocks and leaping over puddles.

Status Update #5 I had a very productive day today, which is good considering how lazy I was during the rainstorm yesterday. I played my banjo for a full hour. I'm sure my neighbors are really sick of 'Oh Susanna'... Once I've gotten a bit more practice I'll be able to branch out to other songs. I intended to go trail running (or at least as close to trail running as I can get in my corner of the Bronx) yesterday 'with' Doc Brian, but went today instead. I brought StriderSenshi along with me. She's working on C25K so I coached her and stopped for pictures rather than running my usual 30 continuous minutes. All told we were outside moving around for over an hour, so I got a good workout regardless. Most of the photos came out a little blurry, but that's alright. They're uploaded to my gallery if you want to take a look. Here's one of me on a rock!