KattaTanglefoot

I installed a different C25K app and a different podcast player and both seemed to work well with each other and better individually than the ones that I used previously. Though I need to adjust the settings to minimize the verbal information from the C25K app. I'm not interested in interval stats right now. I did yoga on Saturday and ran this morning, realizing that it worked better with my workout schedule and would allow the trail time to dry out after the rain on Friday. Saturday night I was completely exhausted (delayed lag from poor sleep Thursday night and an early Friday morning), so my crafting time involved winding up a ball of yarn while watching Dr. Who with my husband. I'm almost done winding that darned hank into a ball (note to self - make ball winder before I need to wind up the next hank of yarn). Tonight I worked on modifying a bra pattern ... I traced some pattern pieces and was drawing in the seam allowances so that I could make the modifications properly when I decided that, in true engineering fashion, there had to be a better way and downloaded Inkscape so that I could scan the pattern pieces and make the modifications on the computer. Although I got in 15 minutes of crafting time, the rest of the time that I might have spent on it tonight was instead spent figuring out which program to use and how to make it all work together. Tomorrow night will hopefully see me making the pattern modifications. Week 1 Summary: Run: 3/3 Yoga/bodyweight: 3/3 Crafting: 7/7 All goals achieved!

Let's see ... I ran on Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday my C25K app stopped working and my podcast app stopped working. I ended up just running until I couldn't breathe, slowing down to a walk until I could breathe, then running again, etc. I think it was more grueling than the week 1 day 3 workout that I would have gotten. I did yoga on Wednesday and still need to do it today. Either that or I'll have to do it on Sunday. And, I've been sewing every night after the toddler has gone to bed. I sewed a t-shirt for the little one! I used some homemade spray starch to make sewing the knit fabric easier, so I need to wash it before taking pictures. I didn't do as much finishing on it as I will on future t-shirts - this was mostly a test run.

I did it! Well, not running. I pushed that off until tomorrow. I decided to run on Tuesdays instead of Mondays (I was going to switch partway through anyways, because I like T-Th-Sa better than Th-Sa-M), but I decided to just work around the Tuesday morning music time at the library that will end in a couple of weeks. This way both my husband and I can both do our bodyweight routines at the same time, which will hopefully provide some more motivation and accountability for that goal. I spent an hour and a half or so tonight cutting out a t-shirt for my toddler (and generally figuring out how to work with knits). The fabric that I am using is salvaged from an old long-sleeved t-shirt and I'm using this project to learn more about sewing knits before I cut into the good fabric that I have for me. I'll try sewing it up tomorrow. A note: tracing patterns, cutting fabric, pressing, and general activities that are required for sewing count toward my sewing time. Cleaning the room so that I can access my sewing supplies does not. Reading about sewing techniques only counts if I'm actively trying to figure something out and am working on that project at that moment (i.e, it counts if I'm looking up specific information for reference and using it immediately, but browsing or looking things up for later use do not count).

In the time since I started this thread, I've discovered that there are going to be several obstacles that I will need to overcome to succeed at my goals. 1. Sleep - The toddler often sleeps poorly (though she sleeps better than she used to). I'm not going to want to exercise after a night of bad sleep. However, that's what building a habit can help to overcome. My plan is generally to exercise in the morning, after a light breakfast and before showering. 2. Weather - A heat wave at the end of My and beginning of June in Massachusetts does not bode well for the summer weather (and we don't have air conditioning). I didn't want to move at all during the heat. This is one more reason that it will be important for me to exercise in the morning, before it gets too hot during the rest of the day. I'm also not looking forward to running in the rain, but I'm sure it will need to happen. I put off running this morning, but that was with the knowledge that today is going to be relatively cool all day and the rain is supposed to clear up by this afternoon. If it doesn't, I'll go running anyways. 3. Morning meetings - I have a few early mornings this week that will interfere with my morning exercise plans. I'll have to make sure to exercise soon after arriving home. 4. Travel - I'm going to be traveling during this challenge. I need to make sure that I continue with my exercising and with my crafting (I'm planning on bringing my knitting with me). 5. Evening crafting - the only time that I really have to get any sewing or knitting done is after the toddler is in bed. By that time I'm usually more in the mood to zone out on the internet rather than do anything productive. But, if I do 15 minutes, I'll probably continue working.

Katta's idea of a good time is to curl up in the sun with a good book. After years of studying, though, she decided that she should get some experience beyond the walls of her town. She packed her bags and set out on her adventure. In a manner completely atypical of her normal behavior, she didn't create an itinerary or choose a destination, deciding that it was the journey that matters most. She simply set a few goals to ensure that she would have motivation to keep moving, rather than turning around and heading back to her books. (Don't worry, she packed a few books to read along the way.) 1. Slow and steady, building up endurance - run 3 times a week I can walk for miles, and at a decent pace, but I have never been a runner. I can walk faster than I can run. I started the couch-to-5k program last spring, but stopped after a few weeks. I started over today - this time I will finish it. I won't complete the program before the challenge is over, but my goal is to run three times each week while following the program. It's all right if I have to repeat a day or week here or there, as long as I run. Stats: STA +5 | CON +1 Grading: A (6 pts) - run all 18 days | B (5 pts) - miss 2 days | C (4 pts) - miss 3 days | D (2 pts) - miss 4 days | F (0 pts) 2. Strength and agility - yoga or bodyweight routine 3 times a week I've been doing yoga off and on (much, much more off than on) for years. My husband has started doing a short, mostly bodyweight routine that his athletic trainer sister suggested for him, and I've joined in with that. My goal is to do either yoga or the bodyweight routine 3 times a week. Both routines are complicated by the toddler who likes to climb all over us while exercising. Stats: STR +2 | DEX +2 | CON +1 | (5 points total, but they might be distributed differently depending on how many times I do yoga instead of the bodyweight exercises) Grading: A (5 pts) - exercise all 18 days | B (4 points) - miss 2 days | C (3 pts) - miss 3 days | D (2 pts) - miss 4 days | F (0 pts) 3. Busy hands for a happy mind - sew or knit for at least 15 minutes each day I have some sewing and knitting projects and goals that I would like to accomplish this summer. Although 15 minutes each day isn't much time, it will get me into the habit of working on my projects daily. STATS: WIS +2 | CHA +2 Grading: A (4 pts) - every day | B (3 points) - miss 1 day/week | C (2 pts) - miss 2 days/week | D (1 pts) - miss 3 days/week | F (0 pts) [Edited to adjust point distribution slightly.]