Wingfoot

Challenge Recap Overall, I think I managed to build new habits and reinforce others during this challenge. I sometimes found the challenge a bit constraining, though, when I didn't think meeting the goal for the week was what my body needed. That's probably a failure on my part to design the goals properly, knowing that I had a half-marathon to run halfway through the challenge. I think I'm going to sit out the next challenge and see how I do without the accountability factor -- I want to make sure these habits are solid on their own. Goal 1: Run 3 Times. I ran 17 times over 6 weeks. The weeks I ran less were ones where I had big runs, like the half-marathon. I really feel like this has become part of my routine, and a valued part of my lifestyle. I'm so proud and happy about this. 17/18 including 2 very long races (10 and 13 miles) = and A for me! (+1 STR, +3 STA, +1 CON) Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. I did 9 and a half BBWW work-outs plus a yoga class -- let's call it 10? I guess I can't complain that I haven't gained as much strength as I hoped, since I wasn't very consistent about these. Still, they have gotten easier and I've started adding new things like bridges to the circuit. 10/14 = a C on this one. (+1 STR, +1 STA, +1 CON) Goal 3: No Alcohol. I used my 1 free pass for my birthday, and had 2 cheats, which lose me 5% each. So this is at 90%, which I'm going to call a B+. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do during a work-related cocktail hour where they only have wine and soda, neither of which I really want to drink. Still, I think I've managed to get my friends trained not to expect me to drink wine with them on Friday nights because I so often have races on the weekend. Small victories. (+2 CON, +1 WIS) Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. I used the diet experimentation to eat things I shouldn't for a couple of weeks. I'm back on track now, and am happy with the level I'm eating. Oddly, I think my favorite night-before-a-long-run dinner is rice and beans. Hey, if it works, I'll take it. (+1 CON) Life Goal: Frugal October. I dragged myself through Frugal October kicking and screaming. It was not fun, but it was successful. I learned a lot about my spending habits, and I learned about the expenses I could give up and those that are valuable to me in other ways -- for example, I have no problem spending money on race entry fees for my new running habit, but I do have a problem spending money on shoes I don't need. I developed some new habits from this experiment, now I just have to work on making sure they stick. (+1 WIS) OK, so an A and a B+ and a C, I guess that averages out to a B or a B+. I'm changing my attributes as follows, granting a total of 13 out of the 15 available attribute points for this challenge: Previous Attributes: Level 2 Adventurer, Hobbit STR 1 - DEX 1 - STA 3 - CON 4 - WIS 2 - CHA 3 New Attributes: Level 3 Adventurer, Hobbit STR 3 - DEX 1 - STA 7 - CON 9 - WIS 4 - CHA 3

Week 5 Recap Ugh, I so didn't want to write this recap. After week 4's half-marathon, I was sluggish in week 5. I went for one run and did one BBWW session, but for the most part, I just took a rest week. I felt bad because I knew I wasn't meeting my challenge goals, but I also just didn't want to work out this week. In a non-challenge world, I wouldn't feel bad about the rest week at all, but I hate failing to meet clearly defined goals. Ah well, it's behind me now, so all I can do about it is focus my energies on week 6. Goal 1: Run 3 Times. I ran once -- a 2.6-mile run on Tuesday. Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. Just one, on Thursday. I had to work out in a different location than usual, which meant going back to a slightly higher surface for my modified push-ups where I used to try push-ups long ago. While I still don't notice a difference in the difficulty of push-ups in my standard work-out location, I definitely noticed that the ones in my old location were way easier than they used to be, so I guess that's progress? Overall, I admit I'm a little disappointed that I haven't gained more strength in the past few weeks -- maybe I need to increase to 3 BBWW sessions per week to see results? Goal 3: No Alcohol. None. Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. Eh. I think when I increased my carbs and calories I used that as an excuse to eat things that are a little more processed than I prefer (saltines, store-bought granola). This week I decided that was about enough of that, and switched back to my usual, more "pure" diet, but it certainly seems to take more planning for me to get enough calories from whole foods. Life Goal: Frugal October. I'm really happy with how this is turning out, actually. I already had a monthly budget spreadsheet google doc for tracking budgeting and expenses. Having recognized my tendency to identify any number of things that I "legitimately need" throughout the month, I've created a tab in the budget spreadsheet for "shopping list". Whenever I think of something I need during the month (other than normal planned weekly expenses like groceries, of course) I add it to the shopping list spreadsheet instead of buying it. Once a month on payday, I can go to the shopping list and identify the most needed items on it, up to a pre-determined budgeted amount of money, and then I can buy those. The unpurchased items can stay on the list for consideration in another month. That way, I'm not denying myself anything (which could potentially incite a rebellion), I'm just postponing the purchase until a more appropriate time, which may or may not turn out to be never. I'm loving this system, and don't think I would have come up with it without the Frugal October experiment (and the failed Frugal September). I've also successfully cut out a number of things I don't even miss, like taxis and Starbucks. Still... I'm so glad October is almost over.

Hey OF, we haven't heard from you in a while... I hope everything's going ok!

Hi all! I just posted an update too. Spoiler: I ran a half-marathon yesterday!

Week 4 Recap After a not-so-great Week 3 (thank you to those of you who reminded me that the suckiness was not as bad as it could have been), Week 4 was a big improvement. I still struggled to get up early enough for my work-outs, but I managed to meet my goals and reach a big accomplishment over the weekend. I RAN A HALF-MARATHON!!!! Is it possible it was uphill both ways?? It sure felt like it... Goal 1: Run 3 Times. I ran three times -- a 3.4-mile run on Tuesday and a 2.3-mile run on Saturday. I would have run further on Saturday, but I needed to keep it an easy run because Sunday was a big day -- my first half-marathon! I dragged myself to Staten Island on Saturday to run 13.1 miles. I'm still exhausted. I missed my goal time by about 5 minutes (an old man power-walking actually passed me at mile 12, a sad moment for me), but the important thing is that I finished! I'm very proud of myself, but also at the same time I'm relieved that I can ease back my mileage for a little bit and give my body time to catch up to all this running. I've definitely been feeling runner's fatigue and have been breaking the no-more-than-10%-increase-per-week rule, so I think I could use a bit of recovery time. I'll still run at least 3 times a week, preferably 4 -- but I'm planning to keep the weekend "long runs" under 7 miles for a few weeks. Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. Did it. I'm starting to feel stronger on everything but the push-ups and jumping jacks. They'll get there too, I'm just trying to be patient. Goal 3: No Alcohol. I had wine at a business dinner. I already used my free pass, so this one costs 5% from my final score. I was already the one vegetarian at the steakhouse, so I just didn't have the heart to be the teetotaler too. I did a good job of counterbalancing it with water, though, so I didn't have my usual dehydration issues. Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. I do a great job with breakfast, lunch and 4pm snack. I realized this week that I really need to start planning my dinners in advance -- those are my weak spot. I used to cook a lot of food on Sunday so I would have meals ready for the week. Now that work is calming down I really need to get back into that habit. Life Goal: Frugal October. October is going ok. I don't like it, but I can get through it. I definitely have a couple of things I need to buy (a couple of articles of clothing because most of my wardrobe doesn't fit me any more), but what I'm learning from Frugal October is how to think about purchases in advance, decide whether I really need it, and plan ahead to make sure I buy 1 right item instead of bouncing between 2 or 3 so-so purchases. Planning like this lets me wait for sales, too, which is nice. The point of this was really to make me more mindful about how I spend money -- I'm not going to start living like a monk, but I want to be sure I'm not spending money out of laziness or habit when I could be paying that money toward my loans.

Hi all -- I updated my thread. I hope everyone's doing great!

Week 3 Recap Week 3 sucked. Let's call this Setback Week. I worked 3 back-to-back 17-hour days at work, was very stressed out and tired, failed over and over again to get up early enough to exercise, and then traveled for the weekend. I tried really hard to do what I could, but, well, that wasn't much. Goal 1: Run 3 Times. I ran twice -- a 1.5-mile run on Thursday (squeezed in between oversleeping and leaving for a morning meeting at work) and a 3.75-mile run on Saturday through an unfamiliar town while my travel companions slept. I did also go hiking on Saturday, but alas, I don't think that can count as my third run. Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. I did one and a half. I did a BBWW on Wednesday before work, and did 3 circuits. It was definitely more of a workout with the third circuit!! Then I tried to do another one Thursday morning, which was silly because I was still sore from the day before, but I knew I wouldn't have another chance during my trip and I wanted to meet my challenge goal. After one circuit, I decided it didn't make sense to do something that didn't make sense JUST because of the challenge goal, and I gave up. Goal 3: No Alcohol. I had wine at a birthday party. This is my 1 free pass -- anything after this costs points. Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. Eh. Absolutely no progress on this goal, but it's the side goal and a little vague anyways. This was a bad week all-around. I overate, but mostly healthy food. But since I didn't exercise as much, I wish I would have worked harder to keep my diet in control. Life Goal: Frugal October. Stupid October. I hate being frugal. But I didn't take the taxi when I was running late, and I didn't buy the random tea I didn't need, and I didn't go shopping for cute boots. So I guess I did ok on this one. Overall, it wasn't a great week. But honestly it wasn't the worst either. I didn't really meet my goals, but in the midst of a sucky stressy exhausted traveling week, I managed to exercise multiple times and stay away from fried food and sweets and Starbucks and online shopping. I just hope missing my long run this week doesn't disadvantage me in my long race this coming weekend.

Thanks Gyro and Carniepoet! I'm still really excited about the 10 miles, and even though it was just over a week ago, it's kind of hard to believe it was real. Continuing what seems like a constant process of "well, if I can do that, maybe I can do that times 1.2", I'm going to try a half-marathon this weekend. It all still seems a little crazy to me, since I wasn't running a continuous mile until about 2 months ago. After this weekend, I think I'm going to scale back on the long distances though (still running, just keeping it around 3-7 miles) and give my mind a little time to catch up.

It's good to hear from you, OF! You have SO MUCH going on right now. Changing jobs is a huge stressor/transition, and when you add in a massive shift in your sleep schedule, as well as coming back from vacation, and right on the heels of so many changes in eating/activity level/smoking, well... geez, OF, it's like your life is taking a big 180. I think it's absolutely fantastic that you're getting yourself back on track again, and even maintaining the amazing progress you made in the last challenge would be an admirable accomplishment, not to mention all your other goals. So, while I'm not advocating for making excuses, I do think you could cut yourself a little slack. Maybe the best thing to do would be to prioritize the many things you're working on. If it were me: #1 sleep -- hugely important, and a big change right now #2 no smoking #3 eating well #4 exercise ...and so on. That way, if you have to make a choice one day between what is going to have to take a back seat, you'll have already basically made the decision and won't have to beat yourself up for impromptu prioritization. I wish you the very best of luck!

Welcome OliviaQIT to the NF community! And good to hear from you OF! I have been a bit AWOL myself (both from here and from my exercise routine, yikes), thanks to several back-to-back 17-hour days at work. I'm back now, though! Latest (overdue) recap is on my challenge thread.

Hi all! Sorry for the delayed recap this week, things have been absolutely crazy (let's just say the week 3 recap may be dismal if I can't turn it around...). Week 2 Recap Awesome week, capped off with my longest run yet. Goal 1: Run 3 Times. I ran 4 times again this week. I did my weekday runs Monday (2.9 miles) and Wednesday (4 miles). Saturday I did an easy run of 2 slow miles, just to loosen everything up for the next day. Because Sunday was a big deal! Sunday I ran a 10-mile race!!! I was in the back, as usual. I find it really demoralizing when people who are doing it as a walk/run average out to my pace, so that we constantly pass each other, back and forth. The reason, of course, is that they're doing their runs at a pace they can't sustain, and then have to walk. I could run that fast, too, if I didn't want to keep it up for 10 continuous miles. But it's hard to remember that in the moment. But at about the halfway point (when I was feeling a little down), a volunteer shouted "your race, your pace!" as I went by. Which, ok, is a little condescending since I'm sure she didn't say that to the fast people. BUT it worked, because I cheered up when I realized, heck yeah! I went from running my first mile about 2 months ago, to running a 10-mile race! Of course I'm still a little slow! But who freaking cares, this is an amazing accomplishment! When I got near the finish line, I sped up and this huge grin spread across my face. I kept alternating between absolute joy and wanting to cry, it was a little ridiculous (I'm going to blame low blood sugar). But also fantastic. I'm so, so proud. Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. BBWW on Tuesday and Thursday. It's not kicking my butt anymore, so I think I'm going to switch from 2 rounds per workout to 3. Goal 3: No Alcohol. Yup, did it. Helps that I had a big race and didn't want to be dehydrated. Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. Still feeling great at 1700-1800 calories with more carbs. But I feel like I have less window for error than I did at the lower level. This is a mental issue, I just have to get used to the change and trust that it won't derail me. I might try doing some meal planning when things calm down at work -- knowing in advance what's on the menu might help me feel less anxious. Life Goal: Frugal October. I enjoyed every last minute of September ("Spendy September"?) while I could.

Yay PartyCannon!! Way to go!

Sigh, not fair. Why can't we have everything, all at once?

Welcome back OF! Hope the cruise was fantastic.

Hi all! Posted an update on my thread here. Highlights are: (1) set a new best running time today (yay); (2) got my butt handed to me by the beginners body weight workout (ow). Also, is it possible I can't do a jumping jack? My limbs all seem to fly in random directions. I'm glad to see people trickling back in. Welcome back, everyone! LiveWriteGrow, I hope you're ok. That accident sounds scary. Also today I was randomly thinking about you getting caught climbing over the gate to where you run and wondered -- can you ride a bike to a more accessible spot to get into your running area? Then you'd be doubling up on your exercise time!

Hi all! Time for a recap! Week 1 Recap Overall, I think it was a good first week. My first efforts at the beginner body weight workout were, well, humbling, but I had a good running week and followed all the rules. Let's review: Goal 1: Run 3 Times. I ran 4 times this week. I did my weekday runs Monday and Thursday, of about 3.5 miles each. Saturday I wanted to run 9 miles, but I ran into one obstacle after another (5k walkathon in the middle of my route, detoured, got lost in hill country, got a leg cramp, etc) and ended up cutting it short at 8 miles. I felt bad about that for about 5 minutes until I realized running 8 miles is freaking awesome, especially when I started less than 2 months ago not knowing I could run a mile. Then today was a qualifying race for the marathon. It was only 1 mile, which gave me a chance to try and set a new best time. Up until now I've been running a 12-minute mile. I wanted to hit 11 minutes today but would have settled for 11:30. So imagine my delight -- I came in right at 10:30!! It couldn't have been better timing, either. Since I've been doing longer runs I've been slowing down, which is to be expected, but it was shaking my confidence a little. It's good to know that I'm not permanently the slowest person on the planet -- progress is being made. Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. I barely got this done. I did my first BBWW on Tuesday. It completely kicked my butt. I was sore for days. I was afraid if I attempted another one I wouldn't be able to manage my long run on Saturday, so I put it off. I only scraped through with 2 because I did the second one about 15 minutes ago. But hey, if it leaves me that achey, at least I know it's working. Goal 3: No Alcohol. No alcohol this week. I was tempted once when I was at a work dinner and everyone was parading around with their glass of wine acting cultured. I treated myself to a ginger ale. Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. I'm working on this. I increased my intake to about 1700-1800 calories. I feel great at this level and have more energy for my runs. But I'll have to give it a week or so and see if I can continue to lose weight at this level. Life Goal: Frugal October. Not yet! Since I gave up on Frugal September, I went ahead and bought some warmer running clothes and 2 new pairs of shoes that I've been needing. Funny how when you can't spend money you can suddenly think of so many things you legitimately need.

I like your goals, Gyro -- especially the no-electronics-after-8 and the new filing system! I shudder to think what I would find if I opened my boxes of old papers. Good luck!

Wow. Can I just say "ow"? I looked at the list of BBWW exercises and thought "I can do all of those" (with modified pushups). But wow. Did my first BBWW workout yesterday. My glutes hurt so much I'm practically limping. Clearly, these are muscles I have not been using enough. I guess that means the workouts are a good idea...

Hi team! I'd like to join again, please! My current challenge thread is here. On a completely different note, I'm nearing the end of season 4 of Merlin and I'm starting to have serious concerns about the withdrawal symptoms I will suffer when I finish the series.

Hello all, Here I go on challenge #2. It feels a little soon -- I'm still getting used to the changes that came from challenge #1, but hey, maybe in 6 weeks I'll be just as astonished at the change from this challenge. Nonetheless, with everything that's happened in the past few weeks I'm having a little bit of trouble articulating new goals. I'll do my best. Main Goal: Feel like the master of my body. I've been thinking about the "main goal" a lot lately. I could set another interim one, like run a half marathon, but it really wouldn't be the main goal. And I could say lose weight, but (1) with my thyroid issues I don't feel like I always control that, and (2) if I woke up thin tomorrow I don't think I'd really have what I want. What I want is to feel like my body is MINE, like I know how to tell it what to do and it can do amazing things. The last challenge helped with that (when I found out Wingfoot could run!), but I have a long ways to go. So I've been thinking about smaller goals for this challenge that can move me in the right direction without pulling me in too many directions. Hopefully I've found some useful ones. Goal 1: Run 3 Times. This is the same goal I used last time, but it's working for me. I'm working on increasing the distance of my long runs (8 miles last week) and am thinking about running a half marathon in October. By the end of the year, the goal is to run 9 qualifying races for the NYC marathon, but since I can't fit that into 6 weeks, I'm using this goal as a proxy for moving in that general direction. Goal 2: Strength Train 2 Times. I am going to do the beginner body weight program at least twice a week. I'd like to try for 3, but I'm trying to keep my goals reasonable, knowing that my time and willpower are both limited. Goal 3: No Alcohol. I don't drink a ton, but it is an expected part of my social time with friends. But I don't like feeling dehydrated the next day, I don't like how it affects my running, it's kind of expensive and I don't see what I'm gaining from it. I'm going to build in one free drink sometime in the next 6 weeks, but any others result in a 5% reduction in my overall grade each. Diet Side Goal: Figure it Out. I had my diet completely under control and it was working well for me -- that is, until I started running 20-25 miles a week. I was eating 1400-1500 calories a day, which was just right for me and didn't cause any issues with my thyroid problem. I have quickly realized that is NOT enough with the running I'm doing. I'm hungry, I crave carbs, and if I don't eat more than that I feel weak when I run. I don't want to just start eating whatever I want, though, so I need to spend some time figuring out what is going to work with the increased exertion, and I might talk to my endocrinologist about it when I see her in October. Life Goal: Frugal October. I tried to do Frugal September. It did not work. The idea is basically that I want to figure out where I'm spending money that doesn't really improve my life. There are things I can do without, like taxis and online shopping. If I can trim that fat, I can use the money toward my student loans instead. Frugal October is an experiment and I'm not sure exactly how to measure it -- I'll establish more grading rules around this one within the next week. I'm looking forward to the challenge, and wish everyone the best of luck!

Thanks Obsessedfan! And ha! yes, I have seen 127 Hours, and immediately went out to buy a much sharper knife. I promise, I'm very careful when I hike alone -- I stay on popular trails, I leave my itinerary with multiple people, I carry appropriate supplies and I don't take unnecessary risks. Still, yes, it's more dangerous than hiking with a group, but it's absolutely worth the risk. Nothing like being completely alone in the middle of nowhere as the sunrise starts to make the mountains glow.

Challenge Recap As a reminder, my original goal was to run a mile without stopping. I decided to test how far I could run in Week 1 so I could make a training plan and, well, I ran a mile. So I set a new goal, to run 5k without stopping. My tasks to reach this goal were: 1. Run three times per week 2. Go to bed by 11 every night, unless I was at work 3. Go to yoga once per week My separate life goal was to limit TV to one hour per day. I could carry over unused time within a week, but even when using that time I couldn't go over 3 hours in a day. Overall, I stuck with everything as well as I could, working around a backpacking trip and long hours at work, and this weekend I finished off the challenge by running two races -- a 4-mile race on Saturday, and a 5K on Sunday! I actually ran 5K without stopping for the first time during Week 4. I'm so happy, and I can't believe that I went from not even knowing I could run a mile 6 weeks ago to running 4 miles no problem. It definitely wouldn't have happened without this challenge because I wouldn't have thought to attempt it. I'm definitely working on dreaming up new challenges for the next round, let's see what else is within reach! Goal 1. Run Three Times. Week 1: 4 times Week 2: 3 times Week 3: 4 times Week 4: 3 times Week 5: 2 times, plus 40-mile backpacking trip Week 6: 2 times Overall: I always knew I'd have to miss some runs for the backpacking trip. I tried to make it up in advance so I'd still average 3 per week, plus the backpacking trip also counts as strenuous exercise and endurance training. I ended up with 18 runs over 6 weeks, plus I met (and surpassed) my running goal, so I'm giving this an A+!! Goal 2: Bedtime Week 1: 5/6 -- 1 night off by 15 minutes Week 2: 5/6 -- 1 night off by 30 minutes Week 3: 4/5 -- 1 night off by 30 minutes Week 4: 2/6 -- Me having fun with my friends. No regrets on a fantastic week. Week 5: 6/6 -- I was in bed by 7pm for 4 of those nights (backpacking!) Week 6: 7/7 -- sleepy post-backpacking Wingfoot likes her sleep Overall: I always knew I couldn't control sleep on nights I worked late -- so instead of 7 days per week, I measured each week against the number of nights I could control. Overall, I went from very poor sleep habits to having a pretty regular bedtime and wake-up time. I want to work on this more until I can consistently get up early, but this is huge progress for me. I also think there's a big difference between staying up to watch TV (my old habits) and staying up to go out with friends. I guess I still have to mark down a little for the week-of-fun, though, so I'll say a B+ on this one, taking into account the amount of improvement. Goal 3: Yoga Week 1: Yes. Week 2: No (just forgot). Week 3: Yes. Week 4: Yes. Week 5: Backpacking, did some on my own in my campsite a couple of nights. Week 6: No (combination of post-backpacking laziness and scheduling issue). Overall: This was once a week, so pretty much hit or miss. I'll count the campsite sessions in week 5, so I got 4 weeks out of 6. I wanted to do better on this, but I'm going to give it a C. Life Goal: Limit TV Week 1: I saved all my time for the weekend and binged. Week 2: I saved all my time for the weekend and binged again. Technically didn't break any rules, so then I set stricter rules about carryover time. Week 3: 7/7 Week 4: 7/7 Week 5: No TV, was backpacking Week 6: 7/7 (only watched 3 hours total all week!) Overall: There was a rocky start. Once I set stricter rules, though, I stuck with it. I realized weekends were my TV danger zone, so I made more of an effort those days. Big improvement on this! I'm going to give it an A.

Hi all! So, I didn't have a week 5 or week 6 recap, but that doesn't mean I forgot about the challenge! May I present: Challenge Recap As a reminder, my original goal was to run a mile without stopping. I decided to test how far I could run in Week 1 so I could make a training plan and, well, I ran a mile. So I set a new goal, to run 5k without stopping. My tasks to reach this goal were: 1. Run three times per week 2. Go to bed by 11 every night, unless I was at work 3. Go to yoga once per week My separate life goal was to limit TV to one hour per day. I could carry over unused time within a week, but even when using that time I couldn't go over 3 hours in a day. Overall, I stuck with everything as well as I could, working around a backpacking trip and long hours at work, and this weekend I finished off the challenge by running two races -- a 4-mile race on Saturday, and a 5K on Sunday! I actually ran 5K without stopping for the first time during Week 4. I'm so happy, and I can't believe that I went from not even knowing I could run a mile 6 weeks ago to running 4 miles no problem. It definitely wouldn't have happened without this challenge because I wouldn't have thought to attempt it. I'm definitely working on dreaming up new challenges for the next round, let's see what else is within reach! Now, let's look at the numbers. Goal 1. Run Three Times. Week 1: 4 times Week 2: 3 times Week 3: 4 times Week 4: 3 times Week 5: 2 times, plus 40-mile backpacking trip Week 6: 2 times Overall: I always knew I'd have to miss some runs for the backpacking trip. I tried to make it up in advance so I'd still average 3 per week, plus the backpacking trip also counts as strenuous exercise and endurance training. I ended up with 18 runs over 6 weeks, plus I met (and surpassed) my running goal, so I'm giving this an A+!! Goal 2: Bedtime Week 1: 5/6 -- 1 night off by 15 minutes Week 2: 5/6 -- 1 night off by 30 minutes Week 3: 4/5 -- 1 night off by 30 minutes Week 4: 2/6 -- Me having fun with my friends. No regrets on a fantastic week. Week 5: 6/6 -- I was in bed by 7pm for 4 of those nights (backpacking!) Week 6: 7/7 -- sleepy post-backpacking Wingfoot likes her sleep Overall: I always knew I couldn't control sleep on nights I worked late -- so instead of 7 days per week, I measured each week against the number of nights I could control. Overall, I went from very poor sleep habits to having a pretty regular bedtime and wake-up time. I want to work on this more until I can consistently get up early, but this is huge progress for me. I also think there's a big difference between staying up to watch TV (my old habits) and staying up to go out with friends. I guess I still have to mark down a little for the week-of-fun, though, so I'll say a B+ on this one, taking into account the amount of improvement. Goal 3: Yoga Week 1: Yes. Week 2: No (just forgot). Week 3: Yes. Week 4: Yes. Week 5: Backpacking, did some on my own in my campsite a couple of nights. Week 6: No (combination of post-backpacking laziness and scheduling issue). Overall: This was once a week, so pretty much hit or miss. I'll count the campsite sessions in week 5, so I got 4 weeks out of 6. I wanted to do better on this, but I'm going to give it a C. Life Goal: Limit TV Week 1: I saved all my time for the weekend and binged. Week 2: I saved all my time for the weekend and binged again. Technically didn't break any rules, so then I set stricter rules about carryover time. Week 3: 7/7 Week 4: 7/7 Week 5: No TV, was backpacking Week 6: 7/7 (only watched 3 hours total all week!) Overall: There was a rocky start. Once I set stricter rules, though, I stuck with it. I realized weekends were my TV danger zone, so I made more of an effort those days. Big improvement on this! I'm going to give it an A. Points. I want to try the game, so I'm allocating points. As I understand it, I get 10 starting points based on my current attributes at week 3, then 1 point for each goal I met, for 14 points total. So I'm going to say: STR 1 DEX 1 STA 2 + 1 for running goal CON 2 + 1 for bedtime goal and +1 for yoga goal WIS 2 CHA 2 + 1 for TV goal

Thanks Bagelyo! I didn't want to see a bear up close, but I would have loved to see one from across a meadow or a lake or something. But yes, it was a mixture of relief and disappointment, because I was hiking alone and they have a lot of bear "encounters" in the Tetons.

Hi all! I'm back from the backpacking trip! Warning: I'm rambling today, but I had lots of time to think on my trip (did I mention I was backpacking alone? Lots of quiet time). The trip was absolutely fantastic. My only disappointment was that I didn't see a bear. But I did see moose and deer and elk and marmots and pikas and other things, so I'll live. I ended up hiking just 40 miles over 4 days (instead of 45 over 5 days) because my mom drove up from Colorado to see me and I wanted to spend the extra day with her (she stayed at a campsite while I hiked -- she's tried backpacking with me in the past and is not a fan of it). It was so much fun! I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the backcountry of the Grand Tetons is. And I was really proud of myself because it wasn't as difficult for me as previous backpacking trips have been. After every backpacking trip, I tend to have some lazy time where I think "I can eat this, I just hiked up and down mountains" or "I don't need to go to the gym, I'm tired from hiking up and down mountains". So this week I chose one battle, and that's the diet -- I told myself I'm in "backpacking detox", so while it was fun to eat all that high-calorie food on the mountain, now I'm home and that's where I eat healthy. I have, however, permitted my lazy non-running to continue in the 4 days I've been back. Not thrilled about it, but as they say, willpower is finite. Anyways, I'll partially make up for it this weekend. Somehow, my friends talked me into running a 4 mile race on Saturday, so I'll be running TWO races this weekend -- 4 miles on Saturday, and 5K on Sunday. And things are getting even crazier. Because I did some research. Background info: you can get guaranteed entry into the NYC marathon if you run 9 qualifying races (and volunteer once) during the calendar year before the marathon. I have no idea whether I might want to run a marathon in November 2014. But I DO know that there are 9 qualifying races of 10 miles or less before the end of 2013. So... I guess I'm going to try for that? I am not too certain about it, especially the 10-mile race at the end of September. But here's what I definitely do know, because I learned it in this challenge: I have no idea what I am capable of. I set goals that seem completely out of reach, and then it turns out they're in my grasp. I think I got used to being the fat girl who couldn't keep up, and failed to notice the amount of progress I made because I changed so gradually. I am sure I have a limit, but I don't know where it is and I won't find it unless I reach for something harder. And if I can't run the 10 miles by the end of September, I am no longer bothered or embarrassed by the idea that I might have to walk part of it. I'm a work in progress, on the road to awesome-town.