Millie Hurtz

Spent the morning walking around the top of Mount Coot Tha with some wonderful views over Brisbane. Simply stunning with such different and varied wildlife! Then down in the Botanical Gardens, I must have walked for about 3 hours in total before I got into work. So beautiful. then into the Planetarium because Space!

Did a 20 minute yoga routine this morning and finished off my kangaroo sausages (because what else are you going to eat in Australia! Had them water fried and with sugar snaps, carrots and rice/lettuce rolls. Very yum, very full and with apple to finish. And copious amounts of tea of course.

A massive night for me last night. I have been in Australia, half way around the world from my home, the furthest I have ever travelled and all for work. I have realised a dream of working professionally in another country and I have only just realised this! I've been so engrossed in the job; the design, the realisation of it, operating the show and making sure it can transfer to Edinburgh that I haven't yet sat and let myself take note of the fact that I am in AUSTRALIA getting paid to work! I am so freaking over the moon! I can't honestly describe what I'm feeling. Challenge now is to make sure the rest of the shows go well now. Keep focus, prepare and rest up. It's be challenging keeping myself to a good diet while I've been in another country. I've eaten quite a lot of insta-noodles and pasta but I've also been eating a lot of veg and meat. I feel okay. I haven't worked out really except for yesterday but I plan on fitting that in more, especially when I get to Edinburgh and I start guest skating for the local roller derby team there. These past two weeks have been such an adventure. I want another.

Well...... It's been a while..... But I always find my way back it seems. Many things have changed since I last posted here. My workouts changed and I was posting on my roller derby fitness page rather than here for a bit. My weights were; - Deadlifts x 30 @ 55kg - Bent Over Rows x 30 @ 45kg - Chest Press x 30 @ 54kg - Narrow Grip Pull Downs x 30 @ 45kg and that was great alongside my bodyweight squats, press ups and crunches as well as bike machine cardio. I didn't take a full-on hiatus till about May this year. And then my job got hectic building up to a massive project and then I quit that job to be my own boss. Which was most definitely the best decision. But things took a back burner while things sorted themselves out. I'm currently in Brisbane, Australia working on a show that will go to the Edinburgh Fringe in August and it has been long days, jet lag, illnesses and much organising. Things are starting to settle down now and I am putting systems in place to sort out my priorities and make sure my fitness is one of them. I've learned how to bullet journal. I've sorted out my email! And I've done my first workout in my temporary accommodation for the first time in about two months. Taken from the 20 minute Hotel Room workout: - 10 minutes warm up 3 circuits of: - bodyweight squats - press ups - crunches - inverted rows using my desk and a warm down to finish. And to say it wasn't full on I am most definitely worked! It has made me want to get back to my weights though. I needed the break when i took it but now is the time to be back and I am glad to be here.

Yus! I'm out of one of my overdrafts! And i did it the hard way, a standing order each month into that account to pay off the overdraft but man does it feel good to see the CR sign after the balance now! No more interest payments and a spare bit of cash now I don't have to put as much away each month! So grateful to Nerd Fitness for getting my bum in gear to get this done!

Hi Terror! So cool, there seem to be more and more of us derby peeps popping up on here Huge congrats on making you A team! That's fantastic!!

To the Finish! Walking: 159 miles - Achieved ( Even though the weather got progressively worse walking is a wonderful to keep my head clear. Workouts 24 Achieved (A) workouts for the win! Keeping the body moving during the hard times helps those endorphins flow! Moving Around Achieved (A) Getting out of the chair to stretch has made me feel less stiff and scrunched up. Reading Achieved (A) Love reading. Side Quest Achieved! Made sure I chose the food that would keep my body working properly rather than junk food. Just because I was away from home does not mean my fitness is compromised. I walked around loads with the job I was on and I made sure I had 30 mins 4 times a week to do the hotel bodyweight workout. Wasn't as rigorous as my weights workout but it did enough with all the heavy lifting at work to keep me going and keep me in shape while I was away. All in all DING! Level 3! Look for new stats in my signature

Despite my failure to update my logs I did complete my challenge! After the mini-test of the week and a half away on tour I was far to mentally and emotionally drained to do anything even vaguely sociable outside of roller derby training. Physically I did everything I set out to do. I ate well and exercised over the tour dates. I exercised at home. I read everyday and walked when I could but I didn't see anyone and I didn't talk to anyone that didn't live with me or train with me. Work life was awful. Then I had a holiday which has brought me back to myself. And I also realised that my multivitamins didn't have iron in, the main reason I started taking them in the first place! So now I'm getting enough iron I'm starting to feel better and even though I've been nervous about getting back to a challenge thread I let slide I feel ready to say hi again. I'll fill in the results tomorrow when I've had chance to collate everything but I'm considering this challenge a success and will grade myself accordingly. I might even write a little conclusion to the vague fic I was writing for myself

Me and my partner did the Partonus 5k a while ago. We'd been using the excercise bike rather than run outside and this event got us setting aside an evening and doing a run for the first time in months. Felt so good to run outside! Plus our medals turned up this week! They are huge! And so beautiful I'll post a pic later on and show you all.

I know what you mean, there would be nothing cooler than a bunch of wizards running around in robes! Ravenclaws FTW!!!

Week 2 Day 1 I saw my first sign to the underground today. All the ones in the inner city have been blocked up or collapsed but here, towards the edge, some are still open. The scavengers tend not to use them, there is nothing down there or any value to them and it should provide me safe passage to the suburbs. I've been lucky in my time on this quest. The inner city was once crawling with scavengers, ravenous for the treaures held in what were once high streets. In the past few years I've noticed less and less of them. They have spread out towards the houses of the city that have not yet been ransacked, where things can still be found and fought over. I would not have a good chance of getting through the outer edges in one piece. The underground, with any luck, should take me right past them. I have never been in the underground. My mentor once told me stories of trains travelling through tunnels deep below the earth that would whisk you from one end of the city in a rush of thunder. I'll never hear that thunder. The trains have long rusted but the tunnels and tracks should be clear for me to skate through this far out of the inner city. There will be no light down there, I have saved up all the batteries I have found in hope they last the trip. I've even fashioned myself some torches and brought lighters, just in case. Hopefully I can find food not far from the station entrances, I do not fancy a long trip above ground where I am going. Just thinking about it gets me nervous. But this is my path. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday Wk2 Back to work after a wonderfully restful weekend. I enjoy working my body when my mind is rested, a rested mind makes everything easier. Even the prospect of going to work is less bitter after a R&R weekend Plus I had the office to myself which was a nice bonus. Managed to get a lot done in preparation for the exhibition on Wednesday. My mind game is strong! Active at work: Active on my feet stretch in the morning. Walk down to the warehouse twice in the afternoon. Walking Today - 5.3 miles Total - 30.7 miles Workout Beware the Booty day Cardio - 20 mins - 10.11km ResistanceBodyweight Squats x 30 Shoulder Press x 30 @ 19kg Deadlifts x 30 @ 45kg Bent over Rows x 30 @ 40kg Cardio - 20 mins - 10.00km Total cardio - 20.11km Reading A chapter of Chasing Dragons on the bus home. My partner wrote this novel and I am having a whale of a time with it. It's so dark and filled with mythology

Week 1 Day 7 I was awoken by a unnatural rustling sound close by. Carefully peering through the unearthed roots of the trees I was sheltering behind I saw a gang of scavengers were roaming through the dried leaf litter and plastic rubbish. They did not look like they were looking for anything but I stayed quiet and hidden none-the-less. I waited a good hour or so after they left my field of vision to make sure I was alone before I pulled on my skates and made for the other park exit. To say I do not know these streets I made good headway today, more than I was expecting. The streets were smoother than the inner city roads and I did not see any scavengers. I did, however, come across a library! The one close to my old home was stripped clean many years ago. The other books I had in my pack are ones I've had for as long as I can remember and I was looking forward to something new! I crept in and saw that the shelves were pretty bare but my heart jumped when I spotted a small stash of paper behind what was once a desk. Most of the paper was shredded but underneath I found a full, complete, whole book! It was huge! At least 500 pages and all about something called Orcs. Never heard of them but it sounded fun and, most importantly, new so I packed it in my bag and set off again. I'm looking forward to bedding down with my new reading tonight. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday Another nice lie in and I felt great! Nice and rested Ended up doing some walking today, my lift to training cancelled so I took the hour and a half trip to my training hall for roller derby. Was good to get out I guess, my partner was out all day with a festival so it stopped me getting mopy at home. Walking today - 3 miles Total walking - 25.4 miles Roller Derby Small turn out today but we did a lot of good strategy practising and we got to work on individual skills, something I've wanted to do for a while. I can hockey stop to the left but not to right although after today it felt a lot more solid. Bit worried Reading Started a new book. Orcs by Stan Nicholls. It sounded pretty fun when I found it in a second hand shop last year for £1. I've only read a chapter so far but I think I'm going to really enjoy it.

I thought this might be of interest to some running Rebels and some Rebels who are thinking about starting running: Hogwarts Running Club I'm not a big runner (getting honked at is not fun) but I do enjoy a good event, a cool medal and raising money for good causes! The sign up fees go to charity and they run it through an honour system. You pay to sign up for an event and can complete the distance whenever you like before the expiry date, even splitting it across multiple stints or covering it in someone else's event. You even get a personalised Hogwarts bib which is kinda neat. Plus if you complete all of the year's events you get a Perfect Prefect badge and go into the Hall of Fame. Like I say, I'm not much of a runner but I might start doing this and get some miles under my belt

Week 1 Day 6 Today I crossed from the known to unknown. This is the furthest I have ever been from the place I used to call home. Even those week long explorations I used to take when annoyed with my mentor or in need of solitude didn't take me this far out. My progress from here on in needs to be cautious if I am to avoid other scavengers and yet I need to press on to get to the coast on time. I can feel the icy edge to the wind more keenly now. Despite the new edge of insecurity in an area of the city I do not know I have had a wonderfully restful day. Today I have appreciated my solitude more than most other days. Listening to the wind whistle through broken windows and rustle the dead branches of the trees lit up my soul. The roads here are smoother than the ones in the inner city and I was able to freewheel a lot of the way. I found an old park filled with felled trees that I was able to use as shelter. I began on my new book as the sun set. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday House to myself today and a lie in. Lie ins are amazing and I felt so much better for a decent nights sleep. I did what I wanted to do all day and enjoyed my workout Walking - none, I stayed in and rested! Total walking - 22.4 miles Workout - Brace Me! day Cardio - 20 mins - 10.60km Resistance Press ups x 30 Bench Press x 30 @ 45kg Flys x 30 @ 9kg Kick Backs x 30 @ 7kg Cardio - 20 mins - 10.46km Total cardio - 21.06km Reading A chapter of Brog the Stoop before bed. Fantastic book, the author loves commas however! Those sentences are huge!

Week 1 Day 5 I guess I slept well. It seemed to pass too quickly for me to get as much rest as I needed. I was fortunate indeed to find the sheltered spot, when I awoke I saw a scavenger hovering over where I lay with it's back to me. It had not seen me that much was clear, I still had my gear and I was unscathed but it was enough to send a shiver down my spine. Resources are so rare and greed so rampant that to attract any unwanted attention can be, at best, a sprint for safety and at worst a race for your life. Some of the older scavengers have learned restraint and remember civilisation as it was but the younger ones... The younger ones have the speed and strength of youth and with each new generation the rabidness increases. I stayed in my sheltered spot for almost an hour as it searched around half-heartedly for anything it could eat or own. Eventually I was able to slip away unnoticed but in my haste to get away I rounded a corner without looking and nearly ran into a group of 4 scavengers fighting over something. My wheels screeched as I can to a quick stop and they all four looked up at me. For a moment our eyes met. And then I turned and sprinted as fast as I could in the opposite direction. This is the reason I skate. While the scavengers pursued me with a terrifying fervour I quickly outstripped them in my skates. Even on the potholed and ruined tarmac I could skip from one point to the next without breaking stride or losing speed. They didn't give up until I'd skated over two miles, no matter how many turns, no matter how many times I doubled back they pursued me doggedly. I'm grateful my mentor made me skate those long distances, despite my constant complaining to being with. It tis the reason I'm still around and able to go on this quest. I made better distance than I meant to today, in part thanks to the scavenger pursuit. Man I hate those things. The snuffling and rasping noises they make creep me out! I always dream about them after I outrun them, those noises always follow me. Blurgh. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FridayWalking - 5.9 milesTotal walking - 22.4 miles Reading - Finished Tank Girl 1 and so I guess I best find something else to read. Getting up at work - In the morning I went to wander around the floor our office is on and did a few stretches to ease out some aches. I had a short day so in the afternoon I left to get the bus and ended up walking away more than I had planned. WorkoutBeware the Booty! Cardio - 20 mins - 10.20km ResistanceBodyweight Squats x 30 Shoulder Press x 30 @ 19kg Deadlifts x 30 @ 45kg Bent over Rows x 30 @ 40kg Cardio - 20 mins - 10.32km Total cardio - 20.52km

Week 1 Day 4 A long day of skating. Some days the wheels roll in your direction and some days you can barely stay on your feet. The morning started well, my new sleeping spot kept the wind at bay and the fire glowed all night. The wheels rolled well on the worn tarmac and my leaps over the potholes have never been longer or higher. Until the evening. The floor got rougher and as I rolled on my feet didn't seem to want to hold myself up any more. I came to a stop at my target distance today but it was hard on my mind and my heart. I wanted to quit before I got there but I could hear the voice of my mentor in my ear telling me to get going. I couldn't let him down and I can't sulk if I want to get to the coast. A good night's rest will do me good. Thankfully I found a cozy sheltered spot and bedded down with my book. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walking today - 5.0 miles Total walking distance - 16.5 miles Reading - Tank Girl! Getting up in the office - morning done, I was in a seminar thing so I walked across town in the morning. I nearly forgot to get up in the afternoon but I did it! Roller Derby Day 2 hour session today, up until the scrim I was doing quite well but our coach scrims with us and he's really good and he was on the other team. today it just felt like I was hitting a brick wall, we need to practice against good opponents but the difference between him and us is a bit too big to see the progression and today it really felt demoralising. It would help if everyone turned up to training but that's another story...anyway, adult tantrum over. I haven't had a day off in about 2 weeks and just need a good sleep! Still love roller derby, still love being fit and active just a bad day today but I'm not going to let it get me down.

Week 1 Day 3 A rather less strenuous day. Fortunately it was one I had planned in, I need to pace myself if I want to get where I am going. I made good headway, the handrails and gentle slopes made for quite a pleasant days skating and I know my muscles appreciated the more leisurely pace. At the end of the day I had managed to get to the edges of the inner city I know and skate on regularly. I found the hollow in the shattered wall of a super market I have used as shelter before. Someone else had been sleeping there. The fire pit had recently been used, the charcoal was still black, not yet turned grey with age and debris. I stood for a while deciding whether to take my chances in a potentially compromised spot or take my chances in somewhere untested. All the buildings around here are inhabited by one group of scavengers or another, they were out. Staying on the streets is the only safe way. Avoiding other people, strangers, is the safest of all. I decided to move on. Thankfully I found a fire exit door I could squeeze through and managed to hole up in there for the night. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rest day! Much needed and my muscles thanked me for that! Getting out the office – wandered around the mill stretching in the morning and in the afternoon took a trip down to the warehouse to do a job that I, in the end, couldn't do. But it got me out of the office! Walking today - 4.9 miles Total walking - 11.5 miles Reading – Tank Girl volume1! Also watched the film in the evening, it's kinda crap, kinda cool, totally 90s and would have been so much better if they hadn't called in Tank Girl!

Week 1 Day 2 I am well within the inner city and well within the areas I know. I awoke rested, I am used to bedding down on the street when I have to. After a great start yesterday I did not make the mileage I had hoped today and though I am disappointed I am still on track. I can feel the wind begin to pick up. I began this quest at the right time; any later and I would have to fight the winter weather as well as the savaged land. I found a sheltered spot in a toppled bus and settle down to read. Something a bit more frivolous for this time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Didn't get to walk as far as I wanted today but I got to get out of the office in the afternoon so I was still on my feet. I made sure to get out of the office in the morning too as I had been stuck in a meeting for an hour and a half. Read vol.1 of Tank Girl on the bus to and from work Great stuff! Brace Me! workout today Cardio 20mins - 10.43km Resistance (all done in 3 sets of 10) Pressups x 30 Benchpress x 30 @ 45kg Flys x 30 @ 9kg Kick Bakcs x 30 @ 7kg Cardio 20mins - 10.46km Total cardio - 20.89km Walking today - 4.6miles Total walked - 10.8miles

Thank you I'm excited to see my progress!

Week 1, Day 1 It is strange to think that at the end of the day I will not be returning to my usual place. I will have moved on and carry moving on. This is not the furthest I have ever been, yet, but soon the streets will be strange to me and then my resolve will be tested. I pull my cloak round my shoulders and keep the wind at bay. Today has been a good days travel, I feel strong and my legs have not failed me. I made my way out of the nearby complex I've travelled many times and found a quite spot to make a fire. I settled in to a night on the road with my book and dreamt of the coast through the night. No sign of scavengers yet, I will undoubtedly run into some the the longer I can avoid them the better. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First day, lets do this! Have not felt like I've recovered from the previous week at all but I can't let that derail me so soon! First day after all! Got my workout in even though a part of me reeeeeeeally wanted to be lazy. But I though 'if I don't do it today I'll only have to do it Wednesday instead and I'll be even more tired on Wednesday so get up and do it'. And it worked, once I got on that bike getting the rest of it done was a snap. Well doing it wasn't a snap but wanting to do it was. Beware the Booty workout! (otherwise known as Legs and back day) Cardio 20mins - 9.96km Resistance (all done in 3 sets of 10) Bodyweight Squats x 30 Shoulder Press x 30 @ 19kg Deadlifts x 30 @ 45kg Bent over Rows x 30 @ 40kg Cardio 20mins - 10.27km Total cardio - 20.13km - not bad to say I was exhausted. What with tidying up at work I got out of the office twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon and went for a walk for lunch. Walked today - 6.5miles Total walk - 6.5 miles Also managed to read about 3 chapters of my book which took up my bus journey home after work and really chilled me out It was a good day.

Week 1 - Day 1: Prologue I wake up on my last morning at my base. A small part of me is sad to bid farewell to the hovel that has been my home and for a moment a shadow of doubt flickers across my resolve. But just for a moment. I remember where am I headed and I thrill at the journey I'm about the embark on. The first few days I will still be in communications range with my mentor, he is staying behind to train others that find him. I owe him a lot; he has taught me how to train so my body might grow strong and durable and he has taught me how to forage so my body might thrive. He would not accept thanks, he would only see my success in this quest as a true repayment of his tutelage. So I don't say goodbye, I just pack my bag, lace up my skates and double check the map I have to the coast. Standing at the threshold to my home I take a deep breath of the smoggy haze that lingers in this crashed city. Without looking back I push off in the morning gloom. The roads are still smooth enough to skate and the rain has held off for today. This was a good day to begin, it is up to me to continue my training in the open and on my own.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So it begins! Man I am already shattered from last week's mental work pattern but this just means I'll be putting my willpower and stamina to the test. First proper update tomorrow morning! Roller Rangers go!

Sunday 13.9.15 Roller derby training! So tired but so fun! I pushed a three wall a quarter way around the track and I've been holding my position while jamming which is something I've been trying to practice, rather than just try for the gaps and get away scot free. So 3 hours roller derby training including 20mins scrimmage followed by 27 in 5 (didn't count). Then a bath with some roller derby on the laptop Right, it's the start of the 6 week challenge tomorrow so this thing will go on hiatus while I do my challenge which can be found here : http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/70736-ceto-is-questing-to-her-roller-paradise/

Saturday 12.9.15 A day at work (boo) followed by the Brace Me! workout. This one was a real test of willpower, I really didn't want to do anything let alone go to work but after getting my bum on that bike I didn't want to stop! So glad I managed to muster those 20 seconds of beast mode and get on it. Cardio - 20 mins - 10.14km Resistance Press Ups x 30 Bench Press x 30 @ 45kg Flys x 30 @ 9kg (tried to go up a block on the machine but I couldn't even lift the thing!) Kick Backs x 30 @ 7kg Cardio - 20 mins - 10.43km Total cardio - 20.57km

Friday 11.9.15 The week isn't over! After a full on day at work sorting out the last of the exhibition for the Heritage Festival by myself I go home to Beware the Booty! workout. Still, I did pretty well to say I was aching all over. Cardio - 20 mins - 10.35km Resistance Bodyweight squats x 30 Shoulder Press x 30 @ 19kg Dead Lifts x 30 @ 45kg Bent over Rows x 30 @ 40kg Cardio - 20mins - 10.53km Total cardio - 20.88 km

Yay more derbyists! I've been skating for just over 2 years in the UK, where are you based? Sorry to hear you'll be having some obstacles in your path but I'm glad you're not giving up! that's the main thing; determination will get you there. I've seen the whizziest, most adept skaters quit after a little stumble in their path; it's the ones that bounce back that make it. Level 2 sounds pretty ace though! Yay, thank you! Wooo roller party! You will be one day, just got to put in the hours which you have been doing congrats on your challenge success! That's some straight up dedication and discipline right there! I'm going to find your new challenge and get following hehe we should start a roller rangers gang!