Brekketechie

Okay... so I'm from Atlanta. If you have free time in the city and are looking for places to go, let me know. I'm not there anymore, but that's were I grew up. I know all the best pubs/hangouts. At least some of them.

Week 2, Day 2 update: So today was an AMAZING day. I just got home (9pm!) and was consistently busy the whole day. But that kept me from snacking. I stayed away from the candy jar we have in our welcome area and only had 1 scoop (okay, with caramel sources and chopped nuts) of ice cream at the ice cream social we hosted. Sins: 2 (ice cream and a home-made cookie from a grad student). I gained a pound over the last 3 weeks. Ugh. But, with being back on track with running and batch cooking, I should be able drop drop it pretty quickly. Here's to getting my act together and being prepared!

I am running my very first Half Marathon on 12/12 in Saratoga, CA. It's the Summit Rock Half Marathon. I'm excited!

I should have clarified - 20lbs = 10lbs each arm (I went back and edited it). One day it'll be 20lbs each arm! I got nearly 8 hours of sleep last night - it was truly glorious.

Good luck with the visits. I have found that the older I get the more exhausting socializing is (but also how essential it is for my mental well being).

Challenge thread all the way. I'm sticking with the Scouts for now - until I get through my Half-Marathon. Then I'll reevaluate.

It sounds like you have an awesome schedule! I vote for sword training because.... when else can you do that?!? How cool wold it be?! I hope you Sailor Scouts take a group picture. Because it would be epic!

Week 2 Day 1 Review: Runs: 0 Core: 0 Sins: 2 (snacks while binge watching Criminal Minds) Writing: 0 Batch cooked soy sausages, green peas, and a lentil-veg mix and portioned them into lunches for the rest of the week. Finally getting back into my planning routine. Week 2, Day 2 update: Runs: 2.32 miles, 30 minutes, 250 calories - peaked my running splits with an average of 10:46. Short runs will be focused on running hard to workout my heart, while my long runs will be slower for stamina training. Core routine (EDITED): 3x10 body weight squats 3x8 dumbbell curls (20 lbs - 10lbs each arm) 3x8 dumbbell rows (20lbs) 3x8 pressups (20lbs) 3x8 leg lifts 3x8 bridge leg lifts 3x :10 plank Sins so far: 0 Writing: 0 (but it's only 11:30am) Today is definitely looking better than all of last week. While I'm going to be working until about 9pm tonight, I feel good about getting a solid workout in. Feeling much more in control and positive than last week, which was exhausting. Trying find some normalcy. I'm also binge watching Criminal Minds. I love the BAU characters so much, but too many episodes in a row give me freaky dreams. Okay, here's to hitting the ground running (literally) and keeping up this forward momentum.

All of these sound delicious! I've done frozen grapes before, but not for a while. I usually have a post-run smoothie with lots of frozen fruit - frozen cherries at the moment. But maybe I'll get some grapes to help curb my snack attacks!

Week One Review: Runs: 1/3 = FAIL meh Core workouts = 0 Sins = like 20 Writing = 0 (unless you count lots of administrative wok, ha). Okay, so Week One utterly sucked. I got overwhelmed and self medicated with chocolate covered pretzels and binge watching Criminal Minds. But Week 2 is a new week. I didn't go running this morning because it's already in the 90s and only 10:30am. But Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will be run days. I *will* weight in and do measurements tonight. Regroup, balance work and life. That's the aim of this week. Okay, let's take a deep breath and not freak out too much.

Thanks for the encouragement y'all. This week is going to be a fail overall, and I've admitted that to myself and am focusing on getting all the work stuff that i need to do. The lack of preparedness is really affecting me. But, this is just one week. I'm hoping to regroup and do better next week. I'm going to try and go for a run tomorrow - or at least a long walk. We'll see. Why is having a healthy routine so hard?

I won't be jealous that I'm not going to camp...I won't be jealous that I'm not going to camp...I won't be jealous that I'm not going to camp...I won't be jealous that I'm not going to camp...

Alright, I am in the middle of the busiest 2 weeks of my whole year. We have intern training, and students moving back to campus (I work at a university). My life is bonkers. Currently my weekly sin count is about 12. FAIL. I went running on Wednesday 2.29 miles, 30 minutes, 223 calories. I plan to go running tonight and Saturday morning. I'm struggling to focus on the Challenge this week. I just wasn't prepared. It's another stark reminder of how important planning is to success. But, I'm going to try and at least keep up with the running and Core training goals. I probably won't get an hour of writing in today, tomorrow and Sunday, but I might get 3 hours of writing in this weekend. Little goals. I worked every day this week, I'll work this weekend, all of next week, next weekend (half days) and the whole of the following week before I get a full day off. Y'all, it's a struggle. Goal for the weekend: plan 2-3 meals for the week and batch cook those mofos. Also to weigh-in (ugh) and take measurements. And to not have a stress melt-down,

That's awesome! Maybe if I do well on this challenge I can treat myself...

Hi friend! *waves* subbing

Howdy friend! Popping by to sub and cheer!

I cannot even keep up with you, girl! But i'm here. Wooo. <3

Life has been absolutely manic he last eek. I was in DC for a conference - which was good - and then have jumped into intern training this week. I didn't realize that the new 6 Week Challenge started Monday!! Yikes! But I've added my new threat HERE. Woohoo.

We all know the Doctor and his companions run. A Lot. So, in an effort to be ready for the Doctor when he arrives to whisk me away in the TARDIS, I am creating a 6 Weeks Challenge to get me in gear. I will focus on running, light weight training, and better fuel for fitness. Companions RUN! Companions have to be first and foremost curious enough to hang out with a 2-hearted, centuries-old alien. Then they have to be willing and able to run. So, getting my running up to par is a MUST for Companion Training. I’m running my first Half Marathon (on 12/12!). So, to follow my training plan I have to get out and pound some pavement. Right now that translates to 3 runs a week. The runs are split into 2 shorter interval runs, and 1 longer run for stamina training. +2 STA, +2 DEX 3 runs = A 2 runs = C >2 runs = F Companions Stand Tall! Each of the Doctor’s Companions has her own talents. Rose is unrelentingly loyal. Martha is a problem-solver. Clara uses her wit to deflate the Doctor’s ego. And all of them are brave. But, running from Daleks and taking on the Cybermen takes more than just fast legs and a sharp mind. It takes strength. In addition to my running, I am going to focus on building a strong Core. This will look like either a post-run short workout once a week. OR a non-run day long work out. In order to accommodate a full schedule either of these options will fulfill my requirement. +1 STR 1 core workout = PASS 0 core workout = FAIL Companions Fuel Up! In order to keep up with the Doctor, the Companions need to have the right fuel to get them going. Sometimes that’s alien foods on far-away planets. Sometimes it’s a school lunch while hunting an evil principle. Whatever it is, Companions must make good choices in order to keep up with the seemingly indefatigable Doctor. I will implement the “7 Sins†System. Each eek I will allow myself 7 sins to be allotted as I desire. Sins include: Fried foods (French fries, etc), Sweets (candy, ice cream, pastries, etc), and Alcohol. While I will strive to be under my 7 sins each week, only if I go over will it constitute a fail. +2 CON, +1 WIS 7 sins or less = PASS >7 sins = FAIL Companions Don’t Forget! Companions have amazing adventures as they travel among the stars at the Doctor’s side. But, every Companion’s time in the TARDIS must come to an end. In order to remember all the adventures, it’s probably best to write them down. So, in order to get into the habit of writing regularly I am giving myself the challenge for writing creatively for at least an hour 3 days a week. +2 CHA 3 days = A 2 Days = B 1 day = C 0 days = F I’m a little behind already, as I thought the Challenge didn’t start until next week and I was gone at a conference through Sunday night. But, I am starting and not letting an awkward start keep me from getting this off the ground. Big Hopes for this Challenge: Improve running. Currently I can run about 5 or 6 minutes, then need a minute walk. My hope is to get to a point where I can run a (slow) 5K without needing to stop. Lose Weight. I’ve been stubbornly at 150lbs for a couple months. I’m hoping this plan will jumpstart my weight loss. I’m turning 30 in February and want to look and feel my best as I enter a new decade. My Ultimate Goal weight is 135. So, I’m hoping small sustainable loss will get me there by the Spring. I’ve lost and kept of 27lbs over the last 2 years, so I’m hoping to keep this forward-moving trend (but a bit faster, ha!). Get back to cooking. Lately I’ve been really lazy with my food choices. I was great about batch cooking before, but I have gotten really lazy. Hopefully this will inspire me to get back to it! Finish a second revision of my book. In my last challenge I finished a novel I’ve been working on. As I prepare it for submissions to an agent, I want to complete another revision and hire an independent editor for feedback. It would be great to get my revisions done before November so I can get it to an editor by Thanksgiving and have a finished product ready for agent submission by the New Year. I have found such a wonderful community at NerdFitness. I don’t think I could have stuck with my training without the support and accountability that this community gives. So, here’s to being the best Companion we can be, having the best adventures we can have, and leveling up!

Okay, so I need to just dump this somewhere to get it off my mind. Student loans are the WORST. Long story short - they've required me to re-apply for income-based repayment, and because they think I make decent money (which, if I lived back in the South is would be comfortable, but I'm nowhere near a 6-figure salary) they've more than doubled my monthly payment. And when I called to see if there was a lower option, the best they could do was $160 added to what I had already been paying each month. Now, because Silicon Valley is the MOST EXPENSIVE place to live in the country - more than Manhattan and DC - this added bump is absolutely killing me. Like, I don't know how I'm going to buy groceries and pay my student loans without relying on credit. It's absolutely stifling. I've asked for forbearance for 3 months while I try and re-arrange some things to see if I can do the monthly payment, but I am really worried it's not possible. That means I need to quit my job and find something else in an area that's less expensive to live. I feel out of breath and queasy about this. I'm damn near 30, I work hard, I don't spend money on stupid stuff, I drive a 12 year old car and walk to work. Why is it so freaking hard to be an adult? Why do they make it so freaking hard? Why do they charge freaking 6.5% interest on STUDENT FREAKING LOANS?!? I feel like a failure and and really, really overwhelmed right now. And I don't want to dump this on my coworkers, so I figure this is as good a place as any. *deepbreath* All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. (Julian of Norwich)

Wk 3 Day 3 (Saturday): 2.93 miles, 39:00min, 332.2 calories Wk 4, Day 1 (today): 2.85 miles*, 39:00min, 334.7 calories 3x10 10lb goblet squats 3x10 20lbs dumbbell curls 3x10 20lbs dumbbell rows 3x10 20lbs dumbbell press-ups 3x10 leg lifts 3x :10 plank ​I am beat! And a friend just texted me to see if I want to bike across the Golden Gate bridge. Ha. *I lost my GPS for a while, so it might be slightly higher. Meh. I was definitely slower today though. Okay, so I'm reading (well, listening on Audible) to Brene Brown's Daring Greatly. Y'all this book is SPOT ON. It's all out vulnerability and how we try to insulate ourselves from it. Men are afraid of being weak - physically, emotionally, in terms of success, or sexual performance. Women are afraid of not being enough. Not pretty enough, skinny enough, good enough, sexy enough. Not enough. So we all hide ourselves - we fight or flight - to keep our feelings of vulnerability from overwhelming us. We even will prevent ourselves from feeling joy because we're so sure that bad stuff is just around the corner. This resonates to deeply with me. Running today I got really emotional. I'm dealing with some stress because of student loan debt, and I just lost it. While running. In public. I am so afraid of being laughed at because I'm chubby and run slow. On top of that I have all this anger toward my mom (she's an alcoholic and was neglectful during my growing-up) and I've realized that I used food to numb my hurt (like so many women) and losing weight is so hard because it means feeling all the things I tried to numb through food. I've read some studies that suggest we can store emotions in our fat, so losing the weight means having to deal with the emotions we've tried to bury. So, it was a rough morning. But, you know what? I had a solid workout. I'm lapping all the people on the couch. It's okay to be sad about things, as long as I don't forget to hold on to the joy too.

YOU'RE AMAZING!!!! OMGEEZY YAYAYAYAYAYYYYY! You crushed it. Really. Because these challenges aren't about being perfect, they're about finding things that work for us. So proud, friend.

Wk3, Day 2: 2.91 miles, 38 minutes, 322 calories. 4x10 body weight squats 2x10 20lb dumbbell curls, dumbbell rows & dumbbell press-ups 1x8 20lb dumbbell curls, dumbbell rows & dumbbell press-ups So my running split average was 10:37!! That's faster than any of my training at any point! And I'm running consistently for 2:30 minutes, with 1 minutes walk breaks. Mini goal is to run a 5K in 40 minutes. I leave Wednesday for a conference in DC. It will be my first time running while away from home. I have to get in at least 1 run while I'm gone to stay on track. I hope my insecurities about running in public don't get the better of me... :/ Focusing on the good: I feel stronger than ever. I plan to add in hikes or slow long runs soon. But life is CRAZY right now getting ready for students to arrive back on campus.

Dating is the worst. Can someone please just find me a life partner that's not a complete lunatic or boffin and call it a day. Yeesh. In other news: I'm hoping to get my bike repaired (after paying my damn car repairs) so I can cross-train on my bicycle! That should be fun.

OMG credit is the only way I could do this (well I have *some* savings....). ADULTING IS HARD. Being able to see real signs of improvement really reinforces the commitment to keeping up with the training. I'm not sure what's gong to happen when I inevitably plateau. I've hit a weight plateau it's driving me nuts. Ugh, 150. Stomach has been mostly okay. It;s like it got SO out of whack in India that it's behaving better here. I had some weird upset about 5 days ago, but nothing to the intensity of what I was going through in May. Weird, right? I'm also eating lots of simple foods and very little processed anything. Like, my lunch today = sliced apple and pear with cheese, and a cup of quinoa-kale salad. That's been my generally eating lately - salads, boiled eggs, fresh fruit and cheese. So - maybe it's refined sugar? Sorry to hear that your tummy has been in rebellion. Boo. Eating is SUCH hard work sometimes.