Brandon Wolfe

I didn't get to go on that hike I was hoping for. My friends all had stuff come up, so we are shooting for the weekend after Thanksgiving. Went for a 25 miler today with some medium hills. Saw some good scenery on the ride. I averaged about 15 mph including stoplights and getting lost again, so not too shabby. But I have a long way to go if I want to hit my first century =) I have PT tomorrow morning and boxing class at 6:30. Yay! I'm excited and nervous - I've never done anything like this before but my buddy is in Ranger training and I don't want to be left behind. In that same vein, I'm also signing up for a set of trail runs in Dec, Jan, Feb, and Mar. And I'll be practicing for my first big cycling event come Apr.

In the last three days I've upped the number of pushups, squats, and bicycles I'm doing in my circuits, started biking to and from work, did a set of 4x400 strides, and went on a 30 minute jog. Tomorrow I'm going on a trail ride with my wife after voluteering with the local food bank in the morning. Things are going nicely with my book and I start boxing on Monday at 6:30pm. If the weather holds out, my friends and I are going hiking to 9400+ ft this Sunday. If not, I"ll be biking by myself again.

I increased my amount of reading time recently because I started taking my book with me to work. I get outside on my breaks and read a section or two. I read at lunch as well. As it stands now, I"m about halfway done with it. I"m having trouble scheduling boxing classes with this new schedule at work. I have to coordinate with the wife and kid, too. I might not get as many sessions in before the six weeks is up, but I"ll at least start to go before then. I've also been thinking about the possibility of getting hurt before my PT test, which would suck. Cycling didn't happen last weekend. A big storm came through on the days I had open. I"ll just do two next weekend. I"ll be up to three then and on track. Went on a pair of long walks in the last three days, one for 50 minutes, one for and hour and a half, and I've been doing some ab work and a bodyweight circuit. Played softball on Monday and hit two in the park home runs =) Tomorrow I"m going to test myself on my PT requirements and see how close I am to hitting my goals and where I need some last minute tune ups.

Now that's what I like to hear. Now here's hoping that Tennessee beats Vandy this weekend.

Took the 8th and 9th off because I wasn't feeling so hot and I was put on a new schedule at work. I tried to get back in to it yesterday with some strides, but I only accomplished 4, 400m before I felt like I was hitting a wall. I didn't want to try to push it and get sub-par times, so I called it quits. Today I did a SimpleFit workout, level 7 (max rounds in 20 minutes of 4 pullups, 8 pushups, 12 squats). Felt pretty good after that. I've been working on that book of mine alot; I'm about a 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through. I'm either going on a long bikeride this Sunday or an all day hike up to 9400 ft if weather is good. I'm waiting on my wife to start her aerobic kickboxing class before I can schedule my boxing classes (I found the gym I'm going to). In all, things are progressing nicely on my challenge.

So I have some catching up to do: Friday's workout ended up getting pushed out of the way by life and stuff, so I made up for it Saturday with 4 rounds of 30 pushups, 4 rounds of 10 chinups, 4 rounds of 25 four-count flutterkicks, and 4 rounds of 25 squats. I did them just for volume rather than focusing on speed or quick turnover between exercises. I was doing other house stuff at the time. Sunday was my first long ride here. I was out for two hours just exploring the main drags in the city. Got lost initially, but ended up with a good ride in the end. I found some other routes that look good for next time. That's one long weekend ride down, three to go. Next weekend it looks like there is a group ride in my speed zone, so I"m looking forward to that. Today I brought a friend along with me on my old faithful route (30 minutes, 3 miles, 3 bodyweight stations). The weather was nice and brisk; it has dropped about 20 degrees in the last few days. Reminds me of home. I"m on a new schedule at work now, so I'll be signing up for that boxing gym this week. And I had to schedule my PT test for early December because for some reason things are really backed up with testing right now.

"- Do/say something nice for/to Nick every day. I made an attempt, anyway. Walked the dogs to where his dr's appointment was so we could hop in the car and ride back with him, but I didn't realize he had ridden his bike. Fail" Heh heh. How it usually goes with my wife: Her: "You're a dork" Me: "I know" Her: "I love you" Me: "Love you too, babe" And then we walk home together.

Did a 40 minute slow run today on mostly flat terrain just to recover. I got a late jump on things so I was running in the moonlight along the riverbed. I know the area well, but it seems to transform under the moonlight. It was peaceful but also a little eerie with those long, faint shadows only the moon can cast. I also got a lot of work done today studying for some tests at work. I feel accomplished =) Tomorrow is a rest day for me. I'll see you back here on Friday, probably with a good ol' bodyweight circuit under my belt.

Started my workout today with five sets of 10 chinups, then ran at a good, hard pace to my regular station no. 1 in the park. There I did four sets of 25 pushups (three sets decline, one set diamond) mixed with four sets of 30 four-count flutterkicks. Minimal rest between sets, then another good, hard run back home. In all, I was gone about 20 minutes, but that was an intense 20. Tomorrow I might do a long, slow run to recover. I"m pretty worn out and haven't been sleeping well recently. Read more of my book, but still not making enough progress to finish by the end of the challenge. I'll have to make up some on the weekend. As for my other goals, I chose a cycling group I want to join, but they don't have a ride for me this weekend. They are doing an intense training session for an upcoming race here in town. So I am choosing to go on a long ride by myself this weekend and meet up with the group next weekend. I put together about a 30 mile ride through town and out to the mountains. Should be nice. I'm going to price out the boxing gym I've had my eye on. Already priced one gym, but it's a little swanky with fancy equipment all over and it is connected to a "fitness center" next door with its undulating sea of eliptical users (eliptics?). This other gym looks like a hole in the wall. Gritty, almost. I like it, and it is strictly a boxing/muay thai/mma gym. Hopefully the price is right and they do month-to-month memberships.

Congrats! You can have just about any job you want in the AF with that score. Get better soon and get back to rocking the challenge.

Had to shorten my 5x5s today. I only got my squats and bench in. I"ve had some lower back issues that have been dogging me for a while, so my squats aren't where I want them to be, but I did 5x5s at 300lbs and everything felt solid. Started my bench at 230lbs, but went up to 250 on my last two sets and got all five reps. That's the best I"ve ever done! Feeling pretty good about today's gym time overall. I"ll hit my book right after dinner, but for now I think I"ll catch the last few rays of sunshine and go for a walk with the kid. And take out the trash while I'm at it.

Completed all my sprints today. Took my shirt off and did them under the sun - it was 90-ish today. It was a great time in the park today I'm looking forward to the 5x5s tomorrow. It has been a bit since I hit the weights. Read a good chunk of my book today, but I think I have to pick up the pace a bit if I want to finish by the six week mark. Also as a bonus I got the car cleaned inside and out. I really think there is a connection between a cluttered/simplified environment and chaotic/clear thoughts =)

Thanks for the positive words, Miranda. Does your gym offer any sort of boxing instruction? 29Oct So today did end up being a rest day. We cleaned house and had people over tonight. I had a wonderful, relaxing time with my family and friends and ate some good food. Went for a long walk with the kid early this morning and spent about an hour in the sun at the park running around and watching the ducks. Read just a bit of my book, but not as much as I had hoped. I'll be doing sprints tomorrow. Probably 10 penalty box to penalty box sprints on a soccer field with rolling starts and full recoveries. Then I'm looking to do a set of 5x5s come Monday. Hopefully my work schedule will allow for that...

Chelsea, this is one of my favorite threads this challenge. You're doing great on working toward those pullups. I remember when I couldn't do one. It took just about six weeks of lat pulldowns, bent over rows, weighted assist pullups, and negatives before I did any. Also during that period I ran alot and lost about 10 pounds. I took a rest period of a few days, tested myself, and ended up doing three in a row. I was ecstatic! When you get there you will never forget the feeling. Now, I do them all the time. They are one of my favorite exercises. And like Dawsy mentioned, I bought a pullup bar a long time ago and put it in my hallway. It's a great way to keep up on it. I'll do a set of ten here or there throughout the day. Some days they really rack up. Also, I wanted to send you this link about gratitude. Thought you might find it interesting. http://artofmanliness.com/2009/06/04/30-days-to-a-better-man-day-5-cultivate-your-gratitude/ I know it's from The Art of Manliness, but this article isn't exactly gender specific. Enjoy.

Hi VolFan. Sorry to hear about the ankle. I know what it is like to have a goal you're trying to work toward and then you find yourself hurt. A few years back I screwed up my knee. Doc said it was IT Band Overuse Syndrome. When I was taken out of the cardio game for that period, I really buckled down on the other two facets of my goal: strength training and eating right. Do what it takes to get back to healthy again (ice, staying off of it, pain meds, etc.) but don't let it bring you to a full stop. You're going to need that kind of grit and determination for your AF career. Good luck, I'll be following your thread, and let me know if you have any questions.

Ok, so to catch up: 27Oct I did a running/bodyweight circuit. 30 minutes of work total hitting three bodyweight stations spaced pretty evenly throughout the run. Station 1: 10 chinups, 20 bench dips, 25 squats. Station 2: 10 chinups, 15 parallel bar dips, 25 squats. Station 3: 10 chinups, 20 bench dips, 25 squats. After Station 3 I was feeling pretty good, so I cranked up the pace a little and rolled on home. Just did a quick estimate using WalkJogRun - the total distance is a shade under 3 miles. 28Oct I did the same route with the same setup, except today was a core day. At each Station I did 20 crunches, 20 four-count flutterkicks, and 10 four-count bicycles. Came in under 30 minutes this time around. I felt like I was flying on my way out and I would have kept it up on the way back, but it got too dark for me to see well, so I had to slow down and watch out for the tree branches that were trying to eat me. In all, not a bad start for my first challenge I think. Tomorrow I might rest and focus on reading my book some more. Or I might sprint =) We'll see...

I know I'm a little late to the party, but count me in. I've watched this forum for some time now and I've followed the site for longer. I have an important deadline coming up and I figure this is a great way to hit my mark, so to speak. So here goes: 1. Pass my PT test with a 97/100 or better. Specifically this means I need to get a time of 9:45 or faster in the 1.5 mile run, 57 pushups or better in 1 minute, and 52 situps or better in 1 minute. My test is at the end of November. To achieve this, right now I am doing 2-3 days of circuit training, 1 day of sprinting, and 1 day of heavy lifting per week. But that may have to shift a bit because... 2. I'm joining a boxing gym. I'm not setting any goals for this one other than going to the gym 2 days a week. Really, I just want to get in a groove there and start to learn some fundamentals over the next 6 weeks like proper footwork and how to work a heavy bag. This one has a bit to do with my "nemesis", if you remember Steve's post on that one. 3. I just moved to a new locale and I'm trying to get out and explore as much as I can. I have a newer bike, so I'm going to join a cycling club. I've done some research in to some different clubs already. I need to have some work done to the bike, sign up with the crew, and start going on 1 long ride per week on the weekend. I'm looking for 4 rides under my belt before this thing is up. As far as life goals go, while I have plenty, I'm having a tough time picking one that can be accomplished within this time frame. There are still other achievements on my personal list that I have to put on the back burner because I had to move. I have to wait a couple of years before I can get back home and knock them out. So for now, I'll choose to finish a book I've had to put on pause during my transition: The Wilderness Warrior - Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. There you have it: my official entry. I"ll be checking in each day with what I did. This is going to be fun! Thanks in advance for your support everyone and if you have any tips to shave off a few seconds on a middle-distance run, let me know. BW