engineman312

1. Do at least one swim, one run, and one bike ride a week over the course of the next six weeks. + 5 STA

i really enjoyed having a minimum amount of cardio to do, instead of a maximum. this allowed me to adjust if i wanted to make it a bike heavy week or work more on running. +5 STA

2. Do 50 push ups in a row. +3 STR

Used the "100 push ups" app, but still can only make it to 40 push ups straight before i had to drop a knee. +2 STR

3. Make sure to properly warm up, and cool down and stretch for every work out. +3 DEX

really glad i stuck this one in, because warming up and cooling down and stretching were always something i didn't do. but now it has become habit, and not a problem at all.

I'll be having two Life Goals this time. The first is the same as last time: Pass the NYC Refigeration Exam! +2 WIS

This will require me to really buckle down and study, while also keeping in mind my current obligations for grad school. My test is already scheduled for July 16.

I skipped my Reefer exam. zero points.

My second Life Goal this time around is to better prepare for the zombie apocalypse (or any other type of disaster by getting all my important documents and information together and putting them in a safe in my house, as well as preparing a "get out of dodge" bag. +2 CON

i didn't buy a safe or prepare a bag at all. zero points.

my problem with the life quests was that for 4 weeks of the challenge, i was on strike for work, so i lost a lot of motivation. while i was able to distract myself by working out, other times i was moopy and unmotivated. i'm glad to be back at work now, so i'll be preparing those other things soon enough.

So this time i'm making as SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely) a set of goals as i can!!

1. Do at least one swim, one run, and one bike ride a week over the course of the next six weeks. + 5 STA

2. Do 50 push ups in a row. +3 STR

3. Make sure to properly warm up, and cool down and stretch for every work out. +3 DEX

I'll be having two Life Goals this time. The first is the same as last time: Pass the NYC Refigeration Exam! +2 WIS

This will require me to really buckle down and study, while also keeping in mind my current obligations for grad school. My test is already scheduled for July 16.

My second Life Goal this time around is to better prepare for the zombie apocalypse (or any other type of disaster by getting all my important documents and information together and putting them in a safe in my house, as well as preparing a "get out of dodge" bag. +2 CON

Wish me luck!

haven't updated in a while, but here i am, fresh from a weekend of camping. i've been great with the getting one swim, bike, and run a week, sometimes even more. also i've been really good with warming up and stretching every work out.

i've been working on my push ups, and this week i'll by trying to do fifty in a row. i'm sure i won't have any problem with making it, but still a little daunting.

the "get out of dodge" bag was not made. just so much crap going on, but i've made photocopies of most of my important documents, and i'll probably buy the safe this week.

backed out of my refrigeration test. just wasn't ready for it at all.

so, back from vacation and i get home to the news that my union contract is up and i'm locked out of work. sigh.

on a lighter note, made use of the ships gym by lifting, running on the treadmill (gross) and the recumbent bike (double gross). will be swimming tomorrow.

::update::

swam yesterday morning and ran this morning. made sure i did a nice warm up before hand each time, and it's definitively helping, as the beginning of my workouts aren't as sluggish as usual.

i'm going on a five day vacation now, and i'll be taking advantage of the exercise facilities at my disposal.

He'll learn...unfortunately this might be a case where he won't take your word for it, but has to find out the hard way by himself. But hopefully he'll come to the conclusion that warming up is a good thing BEFORE he injures himself.

well, he's not NEW to fitness. he's always kept active by playing soccer, and i was on the team with him for years. without know it, he warmed up before practice passing the ball around and kicking, and then the practice always started with some drills and running. so he warmed up. just doesn't want to translate that into other activities.

and i can't blame him. part of the reason my challenge these six weeks is to warm up and stretch is because of how often i don't do it.

and i've teamed up with caponerd48 for this weeks challenge. he's going to be walking the 5k! i'm gonna run tomorrow myself.

went mount/trail biking with my brother today. the biking was fun, the hanging out with my brother, not so much. oh well. managed to get 8.4miles/13.5 kms in. he looked at me funny when i was jumping rope and doing squats and lunges to warm up. he's new to fitness, but he thinks he's special. he goes to me "i don't need to warm up, i just go do it." ugh.

and i've teamed up with caponerd48 for this weeks challenge. he's going to be walking the 5k!

Alright! Engineman, Consider yourself allied!

excellent! totally counts if you walk! how do you plan on tackling those 5kms/3 miles? all at once??

so if anyone here would like to team up to do the swim/bike/run together, i'd appreciate it! would love to get an extra CHA point to my stats!

thats great!!! now, handstand push ups!!

I've never heard this advice before. Chafing?

i meant for the spartan race. i mean, for me, nothing bothers me more then wet socks during a run. and in a mud run, they get wet, and dirty.

these are the trail running shoes i have http://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-MT20v1-Trail-Minimus/dp/B004KZP5AG but i've only trail ran in them twice, including the race. i prefer no socks because if the mud and dirt is just too much, well, i just pull them off, dust of my feet, and slide them back on. no need to worry about socks!!

i actually wear these shoes mostly to the gym and to lift. love them.

ps, wearing them now.

ok, i'm a warrior in need of swimming help.

im going to be doing some ocean swims the next few days. no idea where to even start other than ... going out there and doing the doggie paddle.

staci, i would love to give you a hand with that! like i stated before, i swam in college, and just did my first open water swim and triathlon. i helped train my cousin for the triathlon swim, and she has no swimming experience, and did very very well.

if you want, PM me with what your current swimming level is. ocean swims are really more about using your upper body to propel yourself, and use your legs more for bouyency rather then hard kicking. keep your chin tucked in touching your chest. that helps keep your legs up at the surface, so that they don't go down and avoid swimming "up hill."

one great way to swim in the ocean is the catch up drill. here:

I would love some help on proper barefoot running, and exactly how the heel should touch the ground. I understand the basics, but seem to feel so awkward when actually running.

Any help, suggestions, thoughts, whips, chains, etc?

do you have minimalist shoes?? if not, get some. best way to change the stance. other than that, you just have to be a little more concioues about how your foot lands, but not overly so.

I'm talking about the long shallow hills, for the most part. You know the ones that look like they are flat and you can't tell when they start and when they stop? I tend to make it to the end of the hill (I only know by checking runkeeper afterward or from previously checking) but by that time I'm just so tired and I can't breathe enough to make it through. Both the place that I live and work have "Hills" in the name, so I think it will be fairly difficult to find a flat place to run.

joey, just breath in through your nose, out through your mouth, nice and deep, expelling all the air. pump your arms to help you breath better. those are the only hills i have in my neighborhood. but they're enough!

Another assassin here seeking advice from scouts! I'm planning to finish C25k within this challenge, it's going okay so far.

I'd really like some tips on what to do with my brain while either running or swimming. When I'm walking alone I tend to start making plans or writing stories in my head, while skating requires my full concentration. But for me both running and swimming are sort of in-between, needing some attention to form, but not enough to keep my mind on what I'm doing. Do you repeat mantras? Recite times tables? Or does it get easier to do without thinking about it, so I can get back to my ingenious planning while I run (mwahahaha).

when i swim, i try and concentrate on my lap number while singing a song in my head to help keep me in rhythm. don't over think the stroke too much, unless you are specifically doing a drill. swimming can be boring for some, while others, such as myself, enjoy it because there are no distractions and i have to focus on the swim.

as for running, well, i don't run with headphones. i like being inside my own head. sometimes i'll honestly think about nothing for miles, before i realize i have to turn around. other times i'll carry conversations with myself.

ps- frost elf assassin? cool. (no pun intended)

I've just started running with this challenge (Week 1 of C25k down, woot!) and I'm really liking it now that I've gotten over that whole "my calves are going to kill me in my sleep" thing. Any tips for making sure my barefoot-style form stays good? I'm focusing on forefeet strikes, anything else?

do you have minimus style shoes already, like vibram five fingers, or the new balance minimus shoes? if not, get them, they will help with the foot work.

don't over think it too much. my first few barefoot style runs, i over thought my stride and how i was stepping, and i could definetly feel it in my calves for days!! just run naturally. your foot will adapt.

Alright...

I'm an Assassin and I need help from a Scount. One of my goals is to run 5k without walking. My main issue is that once I get past 1-1.5 miles, the first hill I hit basically forces me to stop. I can stop and walk for a bit, but the next hill that I run into will force me to stop again. It makes it really difficult to get used to running distance.

I'm thinking about running ~1 mile then doing sprints up a hill to condition my body to be used to the hills once I'm drained. Do you think that will work? Is there something else that would work better? I just feel like it's a wall that I can't get around and I'm running out of ideas for how to break through it.

joey, quite frankly, it's probably in your head. you look at that hill and your mind thinks "are you crazy?" so maybe you need to start building the distance first. any nice flat land where you can run 3-4 miles without many hills??

your other alternative is to out think the hill. yes, the hill is a bastard. sprint up it to finish it quicker! lean forward, start landing on the balls of your feet, and start pumping your arms. remember, that for every uphill, there is a downhill.

now, you may very well be talking about ski slope style hills, and well, no one is really good at those.

hey man, love the goals and the work outs. i just did my first spartan race, and i'll tell you that the trail itself is an obstacle. the one i did, in tuxedo, NY, is known as one of the toughest spartan sprint races because it is on a ski slope, so it has ridiculous hills. so depending on where your race is, i recommend you do hills, and lots of them. also, get some trail running in. and if you can find yourself some kind of 40lb sandbag to carry for parts of the run (1/4 mile) i suggest you do so.

and pick up the new balance trail running shoes. they are great for the run, and wash right off.

ps- don't wear socks.

i'm in this challenge!! i love helping others, and knowing that there will be someone out there as miserable, errrr, i mean happy as me doing all these miles, makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.

so hit me up, anyone from other guilds! i swim, i bike, i run, i slice and i dice!

hey all. i'm danny, and a budding triathlete! being a scout is second nature, but i love to strength train in all forms. kettle bells, olympic lifts, body weight, and yoga are all worked into my training, so if any ranger, warrior, druid, monk, or adventurer out there would like to team up to Help a member of another guild to walk or run 5k, bike 10k, or swim 400m, i'd gladly help out.

i was a swimmer in college, and have taken back to it like a fish takes to, um... well, water. in my first sprint tri last weekend, i did the half mile swim in 9:34. i find that a good swim helps sore muscles better than anything else, so if someone would like to team up to tackle the swimming, i'm your guy. I'll link you to some great websites and information out there.

But if anyone that is interested in biking or running, feel free to contact me. thats the great thing about triathletes. we know the benefits of cross-training.

hi, danny here. i'm a scout by trade, but also want to be batman. found this online. hope it inspires you! http://www.mensfitness.com/leisure/entertainment/batman%E2%80%99s-workout-routine-revealed

this was on the outside wall of my rock climbing gym

good luck and enjoy!!

download the "100 push ups" app to help you with your challenge. it's 6 weeks long, so it fits in perfectly with our challenge. i bet you'll be doing 25 by week 3!