Pumpkin Pi

Progress report (weeks 1-3) Yikes! Where did the time go? I am so bad at updating! So, let’s see it is now nearing the end of week 3: What have I managed to achieve in my challenge? Week 1: Q1: Strength training Only managed 1 of 2 sessions Q2: 30-min run Did it but didn’t manage to run non-stop. Ran for 24 min (3K) @ 7.5 kph Fast walked to the 30-min mark (total 3.6K) Q3: 2L water & 5 f/v daily Check! Week 2: Q1: Strength training Managed the 2 plus made up the 1 missing from week 1 for a total of 3 Q2: 30-min run Again, did it but with a stint of fast walk in between Ran 20 min (2.5K) @ 7.5 kph Fast walked @ 6.5 kph for 5 min Ran @ 7.5 kph up to the 30-min mark (total 3.6K) Q3: 2L water & 5 f/v daily Check! Note: on many days, struggled to space out my drinking throughout the day so had to down 3-4 glasses of water not long before bed. Not a great strategy (meant getting up multiple times in the middle of the night to go to the loo, disrupting sleep). Don’t like reminder apps, so just gonna have to try to remember to drink more water during the day. Week 3 (writing this on day 5): At a conference all week, so struggling to get any workouts in. However, there’s a small park near where I’m staying, so forced myself out of bed early to go for a run. So, ... Q1: Strength training Haven’t managed any yet Q2: 30-min run Still haven’t managed to run without slowing to a walk for the full 30 min Ran 2K in 15’47” (just under 8 min to the km) Km 3: Fast walked ~500 m then sprinted ~300 m then fast walked to 3K (8 min 18 s) (so 3K in 24’5”) Walked to 4K (9’25”) Total distance of run/fast-walk/sprint/walk: 4 km Total time: 34:20 Avg. pace 8’34” to the km Not too bad for me, though I really want to get to not having to slowdown to walks in between Q3: nutrition Looking good so far

Yes! Thanks! Though surprisingly I was behind on the strength training. I guess it was because I knew I was gonna be busy later on in the week, so I made myself get the thing I liked least out of the way. Progress report to follow.

Welcome! And yep, can totally empathise with the respawning then wiping. Still, you’re here now and looks like you have achievable goals. Keep at it!

I’m doing the NF Academy level 4 gym workout which is a 2x-a-week one, so I’m thinking I’ll do that for a couple of weeks then do the Boss Battle. If I kill it, then I might move onto the level 5 gym or body weight one, possibly upping it to 3x a week. I’m actually not too bad at keeping at the strength workouts when I get going. It’s the cardio that I keep finding an excuse not to do! I find running on the treadmill such a slog but running outside is just too hot most of the time (I live in Bangkok). I’d have to get up earlier than I’m prepared to or run later in the evening than I’d like. I do see people out jogging in the middle of the day, though. Christ knows how they manage! I’d really like to get my running up to scratch though as I’d love to try a spartan one day.

Hey, and welcome! Wow, your running time is great as it is (that’s like 2x faster than me, so I’m totally in awe) but all the best in aiming for even better. We’re right behind you (literally :-P). Good luck with your October race!

Hi, and welcome back! I am respawning too and I can really relate to some of the things you said, though I’ve never made it as far as nearly black belt, so way to go! Totally rooting for your 100 press-ups. Sounds amazing!

Progress log goes here.

I started on this journey before. I was doing quite well, levelled up a few times (outside of the challenges and NF), then ... "You have been waylaid by bandits." I got lost along the way, fought off some monsters but then got trapped in an evil wizard's dungeon where I kept reliving my greatest moments of achievement. But I couldn't move or get out of the spell I was under. Finally, I managed to free myself from the shackles and escape the clutches of my captor. And I discovered who my nemesis was: None other than a mirror image of myself! But I had lost a lot. All my gear was gone and I was low on health. I didn't know how to continue the game, didn't know how to beat myself ... I stopped playing. It has been a while. Now, I can't remember where I left off. My progress had stalled and I had regressed. Picking up where I left off is just not an option now. Nothing for it ... I am rerolling my character. So ... what is it I want to achieve? Well, let's see ... before I got waylaid, I trained up to the point where I was able to do 2 strict pull-ups in one go, and I could run 5K in just under 40 min. It took me nearly 2 years of training *hard* to get to that point, but my work suffered a fair bit. I want to get back to being able to do at least 1 pull-up and run 5K in about 40 min again. But I can't commit as much time to it as I did before, otherwise I just won't get any work done. So ... small steps. Don't overdo it. And the important thing is to be able to stick to it! Right, here goes. My first respawn challenge! Cannibalising my first ever challenge and grading myself like I did back then. Also gonna assign a total of 10 attributes - because, you know, RPG Let's see how it goes! General main fitness quest. Be badass again! Main fitness quest: Be able to do one strict pull-up again and back to running 5K in around 40 min by the end of the year (2019). So, here are my 5-week challenge quests: Quest 1: Get strong Strength train 2x per week. Measurement: A = trained 9/10 days, B = 8/10, C = 7/10 Attribute: 4 STR Quest 2: Get fit Do cardio 1x per week (either run non-stop for 30 min OR swim 30 lengths of the gym's 20 m pool) Measurement: A = 5 times, B = 4 times, C = 3 times Attribute: 3 STA Quest 3: Eat better Eat 5 portions of fruit/veg a day & drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Measurement: A = 32/35 days, B = 30/35 days, C = 27/35 days Attribute: 3 CON As for logging the quests, I keep a notebook, so will post photos of that as I remember struggling to keep up with finding the time to post in the forums. Yikes, it's Monday already! Better get started!

Thanks! I’ll give it a shot.

Hi @Hazard! So, I'm respawning after being trapped in an evil wizard's dungeon of torture. I did my first challenge - wow, 4 years ago almost to the day! - and I never completed my second challenge, although I did continue to train. I got pretty fit and strong until roughly the beginning of 2018 when life got in the way and my workouts slowed to a stop around the summer. I managed to pick back up round about this time last year, but never managed to really get my momentum going again, and since this summer my workouts have been all but non-existent. I'm struggling to find motivation and the willpower to get back to the gym, and I can't seem to get out of the "I used to be able to ..." mindset. That's why I said I was trapped in an evil wizard's dungeon: basically reliving my finest moments but not actually being able to get past that and start over. But I am determined to respawn, and I thought maybe the challenge would help me stay focused, though I did find it difficult to find time to update and also interact with the community (which I hasten to add are lovely and so encouraging). So I guess my questions are: If I start back at this upcoming challenge, should I start back in the First Time Challengers? Or should I start back at where I was in the Monks' guild? Or perhaps the Rebels'? I feel a bit lost and directionless right now, and not really sure what I want to focus on first and not overburden myself. Or maybe, if I felt the challenge was difficult to keep track of before, perhaps just posting in the Battle Logs would be better? Sorry for all the questions. I'm feeling a bit lost right now.

Hi Luciana, I totally know how you feel. I often get those too, but somehow we need to be able to not beat ourselves up about it. Sometimes you just need alone time or time when you just do nothing at all. It's OK to not feel like seeing people or even interacting with people online, especially when we're in a world where we're constantly bombarded with sights & sounds and everyone's on social media all the time. It's all the more important to be able to switch off and not be connected sometimes. Having said all that, we're glad you're back!

Woot! Congratulations! \o/ So you're in charge of a blood bank? You may not be using them for vampiric purposes, but beware the one lurking in the shadow! I hear they're super quick. But with all your training, I'm sure you could take them out. ;-)

Pumpkin Pi bounces around the room trying to escape becoming dinner, knocking down all the glasses and cutlery, then bounds out of the room and camouflages in the pumpkin patch. Phew! That was close...

Alright, so here's my report for week four: All in all, it mostly went better than week three. I'm still a little behind on a couple of fitness things but not much. The research is well behind, but I hope to catch up on that this week and next week. I won't manage my 42 hours, but I'll try my best to not completely fail at it. Anyhoo ... Week Four Report Days 22 & 23 Didn't manage any training as had to be out of town for work. NQ: 5 F/V & 8 glasses of water each day Day 24 Q1 & Q2: Strength training, with chin-/pull-up training (resistence bands & negatives) with PT + 10 press-ups, followed by 10-min flexi. Q2: Did 10-min flexi after evening's MT class. NQ: 6 F/V & 11 glasses of water Day 25 Q3: Did 4K run in 36 min 15 s (almost 2 min (1 min 58 s) faster than last week!). Didn't have time to do 10-min flexi as had to hurry off to work (nearly didn't make it on time!) NQ: 6 F/V & 10 glasses of water Day 26 Q1 & Q2: Strength training (same as Wednesday's) followed by 10-min flexi. Also did 20, 10, 10 knee press-ups in MT class (didn't manage toe press-ups). Q2: 10-min flexi after evening MT class NQ: 5 F/V & 8 glasses of water Day 27 NQ: 6 F/V & 8 glasses of water Day 28 Q1: Strength training (slightly reduced session) with 10 press-ups. Didn't do 10-min flexi. NQ: 6 F/V & 10 glasses of water No research at all this week! Sigh ... 1x 10-min flexi session short this week So, I did almost all of my fitness quests this week, but no research. Current deficits are: Q1: 2x strength Q2: 6x flexi Q3: 1x 4K run LQ: 24h research For week 5, I've booked myself in for a 60-min yoga class on Thursday for after my 4K run, so that would bring me up to date with Q2 (flexi). I plan to do 1 extra strength session this week, and one extra next week to catch up with Q1. I will try my best to go for an early park run with my husband this next weekend to catch up with Q3. Then there's the research: Somehow I need to do 31 hours in the next 2 weeks to get to 42 hours. That means 15.5 h each week. That's just over 3 h a day week days. Or I could spread it out over the weekends, but I don't have a great track record of working during the weekends. Still, it really should be doable. /fingerscrossed

Hey, thanks for that. Yeah, I was starting to get a bit down, but at the end of the day, like you said, the real world comes first and training will still be there.

Week Three Report Week three has been a terrible week for my challenge! Got hardly any of my quests done at all. The end of the week was the deadline for posting midterm exam marks, and I had to prepare several lectures, so I was frantically marking exams and preparing my lectures. Managed to get to the gym once. Today is Sunday, so I will attempt to go for my run and then also do strength training. I know I shouldn't really do strength training after a long run, but if I do the strength training first, no way will I do my run. So I will try to squeeze those two things in today. Fruit & veg intake has also been a struggle, but I managed to keep it up, sometimes cramming my required 2-3 portions at the end of the day. Research hours = 1 out of a total 12 hours required. Won't get any done today either 'coz I have to prepare to teach a lab. So here is the breakdown of what little there is of my week 3 challenge: Day 15 Q1: Strength training with PT, with chin-up training. Didn't have time to do 10-min flexibility as had to rush off to work. NQ: 7 f/v & 13 glasses of water LQ: 1 hr research Days 16-21 NQ: 5 f/v & 10 glasses of water (day 16) 5 f/v & 9 glasses of water (day 17) 5 f/v & 8 glasses of water (day 18) 5 f/v & 10 glasses of water (day 19) 5 f/v & 8 glasses of water (day 20) (day 21 to be updated) I now need 11+7=18 hours research next week to catch up! That's never gonna happen. I've got a bit of leeway with the fitness challenges, though, so I'm not too concerned about those right now. As long as I do next week's required sessions, I can make up the sessions I missed this week during week 5 as I'll be less busy running around with marking exams and prep work. Hopefully I'll be able to get in some decent research hours then too, although the research hours deficit is really starting to get me down now. Not only coz I don't want to fail it in my challenge, but it reflects how little of it I'm getting done, which I really really need to be getting on with. I'm finding that there's always some other work that needs to be done first. I don't even know if cutting down my fitness quests will help much coz going to the gym gets me away from being at my desk all the time or working in the lab all the time, so I need that. But maybe I could cut those down a little, to make some room for research work. I find that when all else is done, I don't have enough energy left to sit down and write my article, or study my specimens. Sigh ... I really need to find a way to somehow force myself to get those research hours in. But I don't think I'm gonna modify my challenge yet. I'll see how it goes next week. Teaching workload will decrease after next week, so there's still hope. Edit: Doesn't look like I'm gonna manage any training today. I did manage 1 hr of research, though, and I probably will manage my f/v & water (my dinner, which is cooking, will take me up to 5 f/v and just need 2 more glasses of water to get to 8 today). So my deficits are now: Q1: 2 strength sessions Q2: 5 flexi sessions Q3: 1 4K run LQ: 17 hours research

Eek! End of week 3 and I haven't even reported back on week 2. Week 2 went well, but week 3 was terrible! Anyway, here's the report for week 2. Next post will be week 3 report. Week Two Report Day 8 Q1: Strength training with PT, which was all about chin-up training. Didn't have time to do 10-min flexibility as had to rush off to work. NQ: 6 F/V & 11 glasses of water Day 9 NQ: 5 F/V & 9 glasses of water Day 10 No strength training but did 10 press-ups in MT class Q2: Did 10-min after evening's MT class. NQ: 7 F/V & 11 glasses of water Day 11 Q3 & Q2: Did 4K run in 38 min 13 s (47 s faster than week one) followed by 10-min flexi NQ: 5 F/V & 12 glasses of water Day 12 Q1: Similar to Monday's strength training, with chin-up training as well as 3 sets of press-ups (10,10, 5). Still no chin-ups. (morning before work) Also did 2 sets of press-ups (10, 4) during evening MT class. Q2: 10-min flexi after strength training, then again after evening MT class NQ: 5 F/V & 14 glasses of water LQ: Did 2 hours research Day 13 NQ: 5 F/V & 8 glasses of water LQ: Did 2 hours research Day 14 Q1: Did strength training & 10 press-ups Q2: 10-min flexi after strength training NQ: 5 F/V & 8 glasses of water LQ: Did 1 hour research Total hours research week 2=5 h 10 hrs were needed to catch up - now 2 + 3 = 5h behind! Need to do 12 h research in week 3!

I'm sorry you didn't get the job you applied for, but don't lose heart. I'm sure you'll get one soon! And keep it up with the reviews. I used to want to be a doctor, too, but realised I wasn't clever enough, so I settled for just biology instead. I hope you reach your goal to become one. The world always needs more doctors! Your training programme looks great. And yes, keep up the shadow boxing, so you'll stay on form whilst between MT classes. And wow, the pull-ups and chin-ups! I am still an aspiring chin-upper. ;-)

Crikey, where did the time go? It's nearly the end of the second week already but I haven't even reported back on my first week yet. I've been stupidly busy working and organising a trekking study trip for my students, and then going on said study trip over the weekend, that I barely had time to do anything else. Still, I managed to get all my fitness and nutrition quests done, but guess what I didn't manage AGAIN. My research! Argh! So now I'm at a deficit on my research hours and have to somehow add them on to this week's hours, which I have a grand total of zero in. Sigh .... Anyway ... Here's the Week One Report. Day 1 Q1: Strength training with PT + 10 press-ups at the end. Upper body and abs. Didn't have time to do 10-min flexibility as had to rush off to work. NQ: 5 F/V & 9 glasses of water LQ: Did 4 hours research Day 2 NQ: 7 F/V & 8 glasses of water Day 3 Q1: Leg strength training + 10 press-ups (morning before work) Q2: Did 10-min flexibility after strength training, then another 10-min flexi after evening's MT class NQ: 6 F/V & 13 glasses of water Day 4 Q3 & Q2: Did 4K run in 39 min followed by 10-min flexi Q4: 6 F/V & 12 glasses of water Day 5 Q1: Similar to Monday's strength training, with 10 press-ups as well as chin-up training. Still no chin-ups. (morning before work) Q2: 10-min flexi after strength training, then again after evening MT class Q4: 6 F/V & 11 glasses of water Days 6 & 7 Went on trekking study trip with students. Could've counted as strength and endurance training! All that walking uphill carrying heavy camera & sampling equipment. NQ: 5 F/V on each day; 15 glasses of water (day 6) and 10 glasses of water (day 7) I only managed 4 hours of research on week one, which is 3 hours short of my goal. So this week, I'm meant to do 10 hours! But it's Thursday already and I haven't even managed 1 yet. So, if I could get one full day, say tomorrow, plus a couple hours today and a couple over the weekend I should be back on track. Better get on it then! Oh, here's a picture of my oldskool pen & pencil track sheet. :-P

Oh, I wish I were still a student! I'm a full-time lecturer in biology, and have to teach as well as have research projects on the go to keep my job. And ... well, to be honest, I think I'm barely alive right now! Hey guys, thanks so much for checking in on me! I've been crazily busy with work and exercise I've had no energy left at the end of the day to update my challenge! It's basically home, eat, shower, sleep for me right now. And the mornings are wakeup, eat, work or wake up, gym, work. And I took my students on a trekking study trip over the weekend, with no internet, so didn't get to report back in either. But I've managed to keep track of my challenge, which will be reported in the next post.

Wow, I'm almost identical in height, weight and number of horizontal rows as you! I can't do a pull-up, neutral grip pull-ups or chin-ups yet either, but I really want to one day, and am training for it too. I only started training for it at the end of June and I was hoping to get a pull-up by the end of the year. Hahaha ... But after seeing everyone's replies, I guess I need to be more patient!

The points system seems like a good way to do the challenge. I found that I was getting a bit stressed during my first challenge, wanting to complete everything and not fail. I may have to try this in a future challenge (can't be bothered figuring out how to apply the points system right now, so will stick to the old method for now). Will definitely follow to see how you get on and what ideas I can get from it, too. All the best for your challenge!

Wow, I love your stories and aspirations! Following for sure. Can I just give my penny's worth: I think shadow boxing also deserves some DEX points (but only if you want to, of course).

Hey there, and welcome! Chun Li is awesome! I'm sure you'll do great just like her.

Hello! Right now my flexibility is so poor I can only kick to about waist height (for the roundhouse), so I would love to kick higher. Being able to kick someone in the side of the head would be the ultimate achievement, but right now, getting up to chest height would be ace! If (no, when) I manage that, neck would be next, I guess. Yes, for now, I will punch someone in the face! Later, maybe kick someone in the head.