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Goals for this challenge are the following, in no particular order: Put 100mi on my new bike Climb at least one mountain Finish reading The Zone and Practical Programming for Strength Training Start reading Anatomy Without A Scalpel Hold a handstand for 30s Increase my 1-rep max for overhead squat to 225# Fix my front rack so that I can front squat without re-injuring my chest Re-attain my previous strict pull-up PR of 20 I know, my challenge posts are boring wish me luck!

Finally recovered enough to come in and say that I successfully biked the C and O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage (plus some odds and ends in D.C.) for a total of 354.6 miles over the course of a week! We went the so called "hard way" by doing the 23 mile 1800ft climb from Cumberland to the Eastern Continental Divide, and it felt like a freaking huge achievement. Will post pics later of my loadout and such. If I had to do it again, I think I'd try to change around my meals a bit because I did all big hearty meals like I do for my hiking trips. On top of that, I carried extra water because being my first time on that trail I didn't want to risk being without. Those two things added so much weight, plus most people do a bed and breakfast every night and we camped, so I had the gear for that too. Still, I definitely loved it and if anyone on here does any bit of cycling and hasn't done some kind of long distance yet, I'd definitely say try it!

As I looked back at my life, I realized that I had never really put in effort. Not just toward fitness, but toward anything. I had spent 24 years coasting through life on my cleverness. But not anymore. Not after what happened yesterday. I was sitting in my comfortable home in the village when I saw smoke rising in the distance. There was way too much smoke to be just a campfire. I started running. Forest fires are terrible things if they get out of hand, and it was up to everyone to do their part to prevent them. Unfortunately, I was terribly out of shape and was panting and had to slow down to a walk before long. I swore at myself. "If this is bad, it's your fault. If you could run further you might have been able to stop it." I hadn't even seen what was going on yet and already I was blaming myself. So I forced myself on as fast as I could, jogging when possible and walking when I was too tired. Once I covered the ground I saw that there seemed to be some kind of fight going on. A group of all kinds were fighting against a dragon. Despite their numbers, they kept being driven back. But no matter how many times they fell down they kept getting up. Some of them had grievous wounds and I was amazed at their perseverance. After I stood and stared for a while one of them noticed me. "We could use a little help, you know," the stranger said, with the slightest smile on his face, as if this were just another day. At this point I realized that I knew nothing that could help them. Faced with a life or death situation, I realized that my quick wit had absolutely no value. Filled with embarrassment that I was of no use whatsoever, I hung my head. I think the stranger knew what that meant, because he went back to fighting the dragon. Shortly after this, the beast was slain. Knowing basic first aid I tried to help tend to the wounded. I was amazed that despite the fact that I had done nothing to help these people seemed to accept and encourage me. After a short time the stranger approached me. "I'm so--" I started, but the stranger cut me off. "There's no need to apologize. Everyone starts somewhere. Just promise me one thing." "What's that?" "The next time you find us, come prepared." I nodded, and he walked away. The people were all leaving, most of their own accord. The ones who were having trouble were being supported by others. I was a truly inspiring site. When I got back to my village I learned that those were the fabled guilds. I had always thought that they were separate and that there was great competition between them but I learned that when it was necessary they would work together flawlessly, putting any and all animosity aside for the greater good. So today when I woke up, I started to develop a plan. A plan to get into shape. A plan to be able to both cover distance quickly and have the strength to fight afterward. Eventually I would pick which guild I wanted to join, but for now I just had to get started. But I had learned from others' mistakes: I knew I had to start slowly. So here, written down, is my plan. MAIN GOAL: Run a Tough Mudder A friend of mine is trying to convince me to sign up for one in September. I'll decide at the end of this challenge if I want to sign up for that one or wait a while before trying one. I'd also like to lose fat and gain muscle, but that will come with the training. The first thing to do is to stop poisoning myself. Diet Goal: Drink Less Soda Week 1,2: <=4 sodas/week Week 3,4: <= 3 sodas/week Week 5,6: <= 2 sodas/week The second thing I need to do is learn how to cover any distance. Fitness Goal: Ride My Bike Week 1: Ride my bike one-way (to or from work) once Week 2: Ride round-trip once Week 3,4: Ride round-trip once, and one-way once Week 5,6: Ride round-trip twice The third thing I need to do is gain speed, so I can cover the distance quicker. Fitness Goal: Sprint Week 1: Beep test Week 2,3: Sprint workout once Week 4,5: Sprint workout twice Week 6: Sprint workout twice + beep test Grading for all goals is the same: A for all 6 weeks on target B for 5 weeks on target C for 4 weeks on target Starting Stats (as of 4/16/14) Height: 5'7" Weight: 156.6 lbs. Neck: 15.125" Chest: 39.875" Waist: 34.5" Bicep: 12" Thigh: 21.5" As I looked over my plan, it seemed like it could work. Next time, I'll be ready.

Main goal: Still aiming to be Ezio! Challenge Goals: Do Bodyweight Workout Level 2 3x a week Continuing at Level 2 – I would like to improve several areas more before I move onward. 3/week: A, 2.5-3/week: B, 2-2.5/week: C, 1.5-2/week: D, 0-1.5/week: F Run or Bike 3x a week Having learned how much is too much last time, I’ll go with a combination of run and bike to keep up with cardio of some kind. I’ll be continuing with the Couch to 5k style program (currently running Week 4 but that’s probably going to last a month.) 3/week: A, 2.5-3/week: B, 2-2.5/week: C, 1.5-2/week: D, 0-1.5/week: F Mobility training 10 minutes per day This is everything from jumping rope, to jumping up stairs, shuttle runs, etc. This is basically all the bits of being an Assassin that I haven’t yet worked on. 6: A | 5: B | 4: C | 3: D | 2: F Life Quest Make progress toward getting a job. I graduate at the end of May, and I don’t yet have a job lined up afterward. To that end, I’ll be spending time working toward this through three goals: Get business cards and leave-behinds done – My portfolio and resume are done and I have practiced writing cover letters enough that I am comfortable with them, so these two things are all that is left. Network (ICFF) – I am with the group exhibiting with my school (SCAD) at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York in May, and this will be a phenomenal time to network with companies. Apply to three companies - This means I need to actually look in to places I want to work, and send out my info.

Do you have a bike gloves that you can use with iPhone? If so, could you tell me where I can get it? Thanks!

From my previous challenge: As some of you know, this April I am becoming 40, so in full mid-life-crisis mode, I am training for a Half Ironman distance triathlon (that's 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run, in under 8:30 hrs), which I hope to accomplish in time for my birthday, I am running the RAGE Las Vegas Half, on April 12th. Based on free online plans, with some help from a coach, and some tweaking to allow for life to happen, I came up with this Awesome 70.3 plan, I'm currently on week 5, so this challenge should bring me right into the race, (one week after the end, hence the 7-week thing!). Challenge Goals: 1. Swim, Bike and Run, according to plan 2. Finish RAGE Half triathlon, goal is under 7 hours, but anything before cutout (8:30hrs) is still awesome. 3. Setup a plan for the trip, I'll be travelling with the whole monkey family (wife and two little monkeys), and it is going to be our "main vacation" for this year, so the race is just the beginning, in the past I've set up spreadsheets, found coupons and made reservations which resulted in great vacations, no reasons not to repeat that again. I will not add points this time again, it makes little sense to me and the main focus is to actually train and plan the trip!!

Day 1: I've outlined my goals in the level 1 rebels forum, but basically I want to build muscle, (cardiac and body). I've been Paleo since January 2nd (really January 3rd, but I made my decision on the 2nd). I just finished my Beginner Body Weight Circuit, I've still got all the basic amounts for reps, except plank, I'm up to 20s. Today felt like I needed to force myself to do the workout. I guess I'm just not a morning person. Now I need to get breakfast Brunch. Any Suggestions? Eggs are always an option, but I want to see if there are any other suggestions of food for me to try. Paleo has really given me the motivation to cook for myself. Signing off BludEvil

Happy New Year everyone! I'm back again to give it another shot. The last challenge I kinda broke even, this time I want to get straight A's! I am revisiting some of my failed tasks and adding others. My primary goal last year was to lose weight. This year I still want to lose weight but am also recording body fat % and aiming at a loss of 5%. I have no idea how realistic that is but do feel like I have at least 10 kg more weight to lose which is now more than 10%of my total weight so if I can do that then I can lose the fat. I realise it won't happen over the next 6 weeks but my tasks will help me achieve my goal eventually. 1. Ride 300km Previously I have aimed to do a 50 km ride in a challenge but I haven't achieved that and now realise that I am better off aiming to ride more often and more consistently in order to make a bigger difference. 2. Mediate for 5 minutes a day 5 days a week. 10 minutes was far too ambitious last time for someone not used to the process at all. I now know what to expect and feel confident of success in this task. 3. Strength training twice a week. I suck at this task. I have this weekend to come up with the program I will do and schedule it. No more excuses. 4. Lights out by 11pm 5 nights a week. I set this as a task on the Lift app last year and achieved it 44 times. That's woeful!!! I need 7 hours sleep a night in order to improve my chances of success with my other tasks so this is crucial. I will edit this with scoring and points during the day when I am on my computer.

So, after some time away, I am back! and with a plan. As some of you know, this April I am becoming 40, so in full mid-life-crisis mode, I am training for a Half Ironman distance triathlon (that's 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run, in under 8:30 hrs), which I hope to accomplish in time for my birthday, I am running the RAGE Las Vegas Half, on April 12th. Currently, I've only ran sprint distance triathlons, so it's a HUGE goal, I've trained continuosly for over a year now (!), but I could really use a plan to make sure I make it, so here it is: Awesome 70.3 plan I will not add points this time again, it makes little sense to me and the main focus is to actually train!

Hi, I've come up with my shtuff for my first challenge. (As well as some personal background on myself). My main quest is to build muscle, of the cardiac and...well...normal kind. I've really never been super active. I sit in front of my computer when I'm at home, just kinda browsing the internet. I play lots of music, which doesn't really qualify for exercise, and i'm a full-time student in Engineering. I found NerdFitness on January 2nd, while searching for a way to get into this "exercise" biz. I'm a complete novice, so I didn't want to just show up to the gym, wander around aimlessly and embarrass myself. I've created three goals for myself: I'm going to stick to the Paleo diet (maybe not beer - That's a major part of my lifestyle as an Engineering student) for 6 weeks (the length of this challenge). If I succeed and I don't find myself craving sugar and grain anymore, I'll keep with it. I will complete the Couch to 5K running plan, which means I'm going to run 5km without stopping. I've never been a great runner. I have crappy endurance, mostly due to my asthma as a child.I'm going to complete the beginner Body Weight Circuit with at least double the reps (seconds) as the basic.​40 Squats​20 push-ups40 walking lunges20 dumbbell rows (With bigger dumbbells)30 second plank60 Jumping JacksMy Life Goal is to ask a girl out (as tough as that is being in engineering). Hopefully I'll have gotten into my first relationship by the time this challenge is over. Signing off BludEvil

I'm not much chop on coming up with snazzy thread titles or terribly imaginative thematics for my challenges. I'm just glad to be turning up for every challenge and increasing my participation level each time. I am here to lose weight. I am losing weight while participating in the challenges as well as making changes to my daily life over and above the tenets of what I am laying out here. Well at least I did on the previous challenge so now I get to incorporate some of those changes into this challenge. Faster During the course of the previous challenge I began the 5:2 diet which is a type of intermittent fasting revolving around 5 "normal" days eating and 2 days of fasting (600 calories). I want to continue this and will rate myself thusly; 12/12 Fasts over the 6 week challenge = A 10/12 Fasts over the 6 week challenge = B <10/12 Fasts over the 6 week challenge = Fail Available Points Con 2 Wis 2 Longer I am a scout because I enjoy riding my bike for exercise and i enjoy riding it long distances. In the last challenge one goal that I had was to do a 50km ride within the 6 weeks. I didn't achieve that so I am back again. 3 X 50km rides = A 2 X 50km rides = B 1 X 50km rides = C 0 X 50km rides = Fail Available Points Str 1 Dex 1 Sta 2 Stronger In the previous challenge I set myself the goal of doing 1 bodyweight workout over the period of the challenge and while I achieved that goal it's probably fair to say that the bar was set pretty low. If I want to make real changes to the way I look, feel, move and think then I need to ask more of myself. 12 X BWW = A 9 X BWW = B 6 X BWW = C <6 X BWW = Fail Available Points Str 2 Meditaterer I want to do something in terms of resting, quieting, helping my mind so this is what I am going to try. I have downloaded a couple of apps that people have big upped elsewhere on here recently and will attempt to do 10 minutes meditating 5 times a week. I have done it previously in very short bursts so if I am able to do 30 sessions over the course of the challenge that would be awesome. 30 X 10 minute sessions = A 20-29 X 10 minute sessions = B 10-19 X 10 minute sessions = C <10 X 10 minute sessions = Fail Available points Wis 2 Life Quest Connect/Reconnect I am a terribly antisocial person, well antisocial these days means something a little different so let's say that I am a terribly non-social person. Much like my current girth this wasn't always the case. I had a large circle of friends through school and for a few years after school I maintained most of those friendships. Then I kind of stopped being open to new friendships and got very lazy in keeping in touch with existing friends. I haven't really garnered any new friends over the past 20 or so years. I do have people who I count as friends but they have come through my wife's associations rather than mine and nobody that I would call up and say lets go grab a beer type of thing. That all sounds a little tragic when you write it all down but it's not as grim as it looks or maybe it is but I am just used to it. Soooooooooooo anywayssssssss this is by far the hardest task I have set for myself in this or any of my other challenges. Make contact with a riding group and go for at least 1 group ride and or call up an old friend = A Cha 2 The last bit seems like a bit of an overshare but i am happy with the rest of it. Edited to add Bonus Points Read a book I'm halfway through the 5:2 book and would like to read a "fun" book once I am done with it. I haven't read a book all year and last year my reading was focused mainly on baby, daddy stuff so I hereby declare 1 Bonus Point available if I can get more than 50% of the way through a book during the next 6 weeks.

After some deliberation whether to continue around here, I have decided for it, if anything, I've been positively benefited by so many around here, and there is still a long way to go towards my main goal, that I will stay around and continue to give sketchy advice and will keep on logging my progress, to share with all the nice people in this community. Main Goal Ironman Texas 2015 Still aiming for it, there is still a long way a lot to improve to be able to actually finish an Ironman, but the time is there IF I keep on pushing, long and hard. Main Sub-Goal (What?) RAGE Las Vegas Triathlon, Half Distance I will celebrate my 40th birthday in style, racing a Half Ironman distance triathlon. Don't be fooled by the "half" thing, it's a long, LONG race, 1,850m swim, 90k bike and 21k run, (1.2mi Swim / 56mi Bike / 13.1mi Run) in under 8 hours, the race will take place near Las Vegas three days before my birthday, and it will be a nice family vacation, with a week of mickemousing and Californiation after the race. Challenge Goals: 1. PLAN - Set up a training schedule and Actually FOLLOW it. 2. SWIM faster, I swim a lot, and I feel ready to swim the 1850m of the half, but I also swim slowly, so speed is the main focus, while distance will decrease in favor of other sports. I currently swim 400m @ 7:10, by the end of the challenge, I should be able to swim the same distance in under 7:00, sounds like a little, but it's actually hard!, specially considering goals 3 and 4 3. BIKE further. I have taken this lightly, now I have a road bike, and no reason not to ride it regularly, goal is to build up to a 90k ride by the end of the challenge, current longest ride is 70k. 4. RUN, I need to improve on my running distance as well, this is the scariest part of the tri (for me), so I should keep on building on distance, goal is to run continuously for 10k by the end of the challenge, current max is 7k. Life Goal: 5. Research and put together the vacation plan, scout for good deals, coupons and so forth. Bonus:

Unfortunately, the bike season is pretty much over for me, but over the summer/fall, I did a few scenic rides. I wanted to create/plan the route before going out, and as I'm riding, I wanted my iPhone to do the navigation. All those "tracking" apps like mapMyRide doesn't do a boo for navigation while riding. Cue sheet thing is pretty hard if the route is complicated. A regular car navigation apps like CoPilot, etc. works in some degree but it's geared toward moving from point A to B, and not meant to be good for scenic "go here and there" kind of navigation. So, I used "ridewithgps", and mapmyride web sites to set up the route, and create gpx or ctx file, and loaded it to dropbox, and then used "co-rider" last time. It was a frustrating experience as the co-rider kept thinking that I'm at the destination when I was at the start since the route was a loop. While riding, though I could not use the voice guidance, but the map moved along and worked OK. But, near the end, it froze, and sent me to the road I was not supposed to, because I did not realize the app froze. It's not necessary that the app is only for iPhone, but since you carry a phone - be it Android or iOS - I want to use it. My question is - what do you use for the bike navigation for rides? The secondary question is, how to secure the phone on your bike when you do the bike navigation?

I have been so focused on preparing for my upcoming cycling trip that I haven't been able to look beyond it. When I was thinking what was my goal between the trip and the end of the year, I came up blank. But I decided that I needed to still do a challenge this round because a) I'd get bored just hassling everybody else for the next six weeks and I suspect that when I get back from my trip I'd go into goal hibernation until the next challenge. So here I go with no concrete long term goals: GOAL ONE: food mantra: 'best possible food choice' I pledge that for the next six weeks I will ALWAYS make the best possible food choice. I won't be in control of the food that I will be eating while on holidays but I will always have some choices to make (I believe in free will). So I'm going to use all of the good food choices mantras to guide me in selecting the best possible food choices. GOAL TWO: exercise mantra: 'just keep moving' I am planning on moving EVERY day. This will be easy on holidays, what with cycling 80km per day + sight seeing etc. so this is more of a challenge for when I get back. I know I'll want to spend a few days (weeks) on the couch so Im hoping that this gives me some motivation. It can be anything, so walking the dog or doing 10 push-ups. GOAL THREE: 'try new things' I've been riding and riding and riding (and going to PT sessions) so I'm challenging myself to try six new things. I'm allowing anything that isn't bike riding or PT. I've been wanting to try Pilates or yoga for some time. I'm not committing to what the new things might be, I think that this may help any post trip stagnation and may lead to new goals next challenge. LIFE GOAL: 'just another travel blog' I have been very hesitant about whether I should do a travel blog. I'm still no 100% sure ill do it but I promise that I will look into what I need to do to set one up (I've never blogged) and I will endeavour to give it a go. I'm happy to get advice from bloggers . . . Ill make a summary post with the points in that I will update when I'm back from Sri Lanka. It is a bit vanilla, but it should give me some accountability over the next six weeks.

Hola Scouts! This is my 3rd challenge. My first was ok but I dropped the ball weeks 3,4,5. My second was good but I dropped the ball early on in terms of exercise but came home strong. My overriding goal is to lose weight. I want to get to 80kg, I am currently at 96.5kg, I was 103kg mid 2012. I don't expect to get to 80kg this challenge or next, probably more a 12-24 month type plan but in order to get there I need to start building healthier habits. I will exercise, I will, I will, will I? I have recently gotten back on my bike and have been really enjoying it so that is my go to cardio platform. I did a 30km ride on Sunday and was sore Monday but a good sore rather than a bad sore so I know that endurance rather than speed is what I need to aim at. I have put together a very basic cycling program which runs out this week so I need to sit down and plan the next 4 weeks in the next few days. 1a. I will complete 150 minutes of cardio per week 1b. I will do at least 1 50km ride within the next 6 weeks I will watch what I eat, not just watch but plan and track. I use myfitnesspal to track my food and amongst those who I am friends with on there I am known as #5 because my attention span doesn't seem to extend to 10 days and I am constantly showing up ion peoples feeds as having logged on for 5 days. I am sure that message has been sent out at least 20 times from my account. I also need to be aware of what I am planning on eating and not just recording mountains and mountains of garbage. 2a. I will record all of my food each day for the duration of the challenge 2b. I will limit my chocolate intake to under 60 grams per week 2c. I will not drink sugared soft drinks/soda/pop for the next 6 weeks I will find my strength and do some strength training. I have been avoiding strength training for some time now. I don't hate it but I don't love it. I need to pick something simple and easy because this has been an abject failure on my last 2 challenges. 3a. I will be able to do 30 pushups consecutively by the end of the challenge. 3b. I will pick one body weight work out from NF and complete it at least once during this challenge. I will work more betterer I am a procrastinator and it surfaces at work all too often. I will work through almost all of what I have to do but something in me wont allow me to clear everything off my desk. I always have at least one quote to attend to that will only get done once something else comes to me to replace it. It makes no sense and does frustrate me. 4. All quotes done within 60 hours --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know that challenge 2 looks like a lot but I am already tracking food and exercise on MFP so it is more about consistently doing it rather than having to start from the start. It's the same with the soft drink. I am currently 22 days without Coke so I want to keep that up for the duration of the challenge. This challenge is as much about maintaining what I have begun over the past 2 challenges as well as adding in more concrete goals to aim for. Thanks for taking the time to read this, Matt_72

I am a scout more than an assassin, I run, bike, swim, more than I flip, however I must be able to fly up the rigging and climb over obstacles undetected to reach my goals/treasure. As for zombies I prefer to stay in the shadows and sniping them off one by one, or leading them into ambushes to take them out in great number. Goals: Way of the dark: get up every morning and run 5 days week and swim 1; in order to become one with the darkness I have to train in it, so that means laying my stuff out at night and getting up at 4:45 am and go running and one morning a week get up and go swimming; (serious note, it's fall time, which means it stays darker later and gets darker earlier, so be smart out there, wear your bright colors and reflective gear and if you don't feel safe going down a certain part of road or neighborhood don't) Way of the shadow: it's impossible to hide in the shadows if you cast shadows yourself. The food choices at work are horrendous and the healthy options are $$$. So in order to build my treasure like a true pirate I'm going to bring my breakfast and lunch to work with me, which will save a few grand a year and also help me keep my calories in check which will help keep the weight off. In order to do this goal I have to work with my wife in setting up a weekly menu and stick to it. Way of Devotion: In order to do the things I want to do, I must do the things I need to do. I must devote a few hours a day doing the things I need to do to make life easier for the rest of us. Be it getting dinner ready the night before so I can throw it in the crock pot after I get back from running, or making sure clothes are out so life isn't so hectic in the morning when my daughter doesn't want to wear the clothes we picked out for her and have to scramble to find a new outfit. those are my three main goals. Other: Bike/Core, body weight work outs during my lunch at work, if I don't get up from my desk and physically leave the building they think I'm still on the clock and will try to make me work. So I'll be hitting the gym at lunch time Costumes for halloween; the plan is to push my daughters threw a halloween 5k, and my oldest came up with the idea to be superheroes so we are going to be working on our costumes for the race which is the last day of the challenge Upcoming challenges, Arsenal City 5k (17th year in a row w00t); YMCA Monsterdash, Troy Turkey Trot 10k, Hangover Half marathon

This is my 8th Challenge, I have gone a long way on my journey to the best version of myself, and have achieve things I thought would take a whole lot longer, but still, there is work to do, kilometers to be swam, ridden and ran, to get to my long term (fitness) goal: IRONMAN Texas 2015 (3900m swim, 180k bike 42k run), that's a huge goal and I know I have a lot to do. Currently I have swam 3700m in one session (pool), ridden 50km and ran 7k, so there is room for improvement. Last challenge I intended to improve on all three, and as much as my swim got longer (and better), my run/bike suffered a bit, and as much as I think it was great progress, I need to improve on all three sports to be an Ironman, so here it goes: Main Goal Ironman Texas 2015 Challenge Goals: 1. Just keep swimming: I've successfully joined the "master's team" (read old fart swimmers), and plan to keep on training with them, at LEAST three times a week, to maintain current swimming level. 2. Back to the road: Resume my running, run at LEAST two times a week, to be able, at the end of the challenge to comfortably run 10k on a regular basis. 3. Hey! There is a bike somewhere as well!: get back on the bike, no specific goal, just avoid neglecting it, so ride at LEAST four times diring the 6 week challenge (focus on the bike for the next challenge). Life Goal: 4. Biking with the little monkeys: Both of my kids know how to ride a bike, but barely, so motivate (and maybe push) them to actually use their bikes, specially little monkey #2. Bonus: 1. I will get a free month membership at a local gym (October), so give it a try, maybe some classes and stuff, or at least lift some heavy useless things, just for the sake of it. 2. Run a sprint triathlon in Manzanillo, September 22nd, already signed up, goal is to improve my previous time (1:52, in Puerto Vallarta). 3. Some sort of additional training, maybe hiking.

This is mostly a place holder for the scribbly paper based mess that will become my Main Quest and goals. Right now, I'm fighting a virus that has had me feeling low (eating crap) and exceedingly tired (maybe a little feverish too). I am going to go one more round with the adventurers as I'm not quite ready to let go the security blanket and join the rangers just yet. Ok, here goes the edit... Chapter 3: Main Quest: Comfortably complete 100km bike ride. October 20th. I have never ridden this far before. My best this year has been 80km. In the long term I'd like to do the entire Round the bay in a day challenge but not this year! My goals and motivation for this challenge are based around the title of a biography written by the greatest cyclist of the dodgy-est lying, cheating scumbag era there has been... It's not about the bike. ...and it's not. Sure, I have every intention of buying a lighter bike more suited to these rides before I do this but that won't get me over the line. It's about me. My training. My nutrition. My recovery. Goal 1: My training. I have a training plan. The last time I had a plan like this I did sweet FA of it and managed ok. I want to manage better than ok. This ride isn't as hilly as the last long one I did, but I want to enjoy it. That means serious preparation. Well, semi-serious at least. The total I am unlikely to reach is 23. Complete 3/4 of first 6 weeks of training plan. >18 = STR 2 & STA 2 17 = 3 16 = 2.5 15 = 2 14 = 1.5 13 = 1 12 = 0.5 Goal 2: My nutrition. CON 4 & WIS 1 The punitive system I had for this aspect of my last challenge really didn't work for me and the between challenge game over with the rangers got me thinking about why these have happened before... in order to prevent them happening again. So, the food choices remain the same. Good stuff - meat, veg, fruit, nuts, dark choc, dairy (not sweetened). Things that need attention: gluten, processed foods, sugar, alcohol, soft drinks, juice etc. You know the drill for trying to keep it a natural kind of clean... Each time I eat something that requires attention, it must get it by answering the following questions. Day, Date, Time What did I eat: What was I thinking: Describe current feelings - Physical: Describe current feelings - Emotional: What was happening around me: Note any effects of the food: I suspect this is going to be a pain in the arse, which will make mindless eating of crap no longer mindless. Food I reaaaaally felt I needed will provide data for unlocking cue and reward systems with my eating habits thus allowing for improved challenges and success in the future. 100% = CON 4 & WIS 1 90% = CON 4 80% = CON 3 70% = CON 2 60% = CON 1 My recovery. Adding way more cycling to my usual routine of 2 x PT, 1 x TKD & 1 x Yoga will need some attention to recovery. I need to take more care of my muscles than I remember to currently to prevent the painful, groaning zombie walk on waking. Yoga / Stretch / Foam roll / bath or spa after (immediately or next morning after) most exercise sessions. >30 = DEX 4 30 = 3 20 = 2 10 = 1 SIDE QUESTs: Me time Vs Screen time! Could be considered as part of recovery as both these lead to rest/sleep. "School" nights 5/7:9PM - electronic devices to sleep11PM - absolute latest for TV (I don't actually watch a lot but I should prioritise sleep and use catch up if I really want to see whatever is on). This will be easier now the Tour de France is finished but still problematic with the Ashes (although the Aussies should be all out by the time I want to go to bed!!) 30 = 1 CHA for being well rested. READ! 5/7 days15 minutes minimum outside work for pleasure (newspaper/fiction/NF/comics all acceptable if paper based). 30 = 1 WIS for like smartness ya know? There! Chapter 3 begun and publicly committed!!

My best effort (so far) to try and comply with the new rules of the rebellion: DA RULES Main Quest. Ironman Texas 2015 triathlon, that's 2.4 miles swimming, 112 mile bike and 26.2 miles running, all done someday in May, 2015, in under 17 hours. Specific (6 week goals) For the duration of this challenge I will: 1. Complete Xterra triathlon Tapalpa in under 2:30hrs, (MTB/trail sprint distance), august 4th. 2. Keep on training, increase my mileage to 15k continuous run, 60km bike, and swim 2000m in under 50 minutes. 3. Complete AT LEAST three brick workouts (either bike-run or swim-rum). Side Quest Get my tax situation fixed, I've been off the grid for a while and now my new job is, well, serious, I need to do a lot of things to get that done, but I should be able to issue receipts by the end of the challenge. Motivation Be the best version of myself I can be, to set up an example for the little monkeys, and to feel happier overall. Thread err, done? Team Not really a functional team, but "team quite good" is still as working just as good as it has ever been! Starting Stats: german, level 6 monkey scout Weight: 87 kg Longest run: 7.5k Fastest run: 5k in 30ish minutes Longest bike: 50k (road) 40k (MTB) Longest swim: 2000m, in 52 minutes Disclaimer: As opposed to 18ck, I am not ready yet to settle down a proper, structured set of goals, so please consider this a rough draft while I give it a little more thought.

Not exactly weight or fitness related but here it is, I am 19 years old and up to a few months ago i never knew how to ride a bike, i always wanted to learn but never did and I went out and spent hard earned money on this really nice brand new mountain bike. i learned to ride, i love it, i ride to work and back ( used to just walk its only about a mile away) and its something that im really happy about. woot! learned to ride a bike, now i need to find some bike trails to ride around on. and my second woot which even bigger, i got accepted into my school of choice! went to community college for a little out of highschool and i just got accepted into my school of choice in NYC. gunna take alot of hard work to make the commute and do well but its going to be so worth it. thanks for taking the time to listen to my woot.

This topic will follow my daily steps in how I change my bad eating habits and how I start doing exercice. Yesterday I bought a pull-up bar, and did 5 series of 2 pull-ups, 2 series of 10 pushups, 2 series of 30 abs but that was too much, even if I warmed up. I felt nauseous and had a headache, so took a 30 minutes nap and I felt better. I ate too much cheese, like 2 times a regular portion of it. On both lunch and dinner. Today I will restrain myself ! I ran about 10 minutes today and enjoyed it for the first time. It's because for the first time I ran on a purpose : Level up. Did some stretching too, and maybe I will try some yoga ? My girlfriend always told me it's good for my back ( which is weak due to lack of exercice, and as I'm tall, it's hurting often. ) and it's tempting. We'll see. I planned to take care of my bike, as I am fond of riding, especially in nature. I'm a fan of enduro MTB ! But I don't really have a spot around here ( Lille, North of France ) I can only ride and enjoy it in a park. Well, that's all for today

Well, here I am back for challenge number 6. I want to write a super cool one but I am in a hurry right now, and I am going camping with the kids this weekend, so I will come back and fix it. I have decided to run Ironman Texas in 2015, so I am almost two years away, but most of my training and goals will be somehow directed to this major goal. At the moment I have run two sprint triathlons, (and a super sprint), so there is a long way to go. Also, the camping this weekend is with my triathlon coach (we call him Yoda), so I may or may not change my goals depending on his opinion and plans for me. Goals 1. Train. make a training plan and follow it, I need to start increasing my mileage, add some intensity / speed work, and in general train more. (+2STA +1CON) 2. Lift. For real, this time, I have been avoiding strength training almost since challenge #1, and now it's REALLY important to change that. Plan to follow. (+5 STR) 3. Push Limits. So far, I've run 7.5k at most, and my longest race has been a 5k, or 5ks at triathlon, but Ironman is 42km, so, the bar must be raised ASAP, during this challenge I shall run 10k, preferably an organized race, and in less than 90 minutes. (+3STA +1DEX) 4. Life. I have to promote the firm I am currently an Associate of, so I must reorganize the dossier, and contact a lot of prospects, goal is to dedicate at least 4 hours a week, for the 6 weeks. (+4WIS) Starting Numbers: STR 12 DEX 3 STA 20 CON 13.8 WIS 15.6 CHA 7.8 Weight: 87k Edit: Added points and starting numbers.

Name: Hammlin Race: Wood Elf Class: Scout Attributes: Strength (STR): 15 Dexterity (DEX): 16.75 Stamina (STA): 17.5 Constitution (CON): 15 Wisdom (WIS): 18.5 Charisma (CHA): 16.75 Total: 99.5 Level 9 Goals (June 3 to July 14): Fitness/Diet Quests: 1. Hike all the things. For this challenge I am getting in shape to hike Long’s Peak with some friends at the end of summer. The only way that I can make this possible is by getting out and hiking some practice trails. I will try to vary which ones I do by mixing up duration, difficulty, elevation, etc. I have got to keep practicing if I am going to make Long’s a reality. 6 hikes= A 5 hikes= B 4 hikes= C 3 hikes= D 2 hikes= F Reward: (+2 STA +2 STR) 2. Speed Demon. I was selected to be a blog ambassador for the Esprit de She series of events. In exchange for writing about my training I was given a free entry to the Esprit de She 10k in Cherry Creek. Up to this point my PR for a 10k is 59:09. I am going to spend the next 5 weeks trying to best that. I will also be writing about my training. My scoring will be in relation to my write ups of my training. A PR of 58:50 or less will be equal to 2 Blogs. 6 Blogs= A 5 Blogs= B 4 Blogs= C 3 Blogs= D 2 Blogs= F Reward: (+2 CON, +2 STA) 3. Back on the Bike. I haven't ridden my bike but one time since I moved to Colorado, and that was an epic fail (I blacked out in an intersection- very embarrassing…) So, I aim to get back on my bike! Maybe someday I'll even have a go at a duathlon??? Who knows? 6 rides = A 5 rides = B 4 rides = C 3 rides = D 2 rides = F Reward: (+2 STR, +1 DEX) Life Quest: 4. Step it Up. For my life goal I am going to work through a step study to help address my food addiction. In my job we encourage people to use the 12 steps to address all sorts of hurts, habits, and hang-ups, and I think it’s time I work on this one for myself. I will do the whole study over the course of the 6 weeks, using the book “Power of Brokenness”. The hardest part of any step study is inventory, so that will carry the most weight. Steps 1-3 (Admission/Submission) = 15% Steps 4-5 (Inventory) = 50% Steps 6-9 (Amends) = 25% Steps 10-12 (Maintenance) = 10% Reward: (+2 WIS, +2 CON) TRACKING My Story (challenge history): 1. Wandering across the mountain ranges of the west, I came upon another wood elf, who was running through the tree lined forest. I tried to keep up, because I knew he was waiting for me, but nothing I did would keep me at pace with him. Eventually I slowed, to catch my breath and I lost him. Dejected and worn out, I decided to dedicate my life to keeping up with this other elf... 2. Sneaking through the woods I can feel my senses getting sharper and I begin to wonder if the elf that I'm following, is actually following me... 3. Catching my breath I slow my run as I approach a clearing. Did I get lost? I don't know where I am and the elf I had been following has picked up the pace. My mind... it's jumbled up... my thoughts are foggy... I need to focus. I'll stay here for a while, find my center, and then continue on... 4. After pausing in the clearing to refocus, I see what looks like a beaten down path off to my right. Have I been here before? Walking up to the path, it looks familiar, but overgrown. I take out my sword and slowly start hacking away the brush that seems to have grown in over the years. Yes. THIS is my path. 5. Following the path for what seems like a lifetime I suddenly find myself at the tree lined edge of a beautiful meadow. The sun in the sky that is glaring down on me makes me realize something glorious- I have made it through the woods! Over the hill I see the elf that I have been tracking this whole time. He is napping… This is my chance!!! 6. Running up to the elf that I have been following for what seems like forever, I find myself out of breath. As I slow down and approach him, I see him slow down and turn to me. I don't know if he knows that I have been following him, but I can tell by the look in his eye that he's ok with this. As we start to wander the forest together we notice that things aren't quite as bright and cheery as they were months ago... something is wrong... 7. As we continue to approach the edge of the forest we can feel something bearing down on us. Picking up the pace we stay laser focused on getting out of here. The night has grown darker and the forest is eerily quiet. The wood elf and I look at each other and begin to run. I can tell that the time where we have to battle is near and we really need to stay focused... 8. Standing on the front line, victorious, I wonder "Now what?" I ponder with wise words of a foreigner who taught my people to stay motivated when they feel like they have arrived. The skills I have learned in the past keep me pushing forward. I move confidently north, to find new lands. And that other pesky elf can come with me… 9. On the north side of the valley I see something far away that I can’t take my eyes off of. It almost looks like the mountain side is glistening and the sun is dancing with the peaks. I fall into a trance, staring off into the distance, as if I'm under a spell. A few minutes later I am able to snap out of it, but the lingering desire to see who, or what, had a hold on me begins to push me forward. Is some powerful mage up in the hills, drawing people to him? Or is someone sending out a distress signal, begging for help. All I know is the allure of finding out what is in those hills is forcing me onward. We have mountains like these back home, but I am far from that place, and out of practice. It will take some time to traverse these mighty giants, but I have no choice but to start…

My first 6-Week Challenge!! WOO!!1! Let's get right into the weeds. Triathlon Training 6/Week – 4 STA, 1 DEX I have laid out a triathlon training plan for the next few months before the On On Tri on Hilton Head in October. I've already done a Sprint Tri with no training (DO NOT RECOMMEND), so I want/need to be ready for this one so I'm actually competitive. This involves running, biking, and/or swimming once or twice a day depending on the schedule. It may or may not have been shamelessly stolen from beginnertriathlete.com >.< http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=46 https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=a48bcm4eoiklm1f8tpcrbakvi0%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York Now, there is a time management challenge hidden in there as well. There's plenty of time to get the run and bike in during my lunch break, just gotta pull my head outta my butt and do it. On top of that, my only window for the swimming is during lunch, so I absolutely need to make it there on swim days. The training happens 6 days a week, so I'll hafta get my butt up and out the house on Sundays, oh boy... Weight Training 3/Week – 4 STR This one is SMART, but vague... Strength training is Greek to me, and I'm still doing research, so the goal here is simply me going to gym 3/week for at least 30 minutes each time. The exact plan will be made over the course of the challenge, but I need to get there and pick things up and put them down. Free weights only, no machines. Simple (to say atleast >.<) Eat Paleo 5/7 Days a Week – 4 CON Weekend splurges. That's it. I've been doing pretty good right now transitioning with that standard, now I want to be completely committed to 5/7. This is with limited dairy and liquor being ok during the week (Think a yogurt/smoothie, and a glass or two of scotch/whiskey/wine a day) Also, financially I cannot afford grass-fed-free-range-smog-free everything, but I can still do meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, and sweet potatoes. Mmmm, sweet potatoes. Dine Out 1/Week – 2 WIS I'm allowed to pay for food prepared for me once a week. Period. I work at a bar on the weekend, and I can usually get some free food there, so I will not count that (Don't worry, fancier bar, sweet potato fries, mmmmm, sweet potatoes). The goal here is to cut down the financial burden of eating out. I'm losing out on saving up for some of my life goals because of my eating out habit, which would be fine except for that whole father-of-a-1-year-old thing. I want to be an example of sensible spending and health for my daughter. And I want a race car one day dammit. So, final stat increase will be: 4 STR, 1 DEX, 4 STA, 4 CON, 2 WIS, 0 CHA = 15 Points! I also want to take the time to make my house what I want it to be. Which means organized and decorated. Cleaning up my garage and office will be my free time endeavors. Lucky Me! I have a broken 87 Mazda RX-7 that has been sitting in my garage so long that it's turned into a shelf. Bad car geek. I would like to have an environment where I can comfortably attack fixing the old riceburner so I can get it back on the track. This will not be one of my challenge goals, but it is something I would like to have started before the next 6-weeker. Measurements and pics to come. Semper Fidelis

Alright! I am doing some research on panniers for my bike, and I was hoping someone had some that they really liked and would recommend. In an effort to live more sustainably, I will be riding my bike to the farmers market. The only problem is, I don't have any panniers, and I am not sure exactly what I need to look for in a good set. I would love to be able to tote my groceries, and maybe stop at the library for a book or two. Any suggestions? Any that I should avoid at all costs?