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ASA POND, HBIC We have the heroes of the world and then we have the saviors: Basically, I just want to embody them and own it.

Last challenge was kind of a bust. At least as far as consistency and forum participation went. The last three weeks were absolutely crazy. Week 1 involved working from 6:30-23:30 for 9 consecutive days. Week 2 involved travel to Louisville, and week 3 involved travel to Chicago. All three weeks were actually fairly enjoyable, but left limited time for the gym. During those three weeks, I did manage to hit a 510/231 squat for 2, a 315/143 bench press for 5, a 675/306 trap-bar dead lift single (only possible by the rare convergence of a trap bar and interlocking 45 lbs plates that take up much less space than most plates. I still ran out of space on the trap-bar.), and a 585/265 straight-bar dead lift for 5. And then I was challenged to run a half-marathon, and for some reason (I plead temporary insanity) I agreed. The only partially rational explanation is that I do want to cut some weight anyway. And so, the goals for this challenge: 1. Reintroduce running to my life. This will start slow and easy, but the half-marathon isn't until April. I'm going to do cardio at least 3x/week, running at least 1x/week and improving either time or distance each week. By the end of this challenge, I'm going to run a mile in less than 10 minutes. (Watch out Galen Rupp!) 2. Track what I'm eating. I was doing really good at this, and then I got really bad at this. Everything I eat needs to be put into MFP BEFORE I eat it. I cannot 'log it later.' 3. Get stronger (according to Wilks, at least). I just need to finish the half-marathon. It doesn't need to be fast. I'm aiming to lose fat and keep as much muscle as possible. My total might drop (no more than slightly, I hope), but I"m striving to keep my Wilks score above 400. 4. Submit chapter 3 of my dissertation. I know I've said it before, and it hasn't happened, but now I have a hard submission date: October 1. So it is written, so it shall be.