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I was perusing the west meetup and saw a post from red_queen about a 5k - the run scared (http://www.runscared5k.com/). It occured to me that if I had seen it earlier I just may have dropped $5 for the race (the run is for leukemia and lymphoma). NF's are a very caring and giving group, I think, and it would be a great way to show support to members, especially when theres a run (or whatever) in support of something that has affected my own life. Maybe a sub-topic under battlelogs, or woot? I also remember when my cousin was going through muay thai internationals and some of the fundraising they did (mind you I think that was grant work, but still) I believe races have a way of creating individual pages and can collect money there, for accountability. I know I'd rather give $5 than go buy a latte

Hello All my nf peeps! After having a blast on my first level 1 rebels quest I'm officially embarking on quest #2. I'm typing this from the ipad in my hotel room (I'm in NYC for training for my new job) so forgive the lack of formatting. This quest is all about doubling down. In quest number 1 I formed a habit of exercise and worked on pullups and waist size. This quest I'm going to double down. That's right, at the end of 6 weeks I'm aiming for: 1. 20 pull-ups 2. -2 inches off waist (putting me at 32) Quest 3 is a half marathon. I can jog 6 miles without too much difficulty, so 13 seems like a reasonable goal. I'll be running the moab half marathon ( http://www.moabtrailmarathon.com ). This challenge involves some serious ranger awesomeness. It's all about functional fitness.

Hi guys. My goals have generally been about mastering my own bodyweight via weight loss and strength training. On a whim I signed up for the Edinburgh marathon in May 2015 so it's about time I went running! I'm still questing after the pull up and full pistol squat so my quests will be a little mixed! Main Quest(s) Achieve a 12 mile run Complete a set of 10 pull ups with just one resistance band Mini Quests 1. Complete at least two bodyweight workouts per week 2. Complete at least one long run (>5miles) per week, aiming for weekly mileage of 20-25 miles/week 3.Complete one intervals session per week (sprintervals or hill sprints) Bonus number 4. Finish each week on MFP on or under calorie goal Grading will be pass/fail!

I signed up for next years edinburgh marathon this morning and immediately put it on facebook (and here) so I can't back out of it. Now I have a mixture of excitment, remorse and blind terror! I did a half in 2011 so I know I can cover a reasonable distance but I've not had that level of endurance since, although I can comfortably complete a 10k. I'm blaming the 20 second berserker article for this wreckless move! Do any rebels fancy joining me?

Anyone else participating in the WDW Marathon Weekend? I'm doing the 10k and my husband is doing the half marathon. I've never done a Disney race before, but my father-in-law ran the marathon for many years before injuring his hip. He's since had a hip replacement, and is going to run the marathon again this year! On a fake hip!

The main challenge for the year remains the Stockholm Marathon on the last day of May. The main challenge for this challenge will be to run a marathon distance over two days. Those days would of course probably be a weekend. The idea is of course to get used to the distance with just limited time for recovery to get closer to be able to run the distance in one day. Excercise goal 1 I want to run three times per week. It is needed to get ready for the marathon distance. It also helps as it will be a mix of long runs, fast runs and interval training to get in all aspects of running long. Grading. A = 3 weeks of 3 runs, B = 2 of 3, C = 1 of 3, D = 3 of 2, F = 1 of 2 Excercise goal 2 I want to do a weigh circuit three times a week. This is to help with running and to reduce risk of injuries. If I run more than three times a week, I allow myself to do as many fewer weight excercises. Grading. A = 3 weeks of 3 excercises, B = 2 of 3, C = 1 of 3, D = 3 of 2, F = 1 of 2 Excercise goal 3 Repeat from last time. Slightly different grading, but same effort to reach. 100K steps in a week. This includes steps taken while running. Grading. A = 2 weeks of > 100K, B = 1 of >100K, C = 2 of >90K, D = 1 of >80K, F = 1 of >70K Diet goal I have lost around 18 kg since August and want to continue losing weight. The last challenge ended with a weight of 77.8. I'd like to be below 75 after this challenge. No, it is not too aggressive, but I expect to start adding muscle as the excercise for marathon ramps up and I also think it will start to get harder to lose weight as I get lower on BMI/BF. The grading is for the weigh in on the day after the challenge finishes. Grading. A = < 75, B = < 75.5, C = < 76, D = <76.5, F = > 77 RESULTS Week 1 result: 1 run, 1 body weight circuit, > 70K steps, 77.0 kg. Grading -/-/F/F Week 2 result: 2 run, 1 body weight circuit, > 70K steps, 77.0 kg. Grading B/C/C/F Week 3 result: 3 run, 0 body weight circuit, > 95K steps, 77.0 kg. Grading A/F/B/F Week 4 result: 1 run, 2 body weight circuit, > 60K steps, 76.2 kg. Grading C/B/D/A Week 5 result: 3 run, 2 body weight circuit, > 70K steps, 76.2 kg. Grading A/B/C/C

Hello, Ducking in here to ask for some marathon wisdom for my boyfriend... he ran his first marathon today and "hit the wall" around mile 25. Was stumbling around the course, had to be taken off and made lie down by the paramedics. He got back up and walked the rest of the way but about 25 minutes after his target time (which he had been well on course for before that). Looking at his splits he did two 6-minute miles early on so I think he just didn't pace himself well... but is there anything I can say to help at this stage, or any good resources about pacing, in-race nutrition etc that I can point him to when he's feeling better? Thank you!

Let me preface by saying that it's been about 2 1/2 years since I've run my last marathon...so while the distance is not super familiar for me, but it's hardly a stranger. I'm a 36 year old father of two kids under the age of 5 who works full time & volunteers heavily . . . and I have a marathon lined up for April 12. In the past, I used to pride myself on being able to run a half-marathon "just because," and, in Florida, in January, I did just that - running the Disneyworld Half Marathon with little running training (because I live in Pennsylvania and my hatred of the dreadmill was stronger than the poor weather which didn't allow me to run outside). However, now I'm less than a month out, and other commitments are likely to limit me to one "long run" between now & marathon day. However, I do lift weights (squats, OHP, bench press, deadlifts, rows) 3-4 times a week. While I haven't been able to get out for a long run in quite some time, the runs I have managed (mostly between 6-13 miles) have seen me end with "plenty in the tank" and increasingly faster paces. Am I completely insane in thinking that, as long as I remember to "start slow & taper off," my current strategy of "lift often, run when time permits, but only run after I've lifted" might be enough to get me through the 26.2, even without long-runs planned?

Hello everyone! This is my second challenge. I will admit I took many peeks at the Ranger forums over the past challenge because it seemed like a lot of fun. I'm really happy to join. About me: At 5'10" I'm taller than most women. Not particularly muscular, but I think just based on my size and general fitness, also stronger than most. I think I'm pretty low maintenance and just "tough" all around. I'm mostly a distance runner, but also enjoy other types of exercise. I've called myself Xena to embrace the strength I think I have (in the best version of myself). (1) My main goal is to train for a marathon, which conveniently will be on the last day of this challenge! I’ve done a bunch of marathons, so I know what I'm getting in to (this will be my 13th state). I will be undertrained for this one (tough to be well-trained for a marathon in February if you live in New England), but I want to survive it as well as possible. Max 5 pts Stamina. Requirements: two runs over 15 miles, (will aim for a 20-miler, but weather may get tricky)150 miles total (would be better to have a lot more!).finish the marathon …unless there is a good reason not to finish (dangerous weather, injury, etc).(2) Strength and flexibility training…at least 20 min at least 3x per week. This is cross-training for me and can really be anything. Strength training will include progression toward pushups and assisted pullups. Goal to do 40 consecutive push-ups on my knees (I have a good training plan for this…will finish the progression with a litlte time to spare if I do the set every 3 days). Flexibility will include whatever yoga sequences I want to do…will try some yin poses while watching tv. Can substitute other cross-training (e.g., climbing gym or snowboarding). Max +2 STR, +1 DEX. Requirements: At least 20 min strength or yoga, 3x per weekComplete progression toward 40 knee pushups (every 3 days decrease rest) (3) Speed training… An 8 minute mile is currently a fairly hard (but manageable) effort for me. My goal will be to run a total of 15 miles at 8 minute pace (can be broken up…i.e., quarter mile repeats, or in bigger chunks as I get stronger and faster). This would be an average of 3 miles at pace per week. Can do on the road (luckily lots of measured miles around) or treadmill. On the treadmill, for this challenge, have to have the incline on 0.5 (ugh). I can finish this goal as quickly as I want (gives me something to race for!), and I need to finish it before the last week of the challenge (don't want to do speed work too close to my race). +3 DEX Lifestyle challenge: (4) Reform my coffee shop habit…this will be good for my wallet, waistline, and even the environment! Plan – one cup per day (if I want more I have to make it myself). Decaf or half-caf if possible. Bring my own cup (cheaper and less wasteful). No pastries or cookies. Allowable snacks…yogurt, quiche, small chocolate square, soup (or even better, bring food from home). Success will be meeting this goal at least 4 days per work week. +1 CON, +1 WIS +2 CHA Motivation: Competitive nature, vanity, health. Looking forward to running the marathon and knocking out my 40 pushups. Curious to see how I can work the mini-challenges into my overall goals. Overall Possible Points +5 Sta, +2 Str, +4 Dex +1 Con, +1 Wis, +2 Cha Progress and preparation so far... 1. Have recently done single runs up to 14 miles...weekly mileage will hit 25 this week, so should be able to tackle the minimum weekly mileage. 2. Gotten through my first two push-up workouts...able to 5x8 with 55s rest between sets...now just need to keep dropping the rest. 3. Tested out the 8 min mile pace on the treadmill with incline...did 1/4 mile, so I know I can at least chip away at this goal (distance doesn't count toward goal until the challenge starts...I'm just practicing). 4. Got through 2 work days this week with my coffee "ration" ...just gotta stick to it. Like drinking water (from last challenge), I know it is the right thing to do. I'll track my overall progress here: (as of 2/1/14) Total miles (of 150): 110.75 Runs over 15 miles (need 2): 2 Total miles at or below 8 min pace (need 15): 15 Cross-training (weeks with at least 3 times...need 6/6): 4 Best kneeling push-up set (need 40 consecutive): 25 Coffee-shop (weeks of meeting goal...need 6/6): 4

Primary Goal: To become the first space mermaid Goal 1: Reach for the Stars A hill training goal. The upper atmosphere is about 100 km (62.1 miles) away, so this is my distance goal. It’s ambitious, but I think it can be done. Also, training this way is going to make me a much stronger runner. I’ll be measuring distance traveled uphill, rather than elevation change, with the hand-me-down GPS watch I’ve recently acquired. Run, bike, walk up hills, every week. Total distance traveled over 6 weeks: A: 85-100 km+ B: 55-84 km C: 30-55 km D: 10-29 km STR +3 CHA +1 Goal 2: Boldly Go… Train for the marathon. I developed a training plan last challenge involving 3 running workouts, 2 bike rides, 2 strength + mobility training sessions, and 1-2 rest days a week. This goal is about sticking with the plan. Also, I’d like to complete an 18 mile long run before the end of the challenge. High Pass: 6-7 days on track Pass : 3-5 Fail : 0-2 STA +2 STR +1 DEX +1 Goal 3: Quality Provisions Prepare all the food I eat during this challenge. Stick to paleo foods as much as possible. Cook massive food supply for the week on Sundays. NO EATING OUT! HP/P/F CON +3 Goal 4: Prepare Mentally and Emotionally for Space Travel Study up on space stuff by reading the Hitchhiker’s Guide series. I know, I know, I haven’t done it yet. But I want to, so it’s a goal. HP 5/5 Books completed P: 2-4 F. 0-1 CHA +2 WIS +2 Side quest: Life, the Universe, and Everything (Search for Jobs): HP/P/F WIS +1

I started my fitness journey 3.5 years ago when I decided enough was enough. I had put on 40lbs of unwanted fat since high school due to laziness. I am married and had one kid at the time but gaming (World of Warcraft) was my priority. I was addicted and I later learned my wife was ready to leave me over it. So I went running. First run was 2 miles and was it ever TOUGH! But I stuck with it and kept running even though I hated it. I signed up for a 5K race and after that I was hooked. I actually started enjoying the runs and looking forward to them. They became an escape from the world. That year I raced a half marathon as well, following Nike+ training programs, and finished with a fast time (1:35). I had traded one addiction (gaming) for another (running) and haven't looked back. The next year I followed other programs such as Insanity and P90X. By then I had seen my body changing, losing the fat. I started realizing I didn't want to be a skinny runner either, so I started looking for strength training programs, found SuperHero Workouts and followed that for its course, all the while still running. My new goal was to become a super hero for myself and my family (I wanted to look like Captain America or Thor). This last winter I have been using StrongLifts 5X5 by Mehdi and been seeing my max for squats, deadlifts, and bench increase. I temporarily stopped running to get more rest and see more gains. I was thinking of joining his online community but it costs $30 a month. Then I found Nerd Fitness. I love the simplicity and the wonderful advice. I purchased the strength plan and want to follow it now for more muscle/strength gains. I have been reading the Nerd Fitness posts for over a year but only recently learned how to access this community and I look forward to getting to know you and working with you all to improve ourselves. I plan on following the barbell strength training and using a mix of running and some crossfit to continue improving my fitness. My wife is a nutrition fanatic so I have been working with her for years to improve and maintain a healthy diet. I did try out the GOMAD diet I learned about on Nerd Fitness for a couple months and used it to bulk up. Last year I completed my first marathon, as well as a Spartan Beast. I have decided never to do another marathon because it is contrary to my fitness goals, though I learned a lot from doing one. I will be doing another Spartan this year and hope to improve on my time of two and a half hours. I am in the best shape of my life, and want to be able to say that for the rest of my life. Sorry for the wordy intro, but thanks for the welcome.

Hello, My boyfriend is running his first marathon in a few months... as someone who dislikes running and has no ambition to ever do the same, I'm more than slightly ignorant on the subject. What can I do to support him during his training and the race itself? What did you partner do for you that was (a) awesome or ( sucked? Apart from waiting at the finish line with a blanket and some beer, that is

Wherein shall be recorded Kat Thorhammer's blundering journeys around the urban badlands she calls home, and associated adventures. Today (23/12/13): Box day at work (one of the heavy labour days) Barefoot sprints around the lawn to toughen feet and stretch out stabiliser muscles in lower legs Beginner body weight workout - one circuit only coz Box Day killed my whole self

'Sup Scouts? I'm the worst about actually finishing challenge, so in addition to my main goal, the meta-challenge is to actually finish this challenge. And I think I've finally figured out my main challenge... RUN THE 2014 BOSTON MARATHON (April 21, 2014) Now you're probably thinking that I'm crazy because people like my friend's marathon-running dad haven't qualified for Boston and I've only run 4 miles once. However, my university near Boston sponsors a Marathon Team, where everyone can run with the team and 100 people get numbers (the rest can do bandit, which I'll do if I don't get a number, unless I get injured. Priority goes to students about to leave and I'm a senior...so there's hope?) Anywho...challenge goals: Go to every marathon team run/interval training. I've been pretty bad about this for last few weeks, including this morning. It's Wednesday/Sunday runs and Tuesday interval training all in the morning, which (as a creature of darkness) is something I'm not a fan of. Run at least one other day during the week. Do this guy every morning. Modified a little bit because I live on the third floor of a very old college dorm where the walls are thin and I am self-conscious. I might drop this goal if I'm not seeing any sort of "Oh man I'm sure feeling awesome today!" results or something like that after a week or two. (Corollary to this one is getting up with my first alarm at 9:30. You'd think that wouldn't be difficult but you haven't seen my desire to not get out of bed.)The obvious exception to 1 and 2 is injury or illness, maybe if I have an exam late in the day, but midterm season is basically over so I'm in the clear. LIFE GOAL: Apply for at least one job every week Like I said, I'm a college senior. I took the FE a couple weeks ago and just handed in my term paper on Monday, so there goes all the things I said I would do before I started applying for jobs. The first one's always the hardest. Here we go...

So ... this past Sunday me, my wife and a few of our closest friends ran a little race in Chicago ... you MIGHT have heard of it, the Chicago Marathon, just a little 26.2 mile trot through a great city. Starr and I ran together the whole time. We managed a pretty fast front half with a 2:15:10 (10:19/mile pace). We kept a pretty solid pace for around mile 19 or so we started to struggle, and our time started to slow. Water stops became walking points, and it was a struggle to get started running again. If you've run the Chicago Marathon then you know that at Mile 26 there is a bridge/ramp to get you over the interstate and MAN was that a rough hill to climb ... it was so unexpected and steep compared to the others on the course. Starr wanted to walk it, but I won't let her. Something in me wanted us to finish together so we climbed it. We managed to finish ahead of our goal time of 4:50 with a 4:42:02 (10:45/mile pace) for me and a 4:42:04 for Starr. This slays my Disney time by almost a full hour! So I'm happy with it. You can see my splits and finish info here Thankfully our recovery went well, and we managed to see some of the city over the next few days.

LEVEL 0: Inaugural Battle Log Entry achieved! We need badges for this stuff, lol. Started the Angry Birds workout after a 15-minute warm up walk/jog earlier this morning (around 12-midnight) at 24-hour fitness. Though I've read Steve's email articles about being able to do all natural, gym-free workouts at the park, it just doesn't sound like a good idea after getting off of work at 1AM. I also have to be courteous about any Zumba/kinect/P90X workouts at night since I live in a small apartment complex. I may consider morning workouts, but I am nocturnal and usually don't go to bed until 5AM. This is open for alteration in time too... I did happen to see a list of morning classes, which would give me motivation to get out and lock into "zombie" mode since all I'd have to do is get out of the car and follow whatever the instructor is saying in class. EXCUSES, EXCUSES: If I get these out here, then someone will be able to chime in on how to make it so they're not excuses. I'm currently on a swing shift (M-F, 3PM-11:30PM) and have a lot of new hires, so training is amounting to overtime past midnight. Thursdays, I clock in at work at 9:30AM because I do choir stuff with the spouse at 7PM. Every other month, I'm also interning at the lab in the effort to earn my CA MLT licensure (so in October and December, I will be doing 16-hour shifts... I do not how how to fit working out without short circuiting myself during these months). The plan: continue the every-other-day Angry Birds Workout. In between, do light cardio/swim/something at the gym to get the most out of the membership. Just being able to set a routine will be good enough for now. I don't want to mention any more on the plans, other than to log what I did every day. In conclusion, the objectives are: Continue the every-other-day Angry Birds Workout until I 3-star the last levels. I am using the spreadsheet listed on Steve's blog entry. Go to the gym on a daily basis, even if it's only for 30-minutes. My form of keeping on track is to use the Yelp check-in: quiktekk.yelp.comThey say it takes 40 days to change a habit. Once I'm able to perform these two goals successfully for 40 days, I will move onto Level 1 and update the objectives (if necessary). For all I know, I might still be struggling to complete these in October (especially with the internship).

I haven't participated in a challenge in a while. I'm a runner that decided to do only other things besides run for a long while, only to discover I missed running.... a lot. So, after a lot of thought, I've decided to chalk it all up to side quests of life and get back to my main quest for a while. Main Quest Run an ultra marathon. Particularly, the North Country Trail Run 50 miler. Before that though, I need to advance to and beyond the full marathon stage. This will be my training focus. Mission 1 Run 4x a week (M W TH S) - long run on the weekend. Focusing on running for a solid time frame for the next six weeks to build endurance back up after a long while off. I will be participating in 3 virtual races during the duration of this challenge (these might be partially walked - especially the longer distance one I had planned) Mission 2 Maintain activity on rest days, whether it be walking or some form of light strength training Mission 3 A very important mission for the sake of the main quest. Absolutely, under no circumstances should I consume foods that are known to trigger my migraines. This list includes - Wheat - Dairy - Soy - Alcohol - Fake Sugar I'm currently following the Whole30 program & I expect to maintain that with the addition of more sweet potatoes for post workout fuel. Life Side Quest This is embarrassing for me to admit, but we've had a mountain of clean laundry that gets cycled through repeatedly but never gets put away for the last 4 years - there's three of us in the house... I mean MOUNTAIN. My side quest is to conquer the mountain this challenge period. That's it. It sounds small: it is not. Accountability I blog! Fancy that! hehe. http://runningpaleo.com Motivation My boy. So someday we can run together & he won't have to worry about me not being there for him because I wasn't healthy enough.

I don't know how many "Hi, my name is Vanessa, and I'm new here" posts I've filled out. With some grit, this will hopefully be the last one, since I plan on sticking to getting and staying healthy. I've been battling the whole weight loss thing for awhile now, and like many of us here, started some program, only to bail out at the site of the first obstacle or interruption. This is extremely frustrating, since I seriously considered military life in high school, was awarded a 4-year army scholarship after graduation, had spent a year training with Army ROTC's Ranger Challenge team, was given 2-months time to meet the height/weight/BMI cutoff, only to lose out due to a tape test. I think this is the first time I've readily admitted it. I am horrible at sticking to any routine and am lucky to just make it to work everyday. Sad, I know. We just recently had a heath and fitness screening at work (note: I work in a lab and am on my feet/briskly walking around instruments for 9-11 hours for 5-6 days of the week). After getting the results, I realize that I haven't improved much from last year and am in need of help in just leading a more active lifestyle. Here's my stats from Friday (8/30/13) with the optimal goals set by Provant - the health screening people: Measurement / My Results / Optimal Score Total Cholesterol / 125 / <200 mg/dL HDL Cholesterol / 56 / >60 mg/dL TC/HDL Ratio / 2.2 / <3.5 LDL Cholesterol / 58 / <130 mg/dL Triglycerides / 56 / <150 mg/dL Glucose / 87 / <100 mg/dL fasting Blood Pressure / 132/86 / <120/80 mm Hg Body Fat Percent / 34.8% / 21-32.9% for F/20-39y.o. BMI / 32.7 kg/m2 / 18.5-24.9 kg/m2 Waist Circumference / 37 in. / <35 for women Hb A1c (diabetes screen) / 5.3% / <5.7% I'm not far off, but honestly, I know I could be more fit than what our insurance premiums dictate. My goal is to be able to complete a half marathon before I'm 26 (giving me a little under 13 months until my next birthday), and a dream goal of participating in a triathalon before I turn 30. Unfortunately, there's no Couch-2-Triathalon app. Hopefully, working towards these goals eliminates fixating on numbers above. For starters, I recently sprinted/jogged/walking the Color in Motion 5K two weeks ago in San Diego... in Vibrams! I'd like to get that same "YEEAAHH! I COMPLETED SOMETHING!" feeling again and again. As for things I bring to the NF table: I enjoy sharing my day and listening to others share theirs... I'm extremely talkative on the interwebs, but in real life am quiet and enjoy listening to people. This often is mistaken for being anti-social... it's just my inner nerd being introverted, 'sall! I'm open minded to the point of being gullible sometimes, but this makes for a fun workout partner that likes focusing on the goal without judging. Anywho, now to start sifting through the boards and finding the "starting line"... let me know where I should go first!

Main Quest: Run a sub-three hour marathon at the 2013 Chicago Marathon (2013-10-13) ​Follow the Hanson's Marathon Method pacing guidelines religiously:​Recovery: 8:43 - 8:28Easy A: 8:10 - 7:56Easy B: 7:36 - 7:23Long Run: 7:17 - 7:05Tempo Workouts: 6:29 - 6:4010k pace: 6:07 - 5:575k pace: 5:52 - 5:42Speed Workouts:1600m Repeats: 5:501200m Repeats: 4:20800m Repeats: 2:55600m Repeats: 2:10 - 2:14400m Repeats: 1:25 - 1:30Strength Workouts:1 Mile Repeats: 6:20 - 6:301.5 Mile Repeats: 9:30 - 9:452 Mile Repeats: 12:40 - 13:003 Mile Repeats: 19:00 - 19:30Do 15 to 20 minutes of stretching, not including post run stretching, each dayDevelop and follow a core workout routineLife Quest: Become a USATF certified (Level 1) coach Attend level one training coursePass certification testMotivation: To push myself beyond all limits and inspire others by showing them what can be accomplished with some hard work.

Main 3 Goals Increase runningCross trainIntermittent fastingLife quest Increased RunningThis is about my passion. In my early years of being active - a long time ago - running was something I thought was probably a boring activity and wondered why any one would do it - let alone actually enjoy it. So fast forward to my the past three or four years of my life and I have a passion for running. So much so that I did zero cross training. I just ran - run Forest run. I didn't think I needed to cross train. If you have read some of my other posts you found that I need to cross train. I started getting the typical runner's injuries. I am now on the mend and can enjoy my running again. This was a short pause in my running while I trained in other activities to recover. So this goal of Increased running comes with cross training. Without it, my time in running will come to an end. Cross TrainingAhhhh. To cross train. Similar to running I wondered why anyone would like to do it. While I don't have the same passion for cross training, I do have the passion to do cross training so I can run. It's all about the running for me. My challenge her is to get better at a more methodical approach. I have some good cross training activities like swimming, cycling, and strength training. I particularly need to get more regimented in the strength portion. Intermittent FastingThis goal is to help me lose weight for..... you guessed it... so I can run more. I want to run a marathon in May of 2014 (will be at least a 1/2 but want the full). I have run the half marathon in Cincinnatij known as the "Flying Pig." My current weight at the beginning of this challenges was about 198 pounds. I had started the fasting before the challenge and had already lost 2 pounds. I want to get down to the low 180's for the marathon. Life quest - Follow 10 Scouts This is pretty simple. I want to follow 10 scouts and post every week on all 10 providing encouraging comments. Hope to get like feedback. ============= Schedule============= Schedule for increased running and cross training Week 1 10 miles (include intervals 1/2 x5) Dropped intervals because calf muscles tight from a fast 5K last Saturday. Cross train - upper body Week 2 12 miles Cross train - Abs Week 3 run 15 miles Week 4 run 10 mile (Include intervals 1/2 x5) Cross train upper body Week 5 run 15 miles Cross train abs Week 6 bike 60 miles run set of intervals 1/1.5 x5 Intermittent fasting to continue weight loss 8 by 16 hours 7:00 pm to 11:00 AM Edit for a couple of changes:1) fix title to include my name2) Didn't change any distances yet, but calves are super tight after a 5K on 7/27. May not be able to do the running. Will mix in walking if needed and may have to lower the distances until my calves recover. BUT hoping recovery is going to be fast. 7/30 EDITS. Changed formatting after reading some other posts and realized mine was pretty bland. Also embellished some to on why I am doing what I am doing. I am doing grading a spreadsheet.

Main quest: participate in a Spring marathon 2014 I need a big goal to help keep me going and keep me committed to my running. I'm still in the throws of major lifestyle change (lost 52 kg in the last year and want to lose an additional 15kg) and in order to keep steady I need concrete goals to work towards and motivate me. I want to be hardcore both physically and mentally. The marathon signifies both to me. The dedication and effort that goes into practicing and preparing as well as the pain (hope not!) and determination that is required to complete it is a perfect blend. While challenging myself with this I want to keep up my committed ashtanga yoga practice (6 days a week) both as a way to keep my sanity and pleasant demeanour (not before 5am) and preventative to avoid injuries. I've chosen not to include any ashtanga related missions in this challenge. Mission 1: do 1 speedwork session per week in order to start picking up the pace. This can be hills, intervals, tempo or fartlek. Anything that gets those extra bursts of speed and plonks me out of my favourite steady shuffle. This mission contributes towards increasing speed generally which is important since the cut-off time for the marathon I'm interested in is 5 hours. Mission 2: do 1 long run of at least 14km per week. The mission ensures that I consistently do long runs as part of my base training. It is a stretch goal because a convenient long run for me is 10 - 12 km but I want to go he extra mile! Mission 3: take rest on the days of the full and new moon. I'm terrible for taking rest. But rest is important! At the moment I take practically no full rest days. I'm trying to establish a habit of complete rest on Moon Days. There is traditionally no yoga and I also need to abstain from running. It's only 2 days a month but it feels like a mammoth task!

main goal: it's a sort of longish term goal, run the Big Red Run next year summer. sub goals: 1 - follow the marathon schedule in RK as planned as close as possible. i'd like to say 100% but that's not gonna happen as life does get in the way sometimes. 2 - go to bikram yoga at least once a week, if possible twice. it's great for injury prevention. 3 - no scoping PB straight from the jar or on toast, only when it's in a recipe i can use it. the PB one is the hardest one for me, afraid i'm addicted to that stuff. but i can sure loose some fat so that will be a nice bonus to those goals, it's not a goal in itself at all. life goal: study for actuarial exam RE7, exam end of october. ================================================== wishing all nerds a great 1st challenge!!!

So, I am running my second 5k tonight (with a heat index expected of 93 degrees...) and planning two more this year. After thinking about it this morning, I decided to make a plan for myself. Next year, I want to run a few 10k races. The year after that, I want to be in a couple half-marathons. The 3rd year, I want to run a full marathon. Is this a pretty reasonable goal, or am I setting myself up for failure with the time-line? I ran in high school (15 years ago...) and most of my races were 3 miles. I am regularly running (4 days a week) 2-3 miles. I am still overweight, but it's coming down (16 lbs. lost over the past two months). Any thoughts and recommendations would be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in advance. Climb Climb Climb to the top of the world. And as you stand tall, you will see... That when you fall... You will fall from a height most men will never reach. ~The Fall by The Protomen

My mission: to run the Marine Corps Marathon and not get picked up by the sag wagon (~12 min/mile). Goals: Run 5 miles at least 3 days a week Do a hill run at least one day a week Cross train at least 1 day per week Do a long run each weekend

Another challenge is upon us! Time flies... SO last challenge I had set a goal of running the Red, White and Boom 1/2 Marathon on the 4th of July. I've determined that I'm not going to be ready for that race. I finally started runnning off treadmill and holy crap am I not ready. Since my real and ultimate goal is the Twin Cities Marathon in Oct, I decided that I am just going to stick to my plan and not try to work harder to prepare for the 1/2 in the next month. The chance for injury and such is not worth missing the marathon this fall. If I can find a relay partner I'll happily run this as a relay - we shall see . I'm having trouble with this challenge and setting the right goals, But here goes... Update - I've made a plan that I'm comfortable will work - here it is! GOAL 1– 90% Compliance with my running plan. HOW: I'll be following a "just to finish" Full Marathon plan. This involves running on Tues/Wed/Fri and long runs on Sunday. The plan calls for 2 easy runs, 1 med run and 1 long run per week. Runs will be logged in the spreadsheet. This will simply be based on how many runs I complete from that schedule over the next 6 weeks. I've also joined a running group that starts in early July - so toward the end of this challenge - and those runs/schedule will be added to the plan as I get them. I've found an indoor running track to use for my training so I should not be running on the treadmill anymore! (+5 STA) GOAL 2 – 90% Compliance with my Stregth plan. I've modified a few of the RFG workouts into small combinations to complete over a 5 day week. This keeps me getting up and getting my day started right, adds some strength fitness to my plan, while keeping it light so as not to interfere with my running. The DB Row, Straight Leg Deadlift, OH DB Press will all be done with weights, the rest are simply BW excercises focused on core conditioning. They are small enough to make sure I do a full warm up and a FULL and complete stretch, which should help my evening runs! I *MAY* Slide this schedule to be from Tues - Sat if my need for recovery on monday's after long runs dictates. How: Daily Morning short workouts as follows: Mon - Chin up 4x10, Side Plank 4x 40, Reverse Crunch 4x 10 Tue - Overhead Squat 4x8, Bent over DB row 4x10, Plank 4x40 Wed - Step up with rotation 4x8, crunch 3x10, Side Plank 4x40 Thur - Straight Leg Dead Lift 4x8, Overhead Dumbbell Press 4x8, Plank 4x40 Fri - Walking lunge with Kick 4x8, Chin up 4x10, Side Plank 4x40 (+3 STR ) GOAL 3 – Lose 10lbs by following Nutritional Weight and Wellness plan. HOW: So normally I have a food goal that involves my tracking and macros and such... Not this time. I have decided to participate in a nutrition group that meets with a nutritionist once a week. The plan goes for 12 weeks so it will span the next couple challenges. This class starts next week so I don't have a ton of details - but my goal will be to lose some weight finally!!! I haven't set any weight loss goals yet this year because I've been putting myself through some major workout changes, but its time to make this a priority and I feel confident that I can do so without hurting myself since I'll have some professional help! Even better - because diet is a huge component of allergy problems my medical plan is paying for this! WOOT! Nutrition Plan! Here goes... NO CALORIE COUNTING... EEP! The plan is based on whole eating (I own this) with a balance of high quality protein, veggie carbs and healthy fats spread out for 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. This is far more than I normally eat and a plan I knew I should be following but didn't know how to start. So WIN on this being the launching point! Here's the basic breakdown. Meals Protein - 2-4oz at breakfast, 4oz at lunch and dinner. Carb - 1 cup of green veggies + 1/2 c carb veggies or 1 grain/bean serving, Fat - 1 servings (which would be like 1/2 an avacado or 2tbl butter or some olives or nuts,etc) Snacks 1-2oz protein, 1 carb serving, 1 fat serving Bedtime Snack 1/2c fruit with 1 serving fat (which I'm delighted to see includeds 2 tbl cream cheese!!!) So the schedule is Breakfast - Snack - Lunch - Snack - Dinner - Bedtime snack. (+5 CON) GOAL 4 – Read at least 2x per week for 1 hour anything that isn't school work. I have a huge stack of books that I want to get through and I've been bad about making time to relax and enjoy, so now is a good time to make that happen! HOW: Beginning each week I will look at the schedule and plan these two times. Success here will involve any 2 hours in the week devoted to reading for fun. I'm going to start with ______ (I need to pick one) LOL (+2 WIS)