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I awoke colder than I had felt in ages. It seems that the frost has seeped through the bear pelt I had harvested, through my skin, and was starting to pulse through my veins. My thoughts started to dwell on the past, when I was a young ranger. How much simpler things seemed then. How everything seemed to work out. I stood up and looked out of the cave I had sheltered in for the recent past. Snow was covering the ground and starting to drift closer to my low fire, challenging for dominance. The snow drift would soon win out. How did things end up like this? How did I get so far away from who I was at the start? It was time. Time to go back to the academy. I need the support to come back from the wild. I packed up my meager belongings and started to head down the mountain and through the forest. Two weeks later I stepped out of the forest and into the Sylvan Academy, my old home growing up. Not much had changed. I heard rumors of new, energetic leaders as I walked past the training grounds. So many new faces. It is so great seeing all of the new faces. I walk to the mess hall to warm up and get some sustenance. As I sat at a table in front of the fire, I start creating goals for myself and for the road ahead. Provisions – A clean, pure fuel is required. Also, sufficient amounts of fuel will be needed for the journeys ahead. I will eat a minimum of 3,000 calories per day. This will be attenuated over the first week, and my goal may be updated based on how my energy is feeling during workouts. Also, the goal protein intake is 220-250 grams per day. Movement – My time away has made my joints ache and movement harder. I must spend more time mobilizing after my workouts to ensure that I can move at the highest level. I will spend a minimum of 10 minutes stretching and foam rolling after each workout. Endurance – I have become stronger in the wilds, but it has come at a cost to my endurance. So, I will ensure that I perform a MetCon 5 days a week to get back up to speed for future challenges. Organization – In the wilds, I have become like some more base animals. With that comes a certain… clutter in my life. I will spend a minimum of 20 minutes a day cleaning or organizing my bunk. After finishing my soup, I sit back and contemplate the upcoming weeks. It will be good to get back into the fold with the other Rangers. My reverie is interrupted by a large crash and cheers outside the hall. I step out, expecting the worst, only to find that a group of bawdy warriors has taken up residence in the strength training area, pushing the ranger trainees out. My eyebrow goes up as a thought crosses my mind: ‘maybe it’s time to see how much stronger I’ve gotten in the wilds…’ Side Challenge - Weightlifting meet: January 16th is my second weightlifting meet. Let’s see if I can show those warriors that a ranger can keep up with them. My goal is to beat my total from my last meet of 184 kg/405.7 lbs. Ideally, I’d like to get a PR either on my snatch, clean and jerk, or total. But, I would just be happy with a new meet total. Time to Ranger Up!