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This has been an up and down year for me. I've accomplished more in the past year than I thought I was capable of. I've gone from running casual 5k races and finishing at the back of the pack to enduring multiple Spartan Races of distances up to 15 miles and including up to 25+ obstacles. I've gone from being sporadically motivated to keep after my fitness levels to having half a dozen OCR events on my 2016 calendar already. I also lost my long-time personal trainer; I've been battling shoulder tendinitis for months; and now I'm recovering from a moderately serious sprained ankle. I'm not who I was, but I'm not who I am going to be. I will be faster than I am, stronger than I am, better than I am. Main Quest: I was watching American Ninja Warrior last summer when Jon Stewart became the oldest man to beat the Warped Wall. He was 52 at the time. I decided that instead of sitting around, growing old, settling for being a moderately-fit guy with a Dad Bod and watching other people be awesome on TV, I will become More Awesome myself and be fit enough that I will try out for the show no later than age 52. I am 48 now. I am on the clock. I also have (diagnosed) Attention Deficit Disorder, which means that long-term goals lose their power over me reaaaaaaally fast. This means that I'm breaking down my Main Quest of Ninja Awesomeness into smaller chunks, and wow, six-week challenges really help with that, so here we are. To ramp up from "I work out more or less regularly" to "Awesome Ninja/Beast", I began looking for ways to stay inspired to work out. I started participating in NF 6-week challenges, which was a good start. And then Teros went and battled the Spartan Race at Amesbury last summer and I thought "Man, that sounds hard" and then decided that if he could do it - whether he considered it a success or not - then the least I could do was try. And that was all it took for me to get hooked on this whole Obstacle Course Racing thing. I've since completed nine (9!) Spartan Races, including seven this year. I already have one of these: Spartan Trifecta, baby. Never given, always earned. My immediate goal is two more Trifectas before the end of the year. I have three Spartan events left, preceded by one Race of Serious Awesomeness. 10 October - Hammer Race - NF awesomeness with 17 October - Seattle Spartan Super 31 October - Dallas Spartan Beast - NF awesomeness with 14 November - Carolina Spartan Beast/Sprint weekend - NF awesomeness with Slates And, since I'm recovering from a sprained ankle that happened at the beginning of Week 4 of the last challenge, I've got some work to do in order to not embarrass myself in front of these fine people. The last challenge was moderately successful - just enough to level up - before I had my trail mishap, so I'm going to stick with what was working until everything on this list becomes the habit it needs to be. Quest 1: Clean up the mess. Four years ago I was pretty much Porkins up there. I ate crap and lots of it and I had the body to prove it. Then I spent two years working with a personal trainer and learning how to eat to get the results I really want for my body, including sending the man food journals, daily at first, and then weekly after that. I know what I need to do. I am most successful when I eat clean and log my food. I know what my macros need to be to reach my immediate goals. Macros that work for me: 1800-2250 calories180+ grams protein100-140 grams carbohydrates35-50 grams fiber Goal: Eat clean, log, stick to my macros. Quest 2: Go the distance. Every challenge I include a running goal because I have not always been a runner, and in order to do the things I like to do, I need to be a runner. Four years ago, I could not run to the end of my driveway without doubling over, gasping for breath, and I wish I were exaggerating when I say this. It was a big deal for me when I committed to walking a couple times per week. Now I'm running - trudging, plodding, whatever - for miles. It's not where I want to be, but it's getting better. Goal: Run 3x/week, including one day that includes vertical climbs of more than 750 feet and one day that goes for more than six miles. Quest 3: Just lift, dumbbell. I was at my strongest back in April of this year and due to chronic shoulder tendinitis I have backed off from most heavy lifting. This has had the expected outcome. My shoulder has improved drastically and it's time to get back to a sensible lifting schedule. I have a PlanTM and it's time to get back to it. Body weight counts as strength training but I have to ramp up the intensity to make it count. It's okay to move days around, but there has to be at least one hour five times per week. Goal: Strength Train 5x/week. Goal Four: Give Peace a Chance. I'm an over-committed mess. Full-time job, single parent with joint custody of two small monsties and three grown kids who are nominally adulting at this point, a relationship, Youth Group leader and mentor, and I will be travelling for three Spartan races. When I am on point, I am working out five to eight times per week. I need a nap just to catch up from all the things I don't have time to do. And that's the point. I need to carve out 20 minutes per day to meditate. To pray. To center myself, and restore some freaking balance to my own personal force. This can't be an optional thing and I'm not worried about having an extra goal here. Goal: Prayer and meditation, 20m per day. Grading: I abandoned stat points a couple challenges ago but will be grading each of these pass/fail during the week and each grade will be moderately subjective. For instance, if the goal is to run three times per week but I hit The Hill during my lunch hour on Thursday and go for one 10-mile trail run on Sunday, that's a "Pass" and I am not going to stress on it. I'll need to collect 4/6 passing grades in for each goal in order to level up. This makes THAT part, at least, not subjective, and it's an attainable goal. May the Force be with you. Go have some Blue Milk.

Because maths and me don’t really get along, and time slips. I did the research, and this is actually my 20th challenge. Name also spelled correctly in title? Check. — Challenge Theme: Wommens. I’m too scattered to coalesce all my disparate goals into just one theme. Plus, from the title & teaser alone, I’ve already got 2 fandoms representing. So: let’s just roll with Badass Women and see how far I can carry that loose thread. — Google image search for badass elf: While I picture my handle with a bow or a blade and somewhere up high, this is probably much more of an accurate depiction of my personality elf-ified. Fire. Combat boots. Urban. I’d go for purple hair over pink. Vaguely gothy. Tatts. Plus, this elf doesn’t have gigundous boobs, and her outfit at least looks comfortable. -- As summer wanes and race season slides into its slow decline, I can’t help but look forward to Winter and what the next chapter in my story may bring. I feel like all of 2015’s big hurdles are behind me (except TM; but I’m not focusing on TM, lest I freak myself out re: possible hypothermia and tear gas) and I’m trying not to languish in the post-race-season doldrums. What I Have Left 2 virtual 10ks in September Tough Mudder in November Probably the Turkey Trot 4-miler on Thanksgiving Maybe one of the hot chocolate runs in December Whatever other virtual runs or rucks I have to do to beat the DH’s number of medals for the year For the remainder of this season (I’m calling either my last official road race of the year or December 31 the end of season - it remains to be seen when this will actually be), I want to continue doing things that bring me joy and keep me engaged, while forcing myself out of my comfort zone so I’ll actually accomplish the things I want to accomplish instead of frolicking in easy mode all willy-nilly like, as I am wont to do. What I Like Real life rucking badasses Rucking. Who knew? I’m still shocked. Since I’m liking rucking so much, I plan on continuing to do that while the weather holds out. I’ll be stuck inside all winter with only the treadmill for comfort, why miss out on prime fun time when I don’t have to? Plus: Ranger street cred. Who doesn’t want more of that? Will this help with my overall goals? I don’t know, but weight + distance can’t be a bad thing. So, On Mondays, We Ruck. I can only dream of being this badass when I’m her age Yoga. Yoga is fun, and my body needs it in order to accomplish the things it wants to achieve. Without yoga, I’m a hot mess of injuries and hobbles. Yoga is definitely staying, and I’ll still continue to try adding cool new poses to my arsenal, while working on building rock solid fundamentals. And, because I have not yet used her and she’s the OG woman badass (at least to me - this is the first identifiably physically strong woman in a move or on TV I looked at as a kid and went ‘I want that!’) Bodyweight exercises. My body and I both prefer bodyweight exercises over lifting weights. I need to remember this, stick with this, and go back to HIIT workouts with a video so I actually HI of the IT. I love me some Darebee workouts, but I have a tendency to do them at *my* pace, which is not the pace I should actually be going at. I say I should switch back to videos, but Darebee has released a cool new semi-immersive semi-game thing - Age Of Pandora - which I've started and am totally digging. I can do these workouts, plus make upgrades to my Avatar on top of doing other things. Maybe if I choose shorter-length HasFit videos and combo them with AoP chapters. Not sure how this is going to look yet. What I Really Need To Be Doing A goddamn pull-up. I know, I know, I was so gung-ho about getting a pull-up this summer … but then I chose not to work very hard for it. And I found other things I loved. And I have exercise ADHD. Plus, I’m not overly fond of doing hard things until they’re no longer that hard. I need to STFU and f-o-c-u-s. This needs to happen. If it takes keeping the pull-up bar out 24/7, it takes keeping the pull-up bar out. I need to do this, as my ruck schedule allows. Enough Said Working On Specific Skills That Will Help In OCRs - like rope climbing, monkey bars, wall climbs, and bucket carries. Monkey bars I can do and I can practice - I need to work on grip strength and other types of bar crossings (like skipping a bar, or jumping from bar to bar)Rope climbs are going to be tricky, since I don’t have access to a rope. What I do have access to is the Internet, with many suggestions on other things to do to ensure I at least build the right muscles (Onnit has a good video for this)It’s likely that I will always need help over walls, but I can practice hoisting myself up over lower walls so maybe I don’t need a boost for every single damn one. Parkour fundamentals would help hereBucket carries are the worst thing ever. But, I can buy a bucket, the garden in my building has rocks in it, and I could practice carrying them around the garden area. Don’t wannaBurpees. Everyone hates burpees, but I need to be able to do more in a row without absolutely killing my hip flexors Ummmm. Yeah. Building Endurance. Also boo. This winter, I need to do some targeted speed building on the treadmill and work on inclines to tackle hills. Pouting. —— Goal 1: Continue Working Out 4-5 days a week + Bonus Monday Ruck Day Yoga 2x Dedicated cardio or endurance work 1x Wildcard 1x - maybe get that OCR game Eric reminded me of? Or, HasFit HIIT videos In September, this is going to pan out as follows: Mondays: Ruck Day (+AoP, +squat challenge) Tuesdays: Yoga or bodyweight videos or cardio class (+AoP, +squat challenge) Wednesdays: Yoga or bodyweight videos (+AoP, +squat challenge) Thursdays: Yoga (+AoP, +squat challenge) Fridays: AoP, squat challenge (+ try to do something else active one weekend day) Saturdays: AoP, squat challenge (+ try to do something else active one weekend day) Sundays: AoP, squat challenge (+ try to do something else active one weekend day) Goal 2: Metrics Metrics. Matrix. They both start with M. I haven’t really deviated from this metric plan in over a year, and don’t see any reason to start. For those of you that are new to me, my metrics are based on those outlined in the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. My metrics are as follows: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, 100 grams or under of fat and around 1,500 calories. This plan seems to work for me, and if I stick to it, my weight stays where I want it and my body stays fueled without being sluggish. That said, I have recently begun carb loading for races and eat whatever my body is screaming at me it wants post races (generally a bigass steak and/or a face full of carbs). This seems to be working well, and I’ll be sticking with it. I also shoot for 64 ounces or so of water (2 refills of my water bottle + a coffee), and track my general activity and sleep with a Misfit Flash. I’m on My Fitness Pal and Fitbit. Goal 3: Biohacking This would be awesome, but I'm starting on a much smaller scale. I’ve already started my sleep biohacking - started September 1st. Gathered 1 week baseline readings: Check Week 1: Introduced white noise - Check Week 2: Introduced sleep mask - In Process Week 3: Add nightly meditation to the mix Week 4: Add melatonin 1 - 2 nights Week 5: Add daily magnesium supplements Week 6: Add fats right before bed (collagen or raw honey + krill oil + brain octane) Goal 4: The Minimalist Life It stands to reason that waking up in Raccoon City for the umpteenth time means you don't have a lot of crap you're worried about hauling around. I'm doubting Alice has a storage container somewhere. I have my wardrobe pretty dialed down for the summer season; I may need to do a little cold weather whittling here, and I may add a few pieces meant to replace less durable items. What I really need to focus on here is stuff in the ‘other shit’ category. I need to actually address the other shit taking up room on my shelves and in my closets. I need to reduce something (a closet or a shelving unit) by at least 20% per week here). To accomplish this goal, I’m taking part in a 30 Day Minimalist Game. Starting September 14, I will be getting rid of +1 item per day (Day 1: 1 item, Day 2: 2 items, Day 30: 30 items) to see how far I can take it. I may supplement with bigger purges as my impulses drag me. Gotta strike while the iron is hot. Goal 5: Arts & Crafts When I did a search for badass women who craft, for some reason Ripley came up in the results. I’ll take it! Finish the shawl and secret cross-stitch project I’m working onStart the baby blanket for my sisterAnd … since last challenge we were talking about wanting badges for adulting or Ranger Tasks, I think I’ll flex my graphic design skills and make some. The goal is to complete 1 digital version a week based on my fellow Rangers’ goals and/or accomplishments. If this turns out well, these may assume corporeal form some time down the road. Mini Challenge Feats Endurance Feat - 10k ruck with 20lbs in my pack if this week falls within September - if not, some other type of rucking - maybe a mileage total to hit for the week. Match Wolf for a little PvP action?Strength Feat - For this week, concentrate daily on pull-ups or upping the strength in my ankles/calves to increase my effectiveness in balance poses (depending on which side of my body has DOMs).Speed Feat - 10k for time if this week falls within September - if not, something else for time. Something for time. Combat Feat - Go have a climbing or archery date with the hubbs.Healing Feat - Work on my little fascia daily this week - my jaw connectors and head connectors are always tense; work on loosening these babies.

“Welcome, chummer. If you’re viewing this, it means I’m either dead or finally out of the running business. Either way, I’m out of the picture so the information contained within can do no harm to myself or those I might care about. I’ve tried to keep any dangerous references to a minimum and even use different names for added protection. For example, you can call me Cloud. Let me introduce you to the rest of my crew. Yeah I know, we use aliases from some video game of ages past, but hey it just clicked once we realized our skills as a team so save me the irony and bear with me, a'ight?” Final Fantasy 7 was the first and probably only RPG where I identified so much with the main protagonist. Mind you, I have played several before and after that, plus I never liked anime, manga, J-RPGs or anything of that ilk, so that’s a big achievement for FF7. It seems to come at a right time for this challenge and not just because a remake was announced. Cloud begins the game distant, indifferent and demotivated, as I have been recently. By the end of it, he has gone through hardships, romance, loss and the burden of leadership. Revelations concerning his identity and his past are not pleasant, but he refuses to accept what appears to be his nature. Cloud transcends it all and even later on (for anyone who’s watched FF7:Advent Children) he struggles with self doubt before crushing it and blazing through his own self-imposed barriers. That’s where I’m at right now, aiming to achieve things that after a year of NF progress my mind has accepted I cannot do. Well guess what: I can. So where does Shadowrun come in? Besides being one of my favourite RPG settings, of course. Well, FF7 might fit into the general groove of the challenge but it’s hard to relate with my actual goals. Shadowrun, on the other hand, competed for theme of this challenge (and several others before) but had no “bigger picture” to inspire me. Until I saw the above image, which made everything fall into place. FF7 has it all: An urban sprawl (Midgar), a megacorporation (Shinra) making profit by destroying the environment (draining the planet’s life force to produce electricity), eco-terrorism (AVALANCHE), cybernetic limbs (Barret’s arm), magic (Materia), dragons (Bahamut), you name it. Heck, even Cloud begins as a Shadowrunner, a mercenary infiltrating and blowing up megacorp property. It totally makes sense to combine them into a single challenge theme. Besides, it’s the Ranger way: when faced with dilemmas, say “why not both?” So this is the fictional tale of my Shadowrunning self and his team, inspired by characters of FF7. Also, thanks to continued inspiration by the mighty, mighty ShadowLion, I will be expanding beyond the 6 Week Challenge format like never before. My goals are not achievable within such a short timeframe, so the challenge will continue and evolve until I nail every single one of them. Just for the sake of S.M.A.R.T. goals, I’m setting a deadline for myself until the end of the year. Keeping it simple with 3 goals, plus whatever is added down the road via guild mini-challenges, accountabillibuddy groups and any other insane stunts you crazy people might drag me into. The Team Tifa Lockheart “Tifa is a physical adept. That means she’s Awakened (the Sixth World term for “Magically Active”) but her magic only affects herself. She uses it to enhance her physical, athletics and martial arts skills, allowing her to perform stunts you would only see in a trideo film. Let me tell you, seeing her fight is mesmerizing. Too bad when that happens, I’m usually busy dodging bullets or worse. When not on a mission, Tifa follows a strict eating, training and recovery regime. I assume it’s got something to do with her powers as well, because I’ve never seen her do the fancy casting show that mages and shamans normally put up. Despite her cheerful personality, that lifestyle comes out at times and she’s my harshest judge when I’m not at the peak of my performance. She never cuts me any slack and I love the way that pushes me to get better and better.” Goal: Get under my lowest weight ever (75,8 kg) How: Weigh myself at the box after every workout. Get the weekly average of that (thanks deftona!) and use calculator to determine my macros, set to Faster Weight loss and 50/50-75/25 carb/fat ratios. Buy groceries and batch cook during the weekend. Track macros on MyFitnessPal. Repeat until goal is met. Rewards: Upon reaching my weight loss goal, I shall reward myself with a proper post-workout supplement and begin the next step of this journey towards lean gains. Vincent Valentine “Nobody really knows the deal with Vincent. The only thing that’s certain is that he’s undead. Not in the zombie or vampire sense of the word, but rather because of the fact that he doesn’t seem to age. From what I’ve been able to piece together on him, he’s spent time as a lab rat, presumably under some super-soldier enhancement program. That would also explain the claw on his one hand, bet there’s probably some scar, burn or mutation he’s hiding underneath because he never removes it. I’m not certain if the experience left him thin and frail or if there’s a bit of elven blood in him, because he’s agile as a cat and a deadshot with firearms. Actually, he has it all. He’s the real deal, the complete package. He’s got strength, agility, brains, skills and an eternity to perfect them.” Goal: Achieve the final Crossfit moves I have been lacking. Muscle Up. Handstand Walk. Strict Handstand Pushups and proper, consecutive Double Unders. How: On training days, spend extra time at the box working on pull ups, dips, muscle up attempts and double unders. On active rest days at home, work on handstands and pushups (regular and handstand pushups) along with NF Yoga. Rewards: A piece of workout gear upon achieving either of the four moves. A Yoga mat after 6 consistent weeks of NF Yoga on rest days Cid Highwind “Cid fills our gap in the Matrix and drone area, but he’s first and foremost a wheelman. If it can be built, repaired, pulled apart, upgraded, driven, walked or flown, Cid’s your man. His weapon of choice is a lance, back from his motorcycle gang days but even that is a last resort compared to various weapons he’s got mounted on vehicles. Apparently Cid has undergone high profile pilot training and saves the nuyen he makes from runs for some super secret project of his. When it comes to spending money, I always check with him to make sure I’m not throwing it away.” Goal: Get a grip on finances and hit 200.000 Nyuen in pure savings How: Put up a balance sheet and track income and expenses, both current and expected in the near future. Update daily. Rewards: Flight tickets and accommodation for the Orte 2016 Spartan, once the plan shows I can afford them without upsetting my financial viability. If things go extremely well, I might throw buying a new motorcycle into the mix.

Just looking, as it looks like I missed a fellow nerd last year, any nerds looking at going to Killington next year?

Has anyone in nerd fitness attempted a Hurricane Heat 12 HR? I am considering attempting this, but am wondering if anyone had any personal experience I can learn from.

Episode 2 of The Journey for the Fastest Known Time. Where will it take us? Lets ask Socrates! Goal #1 - "There are no ordinary moments" Socrates has Dan Millman meditate for what is described as hours, than days, searching for something inspiring, something moving. He tries many times and than comes up with "there are no ordinary moments." When I'm running I usually have my phone tracking where I go, and constantly providing noise with background music. The music seems to help, but the tracking doesn't seem to yield a lot of changes. For this challenge runkeeper will be kept in stopwatch mode, and will only track the time passed. Distance will have no meaning. Each week = +10 points! CON = +3 Goal #2 - “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.†Meditation is the cultivation of the mind, as running has been the cultivation of my body. I've tried meditation before, but what if I approached easing into meditation the same way I approached running? For this challenge meditation will look like this - 2 days - 10 minutes per day Each day this is done = +5 points! 1 day - 20 minutes Each day this is done = +15 points! WIS = +4 Goal #3 - Running with Joy Well, not running but biking in this case. The point was for him to practice his breathing and staying in the moment. To help me practice my breathing, Instead of a long run I am going to be doing a long bike ride once per week, as long as my running schedule would include 1 long day. Each week this is done when it is supposed to be done = +25 points! STA = +3 So what does that look like? Week 1 - 2 x 30 minutes running 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 2 - 2 x 30 minutes running 1 x 30 minutes climb 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 3 - 2 x 45 minutes running 1 x 2 hour biking 3 x convict 2 x 30 minutes climbing 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 4 - 2 x 45 minutes running 1 x 2 hour biking 3 x convict 2 x 30 minutes climbing 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 5 - 2 x 1 hour running 1 x 2.5 hour biking 3 x convict 2 x 30 minutes climbing 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 6 - 2 x 30 minutes running 1 x 45 minutes biking 2 x convict 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Each week will be evaluated with points. If there are multiple parts to a post, each one will be evaluated seperately. At the end of the challenge, those points will be added up to see how my character has leveled up!

After graduating into a Permabeast last challenge, it’s time to move onto something even bigger. For starters, that means expanding this challenge to 8 weeks. This summer has been insane, both on a personal level as well as with all the political developments, so I’m willing to go with the flow and ride the wave of madness. Also, the end of this challenge coincides with my first ever Obstacle Course Race, the Athens Legion Run. Or at least it used to, before the 2 week break was cut down to one week. Like I said, madness and unpredictability. Either way, I'm stretching things a bit, starting from today, July 20th until a week after the official end of the challenge and day of the race. With all that said, the checklist for this challenge theme says I need a role model that’s Strong Agile Unstoppable Looking badass without a shirt on Completely insane We also share the exact same level of social skills around attractive females. Especially those with hair dyed in unusual, vivid colours Abandon any pretense of sanity and let’s head out to the BADASS CRATER OF BADASSITUDE! Come to think of it, I could have gone with Torgue instead, but he is partly sane and not into fighting. Unless we’re talking about suplexing sharks, but that’s another story. Goals are pass/fail mostly, some just require to keep track of certain things. What was that other thing they needed to be…Oh yeah, SMART NEVER STOP THE KILLING! NEVER! Simply put, keep doing what I’ve been doing as far as Nutrition, 3 Crossfit Workouts/week and Rest are concerned. This is a habit by now, so I’m allowing myself to wrap it up into one goal and allow for some special exceptions due to August holidays that might get in the way. Providing the Rangers’ Guild Mini Challenge is also gonna be a thing and I expect the mini’s theme to work nicely with my challenge theme. Finally, I’m gonna keep a daily count of spam accounts destroyed, just because I get a kick doing it while bored at work. FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL, I STAB AT THEE, SPAMBOT! SALT THE WOUND! Do pushups and plank every day, preferably every morning. The trick here is that every day, I have to do at least 1 extra pushup and 1 second more than the previous, so it’s a ladder thing. YOU WOKE THE WRONG DOG! Cold shower every morning, first thing in the morning. Unless I start with the workout, in which case the shower goes right after. Been feeling lethargic for a while, tried it during the last week of my previous challenge and it did wonders to start my day full of energy. I’ve also tried shouting Krieg quotes to get me out of the occasional haze (surprisingly enough, it worked) which leads us to our next goal... BUZZ AXE RAMPAGE Krieg’s special ability is to go bezerk and do insane amounts of melee damage with his custom made “buzz axe”. He can also throw it, but who bothers with that. Oh yeah, I sometimes do that while charging closer for the melee kill. Also useful in taking out aeroplanes. YES, I THROW A SAWBLADE AXE TO THOSE FLYING BUZZARD THINGIES AND THEY EXPLODE AND DIE BECAUSE BORDERLANDS! In similar fashion, my goal is to summon my 20 seconds of berzerker mode at least once a week. Shouting Krieg quotes before, during or after is optional. Turns out other people do that as well LOOK AT ALL THE DEATH TRINKETS! Make a list of all the necessary gear for the Legion Run, then acquire and prepare it for the actual race. NO BRAKES ON THE POOP TRAIN! First time I played Borderlands 2, I stopped a little before the end. Actually, moments before meeting Angel in person. I’ve been re-playing lately and made it back up to the point where Sanctuary took off. My least stressful goal in this challenge is to finally complete the game. If that’s done before the end of the challenge, that means more time for extra DLC content. EXPLOSIONS? Looking forward to playing Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. Pffft… Math… Hope we don’t pop a blood vessel Might add various quests presented as guest appearances by various BL2 characters, just to keep things interesting and myself excited. Disclaimer: Don’t expect me to make any sense this challenge round. Cautious, educated Beast was last challenge, this one I’m cutting loose. "Before you can enter the tournament, you must digitally sign our legal waiver." TL;DR breakdown Keep batch cooking and eating according to the plan laid last challenge 3 Crossfit workouts per week Get enough sleep every night Do my NF part (Write up Guild mini and slay spambots) Increase pushups and plank time every day Cold shower every day Berzerker mode at least once a week Prepare my gear for the OCR Finish Borderlands 2 Go insane

Apparently I posted this in the last challenge, whoops! Episode 2 of The Journey for the Fastest Known Time. Where will it take us? Lets ask Socrates! Goal #1 - "There are no ordinary moments" Socrates has Dan Millman meditate for what is described as hours, than days, searching for something inspiring, something moving. He tries many times and than comes up with "there are no ordinary moments." When I'm running I usually have my phone tracking where I go, and constantly providing noise with background music. The music seems to help, but the tracking doesn't seem to yield a lot of changes. For this challenge runkeeper will be kept in stopwatch mode, and will only track the time passed. Distance will have no meaning. Goal #2 - “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.†Meditation is the cultivation of the mind, as running has been the cultivation of my body. I've tried meditation before, but what if I approached easing into meditation the same way I approached running? For this challenge meditation will look like this - 2 days - 10 minutes per day 1 day - 30 minutes Goal #3 - Running with Joy Well, not running but biking in this case. The point was for him to practice his breathing and staying in the moment. To help me practice my breathing, Instead of a long run I am going to be doing a long bike ride once per week, as long as my running schedule would include 1 long day. So what does that look like? Week 1 - 2 x 30 minutes running 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 2 - 2 x 30 minutes running 1 x 30 minutes climb 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 3 - 2 x 45 minutes running 1 x 2 hour biking 3 x convict 2 x 30 minutes climbing 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 4 - 2 x 45 minutes running 1 x 2 hour biking 3 x convict 2 x 30 minutes climbing 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 5 - 2 x 1 hour running 1 x 2.5 hour biking 3 x convict 2 x 30 minutes climbing 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating Week 6 - 2 x 30 minutes running 1 x 45 minutes biking 2 x convict 2 x 10 minutes meditating 1 x 30 minutes meditating

Last challenge cycle brought 2 OCRs, a 10k, and a 5k. This cycle encompasses the dog days of summer (and it currently looks like we’ll actually get some summer - NYC is s-w-a-m-p-y), so I had planned on taking it a little easier in August (and by a little easier, I mean 1 big GoRuck + an unspecified number of runs for bling). Of course, now I’m having second thoughts about this “easy†business, and am itching to do moar things. I’m also sad that I only have 1 OCR left this season. It’s a biggie (Tough Mudder in November), but still … it’s not right now. I know, I know … doing allthethings gets me in trouble physical-wise, feeds my gnat-like attention span, and makes me a jill of all trades but good at none. But …. Work It Out I want to continue on with yoga, especially around races; I need to continue working on the dreaded running for stamina; and my muscles want in on it all too. Plus: I still haven’t hit my ‘this summer Imma’ do a damn pull-up’ goal. Aaaaaaaaand my focusing power monkeys are jumping. So, shotgun approach it is. I like my 4 day a week scheduled activity + walking as much as possible on the weekends program. For this challenge, let’s reign in the monkeys a bit with some direction so I'm not stuck in vapor lock mode. Model A Monday: Bodyweight circuit in the gym Tuesday: Cardio in the gym Wednesday: Yoga class in the wild (sub yoga in the gym if time doesn't allow) Thursday: Yoga class in the gym Friday: Optional bonus day - take a class or lift some weights Weekend: GoRuck, race or walk as much as the weather permits Model B Monday: Yoga class in the wild Tuesday: Bodyweight circuit in the gym Wednesday: Bolly X class in the wild (sub gym cardio if time doesn't allow for travel) Thursday: Yoga class in the gym Friday: Optional bonus day - take a class or lift some weights Weekend: GoRuck, race or walk as much as the weather permits Races, Etc. August 8 is GoRuck Light In order to stay on track for beating my DH’s number of race medals this year, I need to pick up two 5ks during this challenge. EDIT: I picked up two virtual 5ks. I'll be doing the Phone Home 5k through Moon Joggers sometime this August, and the Jedi Challenge 2015 either later this month or also in August. The Jedi race is open on both dates and distances - depending upon when I pick to do it in relation to GoRuck, I may shoot for overkill and do a 10k. We shall see what happens with the PPTC Speed Series (weeknight 5ks thrown by my DH's running club) for the rest of this summer - if I end up doing more of those, I won't attempt to kill myself with an indoor kid 10k. EDIT EDIT: Goddamn it. I picked up another challenge - this one a total mileage challenge - the Road To Hogwarts 52-mile virtual race. I have until October 1 to travel that distance. What was I thinking? Metrics I haven’t really deviated from this metric plan in over a year, and don’t see any reason to start. For those of you that are new to me, my metrics are based on those outlined in the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. My metrics are as follows: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, 100 grams or under of fat and around 1,500 calories. This plan seems to work for me, and if I stick to it, my weight stays where I want it and my body stays fueled without being sluggish. That said, I have recently begun carb loading for races and eat whatever my body is screaming at me it wants post races (generally a bigass steak and/or a face full of carbs). This seems to be working well, and I’ll be sticking with it. I also shoot for 64 ounces or so of water (2 refills of my water bottle + a coffee), and track my general activity and sleep with a Misfit Flash. I’m on My Fitness Pal and Fitbit. Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire I am still sloooooowly working toward minimalism for my surroundings, and I feel the need to jettison a bunch of stuff all at once. I think I’ll start with the kitchen. Two people who don’t entertain that much don’t really need 6 double cabinets full of crap. Even if one of them cooks a bunch and blogs about food. For this goal, I’m picking at least 1 cabinet a week and purging my little heart out. I also want to continue adjusting my wardrobe to fit my actual needs and not have 9999 things in my closet that don’t fit either my lifestyle or size, while having 3 things I like and wear. I should also get rid of some other shit/work on letting myself let go of things that I keep for no damn reason except habit and/or a sense that I may suddenly wake up with I'm 60 and miss the things. Other Other Shit I want to continue practicing another language using DuoLingo. Last challenge it was French in prep for my trip to Montreal. I think this challenge I should switch to Ukranian in prep for this fall’s trip there. I also need to foam roll, even though I hate it with the passion of 1,000 burning suns. EDIT: I also need to make a conscious effort to work on stretching my feet more. And I'm * * this close to letting peer pressure get the better of me and making this more of a concrete goal, instead of just a weekly feat goal + the vague promise of doing better this time. And I need to continue on with my creative pursuits (currently knitting and card making). Oh, lookie here - another damn EDIT. This time for weekly mini challenge feats: Endurance Feat - GoRuck. Not dying at GoRuck. If this feat does not happen to fall on GoRuck week (or the week prior), double up on 5ks. Strength Feat - Do A Damn Pull-Up (again)Speed Feat - Attempt to crack a 34-minute 5k.Combat Feat - I have to make it out of the building to do Bolly X or something new(ish) other than my favorite yoga class this week. Whining, but no excuses - summon that 20 seconds of courage. Healing Feat - 1 week of foam rolling for at least 5 minutes every work day + working on stretching my feet out.

Hey everyone! This will be my first time setting up a six week challenge outside of the Assassin realm. I wanted to peak over here for a little while because my goals at the moment coincide with what a Ranger is all about. A warrior mixed with a scout-the ultimate hybrid and a perfect blend of strength and endurance! Just like the Indominus Rex- the perfect hybrid killing machine. I'm training to run the Spartan Beast on Halloween this year and want to make sure I'm ready to conquer it with a smile on my face [emoji57]. I've never been the endurance type of guy- I've always loved to build muscle and strength train. Running has never been enjoyable for me but something changed this year. I wanted to start doing these races and testing myself and maybe if I'm good enough at it, go pro. I dream big- anyone who knows me or meets me already knows this but I say why not? Why not go after it if I can? I have a loving wife who supports me and that right there is the the foundation to me going for it.. And the mindset and body I'm creating to sustain the craziness. Right now I follow a Crossfit Endurance workout protocol where I do 4-5 strength and endurance workouts and 2-3 endurance only workouts. I foam roll every day and do a lot of active recovery and full rest days because I know how important rest is. When I go running I usually hit the trails in the afternoon with my family. I can do anything from running hills, 800m repeats, run for 5 min rest for 2:30, repeat until form or pace falters.. Yea, that kinda stuff. But out on the trails, it's a lot of fun. I actually enjoy running then [emoji106][emoji106]. I generally eat really clean say for the last couple days.. I've been eating a LOT of carbs and almost making myself miserable...but I'm a big component of eating solid meals with good protein, lots of veggies and some healthy fats. I think last six weeks I almost ate an avocado a day! Love me some avocado [emoji39][emoji39] My goals will focus heavily on endurance training and taking care of myself. I want to focus on my rest days more than my training days these next 6-weeks.. This means naps and quality sleep! To motivate myself into the last leg of my training before I take on the Beast I will do my damnedest to survive the hunting prowess of the Indominus Rex. My skills and abilities will need to be at their peak because this predator is the Apex of all apex predators.. And one slip up could mean certain death! Goal #1: Outrun the I-Rex It's bigger than the T-Rex- faster, longer arms, and mixed with one of the most deadly dinosaurs to ever walk this earth, the velociraptor. I will need to be at 110% on top of my game to make sure I can outrun this monster! I did a 5k time trial back on the 2nd or 3rd week last 6WC and was at 38:48. My goal and only way to outrun the Indominus Rex would be to get anything below 30 min by the end of the 6weeks. Possible Points: +3 STA Goal #2: Know thy Enemy Studying the Spartan Race is key. There are going to be 30+ obstacles at the Beast over the course of 13-14 miles. This basically translates to 1 obstacle per half mile or so and that's if they do that- there might be some long runs and then 3-4 obstacles to wear us down. Either way I need to train for the unexpected but also look to obstacles I know will be there- like the rope climb, the spear throw, the tire flip, the tyrolean traverse and the bucket carry. These obstacles are core within Spartan Races and something I can add to my training. Like the I-Tex, whose hybrid monstrosity consists of raptor, t-rex, giganotosauraus, majungasaurus, carnotaurus, just to name a few! I will need to prepare for each part of this Beast as individual predators. That's a lot of teeth!! Practice/simulate the rope climb, spear throw, bucket carry and the tire flip or tyrolean traverse in someway shape or fashion at least x1 a week. Perform 1 obstacle skill 1x a week. More is always welcome. Prepare for natures ultimate hybrid... Possible Points: +2 STR, +3 DEX Goal #3: Don't let Her hear you breath.. Box breathing. 5 seconds inhale, 5 second hold- 5 second exhale, and finish off with a 5 second hold. This was a term and way to increase my lung power and mental stability in a panicked or stressful situation that I learned a couple months ago and think it's an extremely valuable tool to help me take on the Indominus Rex. Also, if I have to hide from it, I will need to be calm and maintain my breath control... I certainly can't have Her hearing me panting because I'm scared out of my mind and about to shiz myself! Practice box breathing x3 a week for a minimum of 5 min. BONUS- practice box breathing during workouts during rest periods Possible Points: +3 CON Goal #4: Avoid the Teeth I have a terrible habit of biting my nails. Like really, really bad. So my goal is to break this effin habit once and for all. This will be my biggest challenge yet but I think I can forge a mental attack that will leave me victorious! And I don't want to get eaten by the Indominus Rex.. That would just be a terrible way of going out.. Super terrible. It takes 30 days to break a habit- do whatever you have to do to make sure you don't bite your nails. I have 3 strikes before I metaphorically get eaten by the Indominus Rex, let's make them count. For every time I bite my nails after the 3 strikes I have to do 30 burpees, which ironically is the amount I would have to do at the Spartan say I fail or can't complete an obstacle. Possible Points: +4 CHA This will be one scary and epic 6-weeks and I can't wait to come out of it alive and better than before! If I can survive the ultimate lop sided battle between the Wolf and the Indominus Rex, then the Spartan Beast is just another obstacle in the path to greatness for me. I hope to make some new friends on the Ranger board and follow along with everyone's craziness over here! I'll do my best to entertain and kick ass this 6-weeks and NOT get eaten by the white death machine known as the Indominus Rex! Starting Stats: Age: 27 Height: 6'2 Weight: 180# Weight goal- No real weight goal- just maintain and get stronger and faster. If I got up to 190#, that would be a-ok with me! Here's my change from last 6-weeks to the start of this challenge (non-flexing): Wolf "Let the Boomstick do the talking."

Summer Challenge [ July 27th - September 6th ] Backstory "...." Challenger Overall Goal: Finish an OCR the weekend after this challenge ends (September 12th or 13th) and conquer every obstacle. Explanation: I've wanted to do one for ages, but there was always something that preventet it. Not this time! Last weekend I found out that there will be two races in September close enough to where I live and I decided that I'm gonna finally do it (either a Tough Mudder in Bavaria or a Spartan Race in Austria). There is enough time to prepare (I'm not starting from scratch!), I've got the financial means and the time to do it and there is nothing else on my mind right now that could distract me. After that decision was made, I sat down today to plan my preparation for it and since it is almost exactly 6 weeks away, it crossed my mind that a NF challenge would be a perfect preparation option if one started right about now.... And thank god, this one actually did. Okay, I'm three days late, but what the heck. I've had good experiences with challenges, although not the last couple of them. But that was probably because my overall goals were to broad; and you can't get much more specific than "finish that race". Since my last challenge try I've been working out more or less consistently. Short recap of the last year: I did standard calisthenics mixed with some crossfit-type bodyweight workouts, finished GMB P1 at the novice level last winter, started kettlebel training a couple of months ago (I actually did a beginner class with my mom, which was pretty awesome for her and me) and I started GMB F1 (also novice) a couple of weeks ago. On to the SUB-GOALS 1) Continue with GMB F1 also known as my Star Wars Goal: Jedi Training Stats: DEX 2 I CON 1 I STR 1 Grading: 4 workouts and 2 mobility sessions per week are 100% (=A). 5 sessions equal a B 4 sessions equal a C 3 sessions in total (50%) equal a D 2) Calisthenics and kettlebell workouts also known as my Agents of Shield Goal: Operations Bootcamp There will be pull-ups, won't there? And push-ups, swings, snatches, running and what not more. To weed those out, who'd better stayed at communications or science. But not me.... There will be a big variety, some short, some medium and some long workouts, But they're all gonna be intensive. Stats: STR 2 I STA 2 Grading: 6 workouts per week are 100% (=A). 5 workouts equal a B 4 workouts equal a C 3 workouts in total (50%) equal a D 3) Supported by a good nutrition also known as my Teen Wolf Goal: Avoiding Mountain Ash This means a paleo-inspired way of eating, especially nothing with a label that has words like "sugar (no matter what alias)" or "askllksjhgs (also known as words I don't know the meaning of) or can't pronounce". Also no cakes and sweets, even if homemade, because they are my personal mountain ash. Stats: CON 2 I CHA 2 Grading: 6 clean days of eating a week = A 5 = B 4 = C 3 = D Complemented by LIFE GOAL 4) Study also known as my Old Kingdom Goal: Learning the Charter Although I'm working now, I'm still studying for two things: A] psychology, I'm finally gonna get my degree next summer B] languages, because I like learning them, this may include brushing up on my Spanish and Japanese but mostly concentrating on Czech, which I just started. Stats: WIS 3 Grading: 8 hours of studying a week = A 6 = B 3 = C 2 = D Because my challenge goal is a week after this challenge officially ends and because week 1 has already started, the rest of week 1 will be a transition period. Meaning I will do it as good as I can and I will also grade it, but it will not count for the overall grading (Instead week 7 will). Now, lets see if I can overcome those obstacles and finally leave these crazy woods.....

"Dude, I'm too old for this crap." The last challenge cycle kind of sucked. I started out okay, but man, did things take a bad turn in July. I'm not quitting, I'm refocusing; therefore the title - Return of the Jedi. This challenge cycle will put me back on track so that I do not lose sight of my main goal... Main Quest I have a four-year goal for where I want to be that I am breaking down into six-month increments. In short: Old Man, I am coming for you. When Jon Stewart beat the Warped Wall on ANW last summer, he was the oldest man ever to complete a City Qualifier course. I was 47. He was 52. I told myself last year that I had until I was 52 to become him, and that's what's going to happen, because I am done settling for less than I can be. He may compete until he's 60, but I'm going to be 52 and standing for two weeks in the walk-on line. Unless I get there sooner. While I prepare to become a Ninja, I am becoming a badass Spartan. This year I have completed one Spartan Trifecta, will be one Beast away from completing my second two weeks into this challenge, and am trying to decide between two Supers in October that will allow me to complete my third when I complete two Beast races in November two weeks apart. My current six-month goal is to complete my second Trifecta and find a way to bring home that third. One down, two to go. My problem is that I become distracted and unfocused and lose sight of my ultimate goal. Life as a single parent with plenty of outside commitments tends to fill up quickly and the sad fact is that when this happens, the first thing that I do is let my fitness be the thing that suffers. Since June, I have been pretty poor about sticking to my workout and nutrition regimen and it is showing right now. Also, I have been dealing with shoulder tendinitis since about February, which did nothing but get worse between April and May because I wasn't willing to back off my weight training in preparation for my first Spartan Trifecta during those times. It's significant enough that it wakes me up multiple times every night. I am working with a rehabilitation medicine specialist on it, but the most effective remedy is rest and that sucks when what you really want to do is be lifting heavy things and climbing over tall things. Goal One: Come, eat. Good food. "Ooh, chocolate chip cookie dough Quest bar! Score!" Over the past six to eight weeks, I have become pretty lazy about food prep and have been eating out A LOT. For example, I ate lunch at Chipotle three times in one week early in July. First off, that's ridiculously expensive and secondly, it's partially responsible for the extreme jump in my sodium intake. Finally, I pretty much stopped logging my food intake and my belt is telling me this is a bad plan. Quit making that face, you whiny little douche, and eat what you're given. This isn't a restaurant. I spent two years learning what a good nutrition plan is for me to maintain my health, to properly fuel me for the active life I am leading, and to continue transforming my body from what I have come to understand is called "Dad body" into my goal of "Damn". I know what I have to do; it's time to stop making excuses and get back to it. My daily targets: 1800-2250 calories 180+ grams protein 100-140 grams carbohydrates 35-50 grams fiber For this challenge, I can allow for eating out twice per week, I have to log everything, and I will post here daily to keep myself accountable. Goal: Eat clean, stick to my macros, log and be accountable. Goal Two: Yes, run! Awesome and slightly creepy alien puppet backpack optional. Every challenge I include a running goal because I have not always been a runner. Four years ago, I could not run to the end of my driveway without doubling over, gasping for breath, and I wish I were exaggerating when I say this. It was a big deal for me when I committed to walking a couple times per week. Now I'm running - slowly, but running - for miles. It's not where I want to be, but it's getting better. I wish I could take a time machine and go back and bitch slap teenage me and say, "Idiot! Get up off the couch and run! Do you know how much easier this will be for me in 35 years if you just get off your butt?" and then visit me each decade in between and do the same thing. In lieu of time travel, I need to commit to running multiple times per week until this is just What I Do. I'm not there yet. Goal: Run three times per week, including once with HILLS and one long trail run. Goal Three: A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. Intermediate-level Jedi OHP. I was quite a bit stronger last spring when I was lifting weights consistently, but shoulder tendinitis has made some moves outright painful. Overhead press, for instance, makes me want to cry and bench press is damn near impossible. But there's plenty that I can do instead. Kettlebell swings and cleans cause no pain. Barbell back squats and deadlifts do not hurt my shoulder. Simple dumbbell stuff - especially with a neutral grip - is fine at certain weights, and I have plenty of those in my garage. Body weight exercises also are just fine, and as Steve has blogged more than once, moving 200 pounds is moving 200 pounds. Push-ups are still fine as long as I constantly vary my hand position after a few reps. Inverted rows, pull-ups and chin-ups are not just fine, they actually help my recovery, and my home door bar allows for three different grips. Bench dips are okay if I am mindful of form, but I have to be careful to listen to my body when it starts to hurt. Also, nothing keeps me from doing tire flips, bucket carries, heavy farmer carries and sandbag training. There's no excuse for me not doing things that will keep me strong during my rehab. From April of 2013 until May of this year, I had been doing some sort of strength training - body weight, Boot Camp or other classes at the gym, weight training on my own - five to seven times per week. I need to get back on this horse. It was the happiest I have been. Goal: Strength training - body weight or weighted exercises - five times per week, logged here for accountability. Goal Four: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. "Let go of everything you fear to lose, or whack you in the back of the skull with this aluminum rod, I will." I'm an over-committed mess. I work a full-time job that requires me to work an on-call rotation two out of every eight weeks. I am a single parent with joint custody and have my kids half-time. I have three older kids in their twenties who are still figuring things out. I am a youth group leader and mentor. I have a girlfriend. I travel to do obstacle races. And when I am on point, I am working out five to eight times per week. I need a nap just to catch up from all the things I don't have time to do. And that's the point. I need to carve out 20 minutes per day to meditate. To pray. To center myself, and restore some freaking balance to my own personal force. This can't be an optional thing and I'm not worried about having an extra goal here. Goal: Meditate 20 minutes per day. No life quest this time around. I've got fall Youth Group programming to start planning, 2016 Mission Trip to start organizing, three different personal projects that I need to get going in the garage, and so much other stuff that trying to pick one for here is a little useless. So I think I'm good. Grading: I abandoned stat points a couple challenges ago but will be grading each of these pass/fail during the week and each grade will be moderately subjective. For instance, if the goal is to run three times per week but I go for one 10-mile trail run on Saturday and The Hill with my OCR group on Wednesday, that's a "Pass" and I am not going to stress on it. I'll need to collect 4/6 passing grades in for each goal in order to level up. This makes THAT part, at least, not subjective, and it's an attainable goal. May the Force be with you.

Hello, I am Atrophos. I hope to join the ranger guild following this challenge. In my quest to finish strong at the Elysian Games, I've discovered some weaknesses that need to be corrected. This event lines up perfectly with this 6 week challenge. In addition to the immediate goal, I have discovered that this is a side mission that will prepare me for a story line series of quests that begin in February. Main Goal - Clean and Jerk 115 pounds for multiple reps The first sub-quest on my journey to Elysium has been posted and it is an escort quest to lead the NPC "Grace" through a series of boulders with a time limit. I have 2 minutes and 30 seconds to clear some 95 pound boulders (30 of them), followed by a break to potion up. This is followed by another 2 minutes and 30 seconds with even heavier boulders at 115 pounds, and then a potion break followed by another series of boulders at 135 pounds. These boulders need to be correctly picked up off the ground and placed on a ledge just above our heads to provide some cover. My primary goal is to be able to complete the 95 pound boulder quest within the time limit and to be able to clear at least 10 of the 115 pound boulders within the time limit. Should I surpass those goals by the end of the challenge, I need to be prepared to lift at least one 135 pound boulder. The current experience is being able to lift 10 of the 115 pound boulders, however I haven't established how long it takes. I will update my thread with progress as I establish capacity for higher weights and determine a time. Adding to the complexity of this quest is a side quest to the region of Kualoa that is very far away from my ranger trainers, so I will be discovering additional ranger trainers. Summary: Finish "Grace" at 95 pounds within 2:30. Bonus with possible quest reward: Finish "Grace" at 115 pounds within 2:30. Side Quest: Kualoa Hero Journey This side quest is located in the region of Kualoa. A gryphon flight must be arranged. Adequate preparation is necessary to have plenty of mana and health potions to use throughout the 2 days of journeying through the region and over obstacles. A protective coating is mandatory against the Immolation DoT. Successful completion of this quest results in the "trifecta" achievement. Summary: Complete Spartan Beast, Super, and Sprint in one weekend while adequately caked with sunscreen and having adequate hydration and fuel. Long Term Goal: Open 2016 This goal has some prerequisite skill tree items to be achieved. There are multiple gymnastic movements as well as much heavier lifts that I need to be able to perform by February. Unlocking this quest begins a story line series with potential for many rewards and new armor.

The Padawans lazed quietly about the common room; the younger lay askew the divan, with one of her legs propped over its arm. The older, a boy, reclined in an overstuffed chair nearby. Both were giving their undivided attention to the media pads each held in their lap, listening through earpieces to the endless stream of thoughtless entertainment as it flooded their brains. Both straightened their posture as I entered the chamber, drawing their attention away. I am Eric, and I am a Jedi Knight. The Order of the Jedi was established long ago in a galaxy, far, far away, but as their own domain aged, it collapsed under its own weight until the entire galaxy itself died. Members of my Order managed to escape through wormholes, following each to its own end. Some came here, to what we know as the Milky Way, beginning to populate the systems throughout. Once established in this galaxy, the Jedi, once known for their reclusive ways, began to form family clans to re-establish their lines. Now, ages later, it has become tradition for each clan to exist as its own Order within the larger Order. Each clan nurtures and teaches its own in the ways of the Order as they progress through the ranks: first as Younglings, learning the nature of the Force; then as Padawans, learning to use the Force and harness its power; then as Jedi Knights, sworn to uphold the ways of the Force as protectors of the Galaxy, and finally as a Jedi Master, who will teach and guide the members of their Clan as each proceeds on their own journey. As a member of the larger Order, each Clan designates one or more Masters to serve on the Order's Councils, dealing in matters of knowledge, diplomacy, and oversight. Typically, it is the elder Masters who serve on the Councils. Seats on the lower Councils may be taken by Jedi Masters of lesser stature, but the High Council is reserved for the Grand Masters of each clan. My Grandfathers - both wise and strong in completely different ways - held seats of honor on the High Council for the better part of a generation, but their each passed many years ago. In their absence, my Clan was directionless. For years, we languished, and to many, we were forgotten. I am about to resurrect those memories. I have trained for decades in the Ways of my Order. I have sought knowledge, and learned to discern the difference between Knowledge and Wisdom. I have worked to raise my own children in the Ways of the Force. Unfortunately, in those years of learning and discerning, I became soft, physically and mentally weak, and though I had a gift to reach others, to teach, to impart knowledge and compassion and wisdom, I was nearly sick. I was unable to be the Master I was born to be. I have spent the past handful of years remaking my body, and no longer see it as a liability. Now, as my beard becomes more and more gray, my body has become more able to do the physical feats that are required as a Grand Master. After nearly a generation empty, I am ready to ascend to my place of honor as Grand Master of my Clan and take my seat on the High Council. Main Quest I have a four-year goal for where I want to be that I am breaking down into six-month increments. It hasn't taken shape as an Epic Quest yet, but it will get there. In the meantime, suffice to say that I want to be this guy: That's right, Jon Stewart, I am coming for you. Jon Stewart was the oldest man to ever beat the Warped Wall on ANW last summer. I was 47. He was 52. I decided that I had until I was 52 to become him. That's what's going to happen. In the meantime - before I become a Ninja - I am going to be the most badass Spartan Jedi Knight that you will ever meet. This year I am going to complete at least two Spartan Trifectas and have my sights set on a third. Right now I have one down. My first six-month goal is to complete my second Trifecta. And possibly that third. This one's all mine. Goal One: Raise the X-Wing I'm functionally stronger than I was a year ago, but after cutting weight for about three months, I'm really feeling puny lately. I haven't been doing a lot of weight training and it has been painfully obvious lately. I need to get back to some consistency with this - lifting twice per week is my happy spot when I'm busy doing other stuff. I can count my CrossFit class for one of two of these if it is deadlift and OHP-heavy, but then I have to keep it heavy enough to matter for the duration. Goal: Lift weights twice per week. Goal Two: Outrun the Destroyers I'm faster than I was a year ago, but I'm not as fast as I want to be. The only way to get faster is to run, and the more consistently I get those runs in - especially longer runs, in the 4-8 mile range - the faster my shorter runs get. Plus, I enjoy just getting out and zoning out while I run. This needs to be a habit and I will put it in my challenges until it's just What I Do. Goal: Go for a 4-8 mile run twice per week. Goal Three: Unlock the Jedi Holocron I am going to be doing this all without the safety net of my Small Groups at my gym. I have been training with Jon since his first Boot Camp class in January of 2013 and I have been doing either his Focus Group or more recently the Men's Group with him ever since. That's nearly two and a half years of having him assign my workouts and ask "Where are your food journals?" But he's suspending the Men's Group for the summer due to him having time constraints and also the group shrinking to about six or seven, and while I could go back to Focus Group... I have a plan. One of Jon's goals has been to teach us how to do this stuff on our own. Also, one of my long-term goals is to become a Certified Personal Trainer myself. So, for this challenge, I will be creating my own program and then sticking to it without the added influence of a personal trainer. This will allow me to program specifically for my own goals - both short- and long-term - and train appropriately. This is both exciting and terrifying. I'll be posting my weekly plans so that they're trackable here, because the added accountability will really help. Goal: Write my own training program and post it here once per week. Life Quest: Teach my Padawan During the final week of this challenge I will disappear. Every summer I take my Youth Group on a Mission Trip. We do basic home repair stuff for mostly elderly or handicapped or other folks who can't afford to do the repairs themselves. It's mostly painting, although there are some small construction projects like wheelchair ramps. I've been doing this since 2004. This will be the first time since 2007 that I have done one of these trips with a member of my own family, as my school-aged son is now old enough to go on the trip. He also has high-functioning autism. The week will be its own challenge all by itself. Goal: Enjoy myself and don't stress out about the trip while making sure the boy does too. Grading: I abandoned stat points at the end of the last challenge but will be grading each of these pass/fail during the week and each grade will probably be moderately subjective. For instance, if the goal is to run twice per week but I go for one 10-mile trail run and only run a couple miles one other day, I'm still going to call it a "Pass" and not feel bad. Or like this week, if instead of lifting at CrossFit we do a Murphy Challenge, and I lift one other day during the week, I'm calling that a pass because a Murphy is a Holy Hell. May the Force be with you.

This cycle's challenges are based off of the feats from the mini challenge exercise for this cycle. More info here. Feats Endurance: Complete: Spartan Sprint + Oakley 10k + Savage Race + Rugged Maniac - DONE WEEK 1 Strength: Improve throughout this season's OCRs + Perform A Single Damn Pull Up Speed: Work on furthering my yoga pose skill set (I'm starting with holding crow for longer + headstands) Combat: Complete the Spartan bodyweight program + continue to work yoga in where I can - Edited to include working with the pull-up bar every week day this week on top of my yoga workouts Healing: Foam rolling + Duo Lingo to learn more French + Metrics + knitting/creative pursuits

Alright so for my last challenge I ran into some difficulties. The main one being I did not really put in anytime for active recovery (who needs to recover right?!) When I did take some time off, I ended up making huge improvements on my running time. So this challenge I am going to build recovery time into my workout plan. I am also noticing that nutrition is..... lacking. I am also going to try a point system for tracking my progress this challenge. Goal #1 - Create a workout plan, and stick to it, that involves a recovery week. The plan will focus on time active, with a couple specific workouts done on certain days. Each week the amount of daily active time will increase, and than drop for a week of recovery. It might be 2 hours a day week 1, 3 hours week 2, 4 hours week 3, and than 1.5 hours week 4. The point is recovery, but it is called ACTIVE recovery for a reason. Each week I stick to my plan = 100 points! Total possible score = 600 points! STA = +3 STR = +2 Goal #2 - Pick 1 day each week, track my calories, and find 1 thing to improve. For me I just feel better when I am eating healthier, and it turns out you can still be unhealthy when your a vegetarian! I want to be able to know what is healthy, but teach myself to do it intuitively. Every day I track, I need to pick one thing I could have improved, and post about what I have decided to improve. Each day tracked = 100 points! Each improvement = 100 points! total possible score = 1200 points! CON = +2 Goal #3 - Reduce weekly screen time (not related to fitness goals) If I am going to be spending more time active, I need to cut out time somewhere. Each week I will monitor the amount of time I spend in front of screens (not bug screens) and reduce that by 15 minutes. Reading books on kindle does not count towards screen time, as long I only read 1 book every 3 weeks. each 15 minutes reduced = 100 points! total possible score = 600 points! Wis = +3 There's no major changes here really, which is what I am going for. Although I do have a goal I am working towards, part of the point of this is to be healthy, and smaller changes will be easier to try and sustain than larger changes.

During this challenge, I'm going to be completing three separate Spartan Races: Tatooine - Las Vegas Super on 18 April. 8-10 miles, 24-29 obstacles. Endor's Moon - Montana Beast on 9 May. 12-14 miles, 30-35 obstacles. The Death Star - Miller Park Stadium Sprint on 23 May. 5k, 15+ obstacles. Doing all three Spartan Race distances in a single calendar year is a trifecta. I will earn my first this year during this challenge. I'm a little focused. My kids are probably sick of hearing about it and all my friends will probably be happy when the actual races start so I stop talking about training. This is my Grail: I chose wisely. Challenge Goals Quest 1: Don't Feed the Sarlacc I did really well on the last challenge, dropping 15 pounds by tracking what I am eating and following the plan my trainer and I have agreed to do, but I can get lazy and when I do, it turns into my healthy standbys of my favorite Chipotle burrito bowl and the Ensanada Chicken Platter at Red Robin. Now, neither of these is a bad thing, but that tends jack up my sodium intake and also gets expensive fast. The only exception to this goal is during the Vegas weekend because it's my first planned vacation since 2008 that doesn't involve volunteering my time as a youth leader. I'm going out regularly that weekend and I'm going to eat a slice of cheesecake the size of my head. For the Montana and Milwaukee weekends, I can bring healthy stuff like pre-cooked chicken breasts and salmon fillets. Goal: Eat out no more than two meals per week. Quest 2: Forest Moon Frolic I did a good job upping my miles in the last challenge. Prior to March, I had never run an event of more than 5k. Recently I did an 8m trail "run". I might never be fast per se, but I can be faster than I am now by continuing to push my limits and distances so that I build on these successes. Eventually I may stop dreading things like the Montana Beast and instead look forward to how hard I'm going to kick that mountain's butt. Goal: Run 2x per week for at least 30 minutes, plus one trail run per weekend at Lebanon Hills or a similar trail that goes for 8 miles or more. Quest 3: Destroy the Death Star A Stadium Sprint is a bit different than the other events. There's no mud and no terrain to deal with. There are, however, literally miles of stairs, broken up by lots of Crossfit-type things like a weighted jump rope and the water jug carry and box jumps and whatever else they decide to come up with this year. Recently I have been slacking off on my out-of-class weightlifting and while it hasn't had a negative effect yet, it will soon and I'll be losing ground on the strength gains I made over the past year. Goal: Weight training 2x per week as programmed by my trainer. Life Quest: I nearly missed out on my Vegas vacation due to a major financial issue that came up in the middle of the last challenge. That was taken care of, but a continuing lack of planning leaves me in this position on a regular basis. It can't go on. In theory, I'm an adult, and should be doing things like managing my finances and living on a working budget. This needs to happen now. Goal: Make a monthly budget and stick to it. Goal Grading: Quest 1 Goal: Eat out no more than two meals per week.. A: Ate out 2 meals per week or less. B: Ate out 3 meals per week. C: Ate out 4 meals per week. D: Ate out 5 meals per week. F: Ate out more than 5 meals per week. Quest 2 Goal: Run 2x per week for at least 30 minutes, plus one long trail run per weekend. A: Met or exceeded the goal B: Ran once and also got in my trail run C: Got in my trail run but no other runs D: Got some short runs but no trail run F: Anything less is a fail. Quest 3 Goal: Weight training 2x per week as programmed by my trainer. A: Did both programmed weight training sessions C: Did one programmed weight training session F: Didn't even lift, bro Life Quest: Set a budget and stick to it A: Set the budget, stuck to it. C: Set the budget, mostly stuck to it, didn't have enough discipline. F: Didn't do it, didn't try, just... didn't. I'll assign attribute points at the end, depending on my results.

He lay the map out on the table, relief washing over him. It had taken him over a month to locate this map and now that he saw it he knew that it had been worth the effort. It wasn't some cheap map without any detail. Whoever had made this map had slaved over the minor details making it almost feel alive in his hands. There was a possibility there was more to this map than the naked eye could see. Looking at the map he knew he wasn't quite ready for this journey. The green mountains had many legends. He had heard mention of zombies, trolls, as well as some that spoke of trails that changed every time you went there. The last one sounded crazy, but wizards claimed to have detected many types of spells at work on those trails. The spells had a wide range, from sapping the energy from your limps, to bringing to life your worst nightmares. He knew he had demons, and he had to make peace with them before he could attempt the journey. Quest #1 Run a total of 150 miles I've made even larger plans up ahead now that I'm so excited about running - 10k and 25k already signed up for! I did the math and if I stick to the 10% increase each week I will run exactly 150 miles! +3 STA Quest #2 Wear leg weights and keep 2 full water bottles and a 3 liter water bladder in bag at work In June and July I am likely going backpacking, so time to get comfortable with heavier weight. I'm going to start with my bag weighing 8 pounds, and end with my bag weighing 20. My goal is for me to get used to 40 pounds (I plan to try for 10 days without resupply in june). +4 STR Quest #3 Average 10 minutes of meditation per day There's some anxiety going on in my head, and it's been going on for close to a decade. Time to wrestle those demons and loosen up on my approach to the world. sub quest - Meditate everday, even if it is only for 5 minutes. +1 WIS+3 CON Life Quest Read Chirunning, The Cool Impossible, and Eat and Run The last quest I finished with was Born to Run (AWESOME BOOK) and it mentioned these three. The first 2 are about proper running form, and the third is about running and good nutrition. I know there are a lot of paleo lovers on here, but for me, that includes no meat. It's the same for this running, an AMAZING ultramarathon runner. Time to learn from the guru's. Sub-Quest - +1 DEX for videoing running technique 3 times during the challenge+3 WIS Motivation - I didn't talk about my motivation during the last challenge, but it comes down to this - On September 20th, 2004 my best friend had his 16th birthday. It was a big deal, so we decided to go camping to celebrate. Through a series of events during that camping trip he fell to his death, and I have spent the majority of the last 11 years blaming myself, and feeling a HUGE amount of anxiety. The blaming is generally called survivors guilt, but the anxiety was from his reasoning for the series of choices he made that led to his death. The blaming is gone, but the anxiety is still there. Also, on the day he died and his birthday, I tend to turn into an asshole. Last year a friend got me to sign up for a spartan sprint on september 20th. I didn't even realize until a few months beforehand what the day was, but when I did it, IT FELT SO GOOD! I wasn't wallowing, I was doing something. It was a new feeling for me. Now I'm chasing that feeling.

Placeholder for this next cycle. I have impending vacation/fml it's monday brain and can't think of much else right now. TBC. Probable goals: 1. my usual fitness + focusing more on specific skills. I think I need to re-evaluate the skills toolbox I wanted to build a few challenges ago and work on some of those specifics. Plus work on lowering my 5k time, and get ready for /compete in this season's mud runs. And I should probably address my damn hip flexor that keeps getting super-pissed after 5ks. 2. Metrics per usual - nothing is changing here. 3. Probably a continuation of my catchall 'get shit done' goal - creative projects/minimalism/digitization 4. I should really keep my 'get out of my comfort zone' goal -- and I should look at upping the pushes.

It's here! The Tough Mudder challenge is here! 5 challenges have been and gone and now I'm feeling ready. On May 2nd I'll be lining up with my team mates and fellow Mudders to take the Mudder oath. I'm so excited about this. It's going to be so much fun! As TM is right in the middle of this challenge I'm going to split the challenge into different stages instead of quests. Stage 1 - Preparation Train Continue the same training plan I've had the last few challenges. Run, lift, body-weight and swim. Taper I've never really done a taper properly before a race before so I need to research this and decide how to go about it. Stage 2 - Race Prepare for race day: I'm really bad at getting myself organised before an event. I usually end up leaving everything to the day and run around like a crazy person the morning of the run. This time I'm going to make sure everything is done and ready the day before. Gear - Decide what I'm wearing on the day. Have a few outfits ready so I have options based on the weather. Write a list of what I need to take on the day so I don't forget anything. Pack my bag the night before the event!Snacks - Buy / Make some healthy snacks so I can keep my energy up while waiting around for our wave to start.Travel Arrangements - Most of this is arranged, just need to finalise the carpool arrangements with the others, times etcAnd the most important part of race day: Stage 3 - Recover The last few weeks of this challenge will be for recovery. This will probably involve lots of yoga, some light running or walking and some swimming. Anything that keeps me moving and stops the evil DOMS.

The big goal this challenge is to decrease the amount of sugar that hubby and I consume. He is non-insulin-dependent diabetic but needs to improve his blood sugar levels STAT. So, this guy is public enemy number one at our house: I don't think that he is ready to go cold turkey; so I've devised a transition plan - based in part on the NF Academy nutrition guidelines. I've already dropped my sugar consumption about 25% - compared to last month. Gotta love data!!! I'm using LoseIt to track what I eat, and have the premium plan so that I can drill down on my macros to see what I'm actually eating. So Quest #1 is to transition to a Whole30 (which will be next challenge's goal). Each week, I'll add another improvement to our diet, and I'm going to be tracking it using HabitRPG. At stake: 2 CON, 2 WIS - with grading by percentage of days that I manage to stick to our improvement plan. During the break, I've convinced hubby to eat a high protein breakfast ... and he's already feeling better. That was no big deal for me, but next week ... I need to substitute a vegetable in for a starch at lunch and dinner. I'm not a big veggie eater ...... (0/42) The other big thing I am working on is to be able to complete an obstacle course race. I've been a bit discouraged at how long it takes me to improve my upper body strength, but I'm going to keep at it while working on my running and my general agility. So, Quest #2 is to do strength training 3 times per week. I mix it up and do a routine at the gym (including assisted pull ups), kettle bells at home, and sandbag training at home. At stake: 3 STR, and grading is also a percentage of goal. (0/18) Quest #3 is to get through C25K again. This should be pretty darned easy since I'm on week 4 already and am an experienced runner. But I'll (hopefully) be transitioning to outdoor running by early April. Yes?? 2 STA awarded for getting through it; 1 STA if I get to week 6. Quest #4 is to work on agility weekly (at least). I have my FitDeck agility cards. Or I can go climbing or take a related class - such as yoga, zumba, pole dancing, martial arts class, etc. I'm allowing myself to play with this and have some fun .... and be flexible with how I work on improving my agility for 2 DEX, based on percentage completion. (0/6) Quest #5 is to work on my dead drop assassin skills - using geocaching and Ingress. I'm going to pull a number out of the air and say that I'll do this 20 times during the challenge for a possible 2 WIS and 2 DEX. Geocaching in the harsh winter can get to be a bit problematic ... so the augmented reality game, Ingress, is a good substitute to get me out of the house. Scoring is also by a percentage. (0/20). PLUS - Assassin's Guild minis:Week1 - Pullups and Mountain Climbers (+STR)Week 2 - RUN!!! (+STA)Week 3 -Week 4 -Week 5 -Week 6 - AND, I'm competing in an exercise consistency challenge that Bekah put together on FB. AND WAIT - that's not all!! I'm putting together a simple Fitness RPG. It has a long way to go, but I'm playing it while designing it. So, I'm really hoping to have fun and improve my body composition this challenge!!!

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300 More This challenge cycle is all about building on the momentum I recovered during last challenge to prep for this year’s race season. On the calendar so far: March US Road Running Pirate Virtual 5kLadies First 5kApril Spaceballs Virtual 5kECU Color Run 5kMay North Face Endurance Race 5kSpartan SprintJune Savage RaceJuly Rugged ManiacAugust NoneSeptember NoneOctober NoneNovember Tough MudderDecember NoneThere are quite a few races I’m keeping an eye on for official date announcements, and I want to find 1 more OCR to do. The goal is to do 5 OCRs + at least 1 5k per month. Maybe a 10k if the Oakley Women’s Only happens again this year. On months with no OCRs, I need to up my strength training and complete more races. Goal 1: Fitness I feel like I need to continue with strength training/maybe focus on it more, but I really like bodyweight work. So, I think I’ll continue on with the HIIT/tabata style workouts I did last challenge through my PopSugar challenge + continue to work in cardio sessions on the treadmill. Those hill days are killer, but I know they’re doing me some good. I also need to buckle down and focus on getting that damn pull-up before my 1st OCR of the year. Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended 64 ounces. I track food with My Fitness Pal and need to find a good balance with apps to track sleep/water/exercise. Last year I had a Fitbit - since it decided to jump off my wrist, I’ve replaced it with a Misfit Flash, but am currently having issues getting the new majigger to play nice with all the apps it needs to be able to talk to. Weight and BF are still being tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. I also use a combo of FitBit + Zombies, Run! To track my quickly moving through space workouts if they're in the wide world. If I venture into the wide world, that is. Goal 3: Get Stuff Done I have so many little tasks I want to complete. On the top of the list: finish getting my old family pictures, etc. boxed up and sent off for digitization, finishing my ombre scarf knitting project, continue to weed out possessions I really don’t care about but feel pressured to keep. Also, I need to work to plug all my clothing into the Stylebook app, so I can get some good metrics/help realize my minimalist goals. Goal 4: Get Out Of My Comfort Zone I’ve been doing really well with this over the past few challenges, and I need to be mindful of continuing down this track. The goal is to do 1 thing that forces me out of my schedule/hermit lifestyle a week. Meetups, book clubs, Facebook group meets, workout classes, or sportsy outings in places that aren’t my house are good, as is going out and exploring things on my own when the hubbs isn’t home on weekends. Lunch by myself out - very uncomfortable, especially when not submerged in my phone, but good for me.

I’ve been enjoying the amount of graphic designs I have made lately for my blog and want to continue on in that vein. To that end, the “theme†of this challenge is playing with texture and font by making my own versions of those uber popular Instagram and Pinterest click bait quote images. As for challenge, I’m keeping things on the simpler side this go round. Last challenge I got really lackadaisical and really didn’t post much. I continued on (mostly, minus some completely off the rails time), but really didn’t feel like posting. NF seemed like a ghost town - most everyone on my friends list either bailed on the last challenge (last *few* challenges) or didn’t really update. I *know* these things shouldn’t deter me, but dammit, NF had been slacking for 3 challenges in a row and it’s hard to keep going when you feel like you’re screaming into the void. /rant I know myself and without the support of this community, I totally wouldn't be where I am today - and wouldn't have the stamina to shoot for my big goals this year. This year, my goals continue on from last year - I want to continue to improve my body; I have a bunch of OCRs & quick moving for bling things going on; and I still feel like I need to minimize the crap I have lying around. I also still have that GD SCARF to finish. I’m tired of that damn scarf. Oh, and to make things more interesting, I’ll be doing a Whole30 this January. So, there’s that. Goal 1: Fitness I think I want to go back to bodyweight workouts. I like barbells in theory, but I really miss my jumping all around and working on the fundamentals workouts when I'm not doing them. I plan on either grabbing a Neila Rey program or trying the January program from PopSugar's new app - and I'm starting late (on the 5th) because I'm battling some hefty thigh DOMs from last week. Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended by FitBit 64 ounces, and on the weekends I like my step count to be over FitBit’s recommended 10,000. I track food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water with the FitBit app. Last month, my FitBit Flex fell off my wrist sometime between here and the grocery store and I have yet to decide what I want to replace it with (ok, so I'm waiting to see if I want the Apple watch - shocker). Weight and BF are tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. I also use a combo of FitBit + Zombies, Run! To track my quickly moving through space workouts if they're in the wide world. Goal 3: Get My Shit Digitized I bought a Groupon waaaaayyyy back last winter to get another chunk of my mother’s pictures digitized, and just purchased another to get some of the other things scanned/duped as well. Maybe those VHSs of my tiny little blonde self singing in the church choir as a kid (BWAHAHA) won’t disintegrate after all. Goal 4: Get Out Of My Comfort Zone I’ve been doing really well at getting out of my comfort zone over the past few months, but I want to do more. I plan on going to exercise classes outside my bubble, socializing with new people, and creating new things. I’m not putting a time crunch on myself so I don’t burn my little introverted brain out, but I will continually look for new and different things to do. So far, I have at least 1 yoga class and 1 dance(!) class that I may go to in my building’s new gym + 1 yoga class out in the wild at of all places - Urban Outfitter’s flagship store. I did this class last month, and it was fantastic. And I didn’t die of exposure. Win.

I have been doing challenges with the Adventurers, but it's time I embrace my true nature and continue my training there. A little background: I am not who I used to be. I used to be this guy: That guy sucks, and I sort of despise him. He was a weak, lazy bastard who could barely run to the end of the driveway without gasping for breath, and even when doing something as low-impact as mowing the lawn, would sweat like it was raining. In late 2011, I finally grabbed at an opportunity to change and started doing group fitness twice a week at work. That was a decent start, but I was still fat, and then in August 2012 I left the company and stopped working out. And I went nearly back to being that guy up there, who like I said I sort of despise. Just look at him with that smarmy food-coma, glazed-eye smile. I bet that's ranch dressing on that plate. In January of 2013, I joined a Boot Camp class and quickly started doing 2 classes per week.Since I was nearly back to where I had started, I wound up puking in the garbage can in the corner of the gym during my first class. But then, in a massive middle finger to that guy, I jumped right back into the class and finished it out. That was the beginning. Over the last two years, I consistently increased my activity, my strength, my stamina, and my moments of intermittent badassery, and am currently this guy: This guy, I like. First of all, this guy's beard is infinitely more awesome than that other guy, plus if I'm going to sweat like it's raining, I better at least be doing something awesome to earn it. Along the way, I learned some things about myself: I like working out with other people. Boot camp, small group workouts, even just running with a friend - all awesome, and having someone else to push you to keep working or to not blow off a workout is the best. I like lifting weights. Alone in the garage, in front of others at Boot Camp, in the living room with the kids; hell, I'm even not freaked out anymore to lift with the bros in the free weight section at the gym. I heart hypertrophy. Someone should make that into a tee shirt. I like running. I'm slow, and I'm still working my way up to a full 5k without stopping, but I run. I ran a bunch of 5k races this year and I enjoy pushing myself to try and hit my personal bests. Right now I'm working toward a personal best of under 34 minutes while still working on that whole run-without-walking part. I like eating clean. I've been logging my food while working with Jon, my trainer at the gym who started a Small Group thing (he calls it Focus Group). In 2013 I lost 35 pounds in three months between April and June letting him teach me to eat clean and eat whole, and when I am focused and actually am consistent with logging, I can shred off almost 2 inches around my middle in just over a month. I like me some Spartan Race. I did my first one (that money shot up there) in September of 2014 in Illinois. I am kicking myself for all the times I told myself "I can't" or "Not yet" or whatever the hell else all my excuses were. I loved that one race so much, I signed up for the Stadium Sprint in Milwaukee a month later, dragged my youngest kids out to do the Spartan Kids' Race, signed up for the Minneapolis Sprint for June of 2015 the day it was announced, and am already trying to figure where to fit a Beast into my schedule so I can complete at least one Trifecta this year. I'm going to quit talking about it now before I start going "Aroo!"Lifting and running. It's not just a Spartan thing; this sounds like a certain NF Class, and it's time to embrace this thing. Challenge Goals: I have been measuring myself in Burpees since the last weekend in September at the Illinois Spartan. That number was 90 - 30 each for the three obstacles I failed to successfully complete, the Spear Throw, the Traverse Wall and the Rope Climb. In November it dropped to 60 when that damned spear sagged but did not drop. Sadly enough, I was less than six feet total away from a Burpee-free run in Milwaukee, but cramped up badly on the Traverse Wall and fell off two steps from the bell, and couldn't make it up the last few feet of the rope climb. Close enough to taste it, but far enough that I was in Burpee purgatory. Suck. I am planning to do the Las Vegas Super Spartan in April, and it's time to get serious about training for it, because otherwise I'm going to be the king of Burpees at the end of that weekend. Quest 1: Grip it and Rip It. I know I can beat the Traverse. I've been working on my grip strength ever since, to make sure that the damn rope does not beat me again. Jon has me working on pull-ups and chin-ups to increase my grip strength and my pull-force. Right now I can do two pull-ups in a row consistently and sometimes three. I need to keep at it to build up. Goal: Do fifteen chin-ups or pull-ups every day. Grading: A: 100+ per week B: 85-99 per week C: 70-84 per week Anything less is a fail. Quest 2: You Go Long. If I'm actually serious about this whole Trifecta thing, it's time to push up my miles when I run. 5k isn't going to cut it if I'm really going to tackle the Super in April. Right now I am doing interval training on the treadmill and can do 4.5 miles in an hour. It's time to push it some more. I'm currently only doing one extended cardio session. Doing it more often will help me increase my long-term stamina and my distance. Goal: Run for at least one hour twice per week. Grading: A: Two days or more, one hour each. B: Two days or more, 90 minutes total C: One day, one hour Anything less is a fail. Quest 3: You Have Logs? For the most part, I am consistent about staying away from processed foods and eating clean, whole foods, but the last couple months, I've been pretty lax. It's time to get back on track. Goal: Log all my food, every day. Grading: A: Logged all food intake every day B: Logged every day but missed some entries C: At least four days per week logged Anything less is a fail. Life Quest: Do It The Write Way. I am happiest when I spend some time writing. During one challenge in 2014, I had writing as a goal, and while the challenge overall didn't quite go great, I did do some decent writing. I aim to get back to that. Goal: Produce one piece per week - fiction, non-fiction, or essay. Grading: A: Six total pieces. B: Four pieces total C: Three pieces total Anything less is an incomplete. Motivation: My kids. All five of them. They rock. And I want to still be going over the eight-foot wall when they're old enough to run it with me... and their kids, too. I want to be the 85-year-old man doing wall-sits and making the kids climb up my knee and onto my shoulder as I hoist them over the wall.

I'm admittedly coming in late to this challenge after a very intense summer of training. Because of this I plan to have this thread serve as a longer battle-log style thread with some moderate goals and some general keeping track. After the Ultra Beast this September I'm planning on taking a bit of an off-season until the start of December. I'll still be training and eating well, but with a decidedly different focus and less pressure. In fact this week I've decided to do nothing I don't want to! And I'll get back to real life in earnest next week. Upcoming Events: Soccer Season - starts 9/27 continues Saturdays through Dec 20 Malibu Spartan Hurricane Heat - Sat Dec 7th Malibu Spartan Sprint - Sun Dec 7th Tinsel Triathlon (short course) - Sun Dec 14th Here are some goals I have for the coming months: 1) Start taking pride in my apartment/look! - Organize wardrobe and start building a better career-centered clothes base - Redecorate living room and bedroom - Finalize bathroom 2) Lose weight (no I'm not that overweight, but 10-20lbs off my frame will be a huge relief if I want to run a 50miler in April 2015). - IF Protocol - Track Cals and Macros - Actually be accountable for weigh ins and measurements 3) Run 3-4x a week (with one HIIT/Speed Session) 4) Weight train 2x a week 5) Spent 15mins 3x a week focusing on yoga/foam rolling before bed My overarching goal is to reach a sustainable place with my training where I am consistent, and yet can miss a workout without fearing the world will end.