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With one final heave Andador pulled himself over the ledge and allowed himself a moment of rest. Behind him was a world of ice and snow, and despite being a Nord accustomed to the cold he was happy to leave. The cave would allow him to sneak into the Southern Kingdoms while avoiding border patrols. Andador took the last swig from his waterskin and swished it about the dry roof of his mouth, a frequent reminder of the curse that plagued his body. This healer that lived in the South had better live up to his reputation, he thought as he began to trudge through the last bits of snow that made their way into the cave. At that moment the sound of rushing water pulled him from any thoughts of the future back to the necessities of his present circumstances. He had been told about this. The cave contained a flat stretch of 5 kilometers that could easily be run. The only catch was the geyser activity that regularly flooded this section of the cave. The flat stretch would only be open for 21 minutes, give or take, if Andador was to trust the information he had been given. As if that weren’t enough he’d been told to expect “resistance†on the other side, whatever that meant… This is my second challenge on NF. In case you did not follow my first challenge here are a couple quick facts to know about me. I’m a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed about 4 years ago. While I was able to control the disease well for the first couple years in the last year my A1C (long term measurement for diabetics) has gone from an admirable 6 to a not so good 9. My overarching goal is to get that back under control. Part of this includes working with my doctor, who I will see again in March, and the other part is making my lifestyle as healthy as possible. I tend to like setting performance goals rather than weight loss/body measurements and I will be following that pattern in this challenge. Goal 1: 21 min 5k Yes I know this isn’t necessarily the runners forum but Assassins have to be able to move right? This is a goal that has eluded me for a while. The closest I have ever come is 21:17, but I know I can’t hit that right now. I will run an official initial test before Feb 24. I will be following a modified version of this Intermediate 5k program. I will shift the days a bit, and only go for 5 runs a week rather than 6 so I can maintain my strength training. 1 Point - run completed that was less than the scheduled workout for that day 2 Points - run completed that meets the scheduled workout for the day 3 Points - run completed that exceeds the workout for the day Goal 2: 1 Handed Pushups Right now I can do around 5 of these on each arm. I will do an official test later this week to set a target goal. 1 Point - light or moderate bodyweight strength workout 2 Points - intense bodyweight workout, if a repeat of a previous workout the total reps must be greater than the previous try 3 Points - Ass kicking bodyweight workout, such as setting new PRs Goal 3: Handstands In my first challenge I rocked the handstand pushups, seeing some significant gains. Despite that, I can still barely hold a handstand without a wall. My goal is a 5 second free standing handstand (no wall or anything else nearby) 1 Point - less than 5 min handstand work 2 Points - 5-10 min solid handstand work 3 Points - More than 10 min handstand work Goal 4: Track the blood sugar You’d think I’d be better about this, but I tend to be pretty random about checking my sugar. I think that getting myself on a stricter schedule will help maintain my other routines. I’ll put out a schedule to follow later this week. 1 Point - Schedule is mostly followed with a few misses for 1 week 2 Points - Schedule is followed perfectly for 1 week 3 Points - Schedule is followed and numbers show improvement from previous week. Goal 5: Life Goal - The Daily 5 My school is switching to a new reading curriculum, and while I am not directly a reading teacher (I’m the Technology Specialist) I want to stay informed. I have joined a book study with some of the other teachers on a book called “The Daily 5â€. 1 Point - Complete some reading for the week 2 Points - Complete all assigned readings for the week and participate in discussion 3 Points - Complete all assigned readings and discussions and seek out additional related research/information