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T-11 days and counting... So, first of all, fair warning - I'm going to do an awful job of posting during this challenge. You know, because I'm having a baby in the middle of it! Currently scheduled for a December 11th c-section but have been warned by multiple doctors that I might need to go in earlier, so there's no guarantees. Because of that, I was going to sit this challenge out completely, but I have been finding myself wanting a spot to keep track of everything and, well, why not, right? Of course my goals are not really whole challenge goals, on account of the fact that prepartum and postpartum will have very different needs, but here's where I'm starting: Quest One: Fuel I finally started getting a bit better at this at the end of the last challenge. I need to keep up my water intake (or even increase it) and keep up my weight gain/eating enough. I have been just barely skirting the very, very bottom of the measurements every week for several weeks now. For example, yesterday our goal was that I would weigh at least 177 pounds and I was 176.8. So it's close enough that I'm not getting scolded anymore (well...for that!) but these last few weeks are super important to help the baby pack on body fat to help regulate her own temperature after birth, so I can't get lazy just because we're in the home stretch. Also the water will help ensure that my false labor cramps don't get worse than they have to be, even though my doctor agreed with me yesterday that my contractions are like weirdly between false and real labor (they're not producing any labor progress, but they're matching the pattern of real labor which false labor is not "supposed" to do and common remedies for false labor cramps have all failed to work). And I'll need to increase my water again after the birth if I want to try breastfeeding, so I might as well try to shore up the habit now. Quest Two: Work Prep Of course a major source of stress has been prepping for maternity leave. Here's what I have left to do before the 11th: 1. Semester 1 Finals Week: So far I have 2/5 preps 100% done and ready to go: French 1 and Spanish 2. Spanish 3 and 4 have stuff from last year I can build from. French 2 has nothing, as it has never existed before and I haven't started anything for them yet. 2. French 1 Unit 6*: I have 6/13 lessons complete and 1/4 extras done. Lessons 7 and 8 are both started but need finalizing. I have been starting on video lectures as well but still have a minimum of 3 more planned (will probably add more once more lessons are done too...) and I haven't started on their bellwork prompts either. 3. French 2 Unit 6*: Not started. It will have the same length goals as French 1 though: 13 lessons with 4 extras, complete with video lectures and bellwork. 4. "To Finish Later" List from the summer: Over the summer when I started prepping Spanish 2 in particular, there were a few things I couldn't do yet because the classes weren't set up on our tech at the time (this is all either setting up speaking assignments or making grading keys). It's a short list, but an important one! Without bothering to look right now, I think it has like 7 or 8 things on it. 5. Semester 1 grading: I only have 2 more assignments that have been due so far, but I am accepting late work for credit through tomorrow. Also all my classes are taking writing finals tomorrow and speaking finals next week Tuesday/Wednesday that I will need to get posted. (They are doing the listening and reading finals with the sub, because I can leave answer keys for those modes much more easily!) *Both French units could be shortened if necessary, as this plan gets me prepped through March 27th/the first day of Spring Break and I expect to come back somewhere around March 18th. But it would be nice to not have to worry about prepping classes immediately during that transition back to work, and some buffer for changing dates is always smart. Quest Three: House and Personal Prep We are getting so close! So one of the most important yet difficult things to do is get some rest. This is also a major help with the false labor cramps and also one of the only things that we can do that has any potential medical backing to help with the polyhydramnios situation (for anyone who didn't see my last challenge, I have way too much amniotic fluid, which is likely just bad luck but it does make the delivery more dangerous). I also have just a few things left to do to be ready for her birth: 1. Finish sanitizing plastic stuff: breast pump parts and bottles. I've done two batches so far (because I can't fit that much into my stew pot at once), but there is at least one more left to do and then a whole other bowl of plastics that need to be soaked and washed before they can be sanitized. 2. Set up changing pad area: this is largely done, but I need to add some extra clothes in case of middle-of-the-night blowouts (her clothing is going to be temporarily in my son's room until we can get his new bedroom finished, so I don't want to accidentally wake him up if we need something) and I need to get the trash can/diaper pail situation sorted. 3. Scoot our bed over slightly: this really means "annoy my husband into scooting our bed over a few inches" so the bassinet will fit next to the bed instead of at the foot of the bed, which would be an incredibly obnoxious spot for it to stay. 4. Laundry: this is two fold - I will likely need to wash a few more items of baby clothing and also keep my husband from dumping the clean laundry into the bassinet, which has become a weird makeshift closet between the time we put it together and now. Obviously the baby can't be sleeping in the laundry pile, and gods know we won't want to deal with putting away a giant pile of clothing right after getting home from the hospital! 5. Make a hospital bag: Finally, I still need to get the things we are bringing to the hospital together in one spot! At the very least, get it together enough that we can grab it, throw in a few toiletries, and go - especially if there is a good chance she'll come early and semi-unexpectedly. A lot of this can't be packed too far in advance because we will need those things in the meanwhile, but like a set of pump parts, her first outfit, etc. can definitely be put together now with little impact on our daily lives. ...Not going to lie, seeing all of it written out like that is more terrifying than I thought it would be, but I can definitely dig deep and get this done in time. Right??? Right. Of course I can. Now it's time to drink my daily single cup of coffee and get to work making it happen. 💪☕

WELCOME Last challenge I got some health scare news (liver and cholesterol levels are higher than normal) I am not 1000% sure what to do to rectify, because i have other mental health issues to work through as well. (i dont want to quit alcohol for instance) I do feel I have some mental/emotional barriers in regards to DOING the things that I know will help me. Maybe its subconsciously feeling undeserving of goodness? My partner is going through some tough times as well, mentally. So i am trying to be supportive to her as best i can. My huge project comes to an end at the weekend been 5 weeks already. I am up there for last day, then from 3rd April, I am there for 4 days to take stuff down/package works up etc I will likely find out about a big funding app result by the end of this challenge....for Project 2. Fingers crossed 🤞 I am writing another application for a grant at the moment, for research purposes. Will send it by the end of this challenge. In terms of health. Id love some advice. Im not walking enough, even though i have Bronze now. I feel so busy with work that we dont go far ... and she pulls so much on the lead its not always enjoyable. She is booked in for training in April. I should lift kettlebells, i should drink more water, i should eat better, i should do a lot of things but im either lazy or im in a state of freezing still when it is all brought to my attention... Thanks for reading! x

So. I’ve been gone quite a while. Things got hard during the pandemic, attitudes here were…….different. At least it felt that way to me at the time. And being here wasn’t good for me. Had issues at home that were pretty rough. But today is a new day. I’ll give it one more shot. Life is much better these days. My youngest kiddo graduated high school last year, praise God. It took kicking and screaming, threats and bribes, but he did it. We sold our house in SoCo, ditched 90% of our belongings, and headed southeast. It was an adventure traveling with 2 cars, 3 humans, 2 dogs and a cat. We have now settled in warmer, Southern climes. This is the first winter I didn’t have to shovel or drive in snow in 24 years. We've settled in a wonderful little community. It’s peaceful and beautiful here. And green! During this past year, between rehabbing the old house (shoulder is so jacked even still from painting every. damned. thing) , comfort eating and eating out, we discovered we had gained more weight than we realized. We decided to try the OMAD diet together. So we are fasting, albeit dirty fasting since we have coffee with creamer in the a.m. We eat one meal a day, mine aiming for under 1500 calories. We “cheat” occasionally, but have drastically cut junk and sweets from our lives. So far, since January 24, I’ve lost 12 pounds! I have a ways to go, seeing as I clocked in at 175. I was not happy that day. But today’s weigh in can in at 163.5. We also walk most days, barring rain or cold, 2.75 miles. My goals: continue with OMAD walk whenever possible be kind to myself Ciao, bella

Whew! That last challenge was a real doozy, but I made it! I am now officially graduated from my MA program 🥳 and just got back into town late last night (the ceremony was several states away from home since it was an online program). It's the last two-ish weeks of the classes I teach and my doctor cleared me to do gentle workouts (with a few "extra" restrictions since we're getting ready to do IVF). I'm finally over that mountain I've been slowly climbing for a long time now - in the case of the MA, 3 years! - and have found myself wondering...what now? What do I do with all this time I've suddenly "found"? What goes in those sections of my daily journal entry anymore? What happens next after the big goal has been achieved? This is something I've often found myself struggling with after big events like this, so I'm not wildly surprised. Still, there is a little bit to finish off here but I've found the best way for me to move forward when I feel like this is to relax a little bit but think up some new goals to set or I end up becoming one of those people who putter around doing nothing and then wonder how in the world they wasted an entire day/week/month/summer, so it's time to start dreaming up the next steps! Quest One: Fitness Okay so here are the rules according to my doctors: 1) start very slow and add time/frequency only if my body is responding well 2) walking or light jogging is okay except during egg retrieval week - no sprints or hard pacing (I believe walking is okay during egg retrieval week but not jogging, I will double check that) 3) No quick changes of body position, especially twisting - slow changes are okay as long as I don't feel any pain 4) Yoga is okay, but no inversion stuff (which could be a challenge, but I hate downward dog anyway so at least there's that?) 5) Be careful of my heart rate - try to keep it under 160, but it's running fast right now anyway, so I have to be extra cautious here 6) Try my best not to work out for more than 30 minutes at a time So with all of that said, my goal is to start with workouts 1x a week that are less than 30 minutes. I'm going to focus on walking and careful yoga with some light jogging - think like C25K but an extra slow, short version. Quest Two: Nutrition I'm still trying to gain weight, as well as improve my nutrient stores in preparation for pregnancy. I got this app called Sidekick that has a bunch of recipe "packs" that are supposed to allow for variety in healthy meals while minimizing food waste. My goal is going to be to cook recipes, probably from this app, 1x or 2x a week that still focus on protein while also including foods (mainly produce) I don't usually eat. This might be a single ingredient or a whole bunch, but the idea is that I get a wider variety of nutrients if I eat a wider variety of foods. Also I love to cook but haven't had time or energy during the last year or so of grad school crunch, so this is a way to get me back into a hobby I enjoy while also meeting a health goal! My weigh-in this morning was at 131.8 but I'm pretty sure that's only because I spent the last 5 days eating mostly takeout and sitting on my butt driving for hours on end. Quest Three: School Well, just because I graduated doesn't mean I'm done! I have the school that I teach in, but I also already have my eye on the next graduate program I want to do - my MA in Romance Languages (which will end up being dual degrees in Spanish and French). I promised my husband I'd take at least a year off before applying to the new program, but some prep in the meanwhile will help me a LOT once I get in! Goals for work: 1) send in dual-credit form to get that process started (I'm trying to get a local university to offer dual credit to my advanced students) 2) finish French 1, Unit 7 curriculum so that's prepped and ready to go in August 3) make the list of realia for my co-worker's son to try to gather for my French classes during his short trip to Paris this summer Goals for the second grad program: 1) find and read a French or Spanish chapter book - I own several of these, I just have to find them and pick one Quest Four: Personal Because if I don't make it a quest, I will get too obsessed with work or random social media nonsense to take up all my time. Either way, goals for my home and family tend to get pushed off, so this is the perfect time to bring them closer to the forefront! Goals: 1) work on my son's quilt - finish through row 15 (I'm currently barely beginning row 12) 2) reach out to a realtor so we can start looking at houses in the neighborhoods we want to move to sometime in the next two years 3) declutter the master bedroom/closet partly for home showing purposes but also because it's a mess. This includes my closet, the floor in front of the closet, the overflowing hamper (which will require a good amount of laundry!), the top of the chest at the foot of our bed (though I can start putting things into said chest, as it's currently empty), and weirdly enough the lamp next to my closet, which has some shelves built into it which tend to collect random hats, scarves, etc. This is not nearly enough to make the house ready to show, but it's a good start especially because I would love to paint our bedroom in June!

"Hello Guys and Girls... I'm back!" I just couldn't help myself... whenever I hear the words "I'm back" I think of the scene in Independence Day where the dad tells the aliens, "Hello Boys! I'm baaaack!" (2:08 in the clip) Luckily I'm not in the fight of my life, and there are no aliens. There are also the iconic words of Arnold, "I'll be back." Here is a compilation if you can't remember them. Any similar sentiments in other movies/scenes you can think of? Don't be shy, share them here. Didn't really plan on this being the theme, but *shrug* it is as good as any to start a challenge again after being off Nerd Fitness for about a year. I took a break from a lot of things though. For as much as there were changes a lot stayed the same however. We're still homeschooling; I'm still shooting; I never got around to sword training but hoping to change that now... We can catch up during the challenge ahead, because you know I like chatting and using this as a sort of diary to boot. I would really like to catch up with you. So the deal behind my training is (there might be smidges of t.m.i. in the paragraph ahead - be warned): I do it to keep strong and be able to keep up with two teenager boys, as well as join hubby on longer shooting days and just enjoy life in general with him/them. Obviously if I'm fit, strong, healthy and can think, I can tackle life a whole lot better. Certain times I'm not going to feel like training, and that's ok, but I would prefer to get something in, rather than nothing. Then again, that time of the month I often skip the whole week as I seem to be going into peri-menopause, and although I don't have a lot of symptoms, what I have is enough, I don't have to force myself through exercise when I'm not up to it. I don't have to prove anything to anyone, and I'm comfortable in my own skin now. Strength Training: Mondays: Warm Up: Star Jumps 20x High Knees X Elbows 20x Training: Deadlifts 3x5 @ 24kg; 2x5 @ 30kg; 1x5 @ 34kg (this set is a new addition) The Arnold Presses and Skull Crushers form a mini-circuit. I do 5 of each for 3 sets. So 5 AP's followed directly with SC's as one set. Arnold Presses (huh, the video above fits right in now) 2x5kg db Skull Crushers (standing with dumbbell above my head) 1x5kg db Side Lunges (are on their own - not part of a circuit) 2x10 Pushups (knees at this stage) and Mountain Climbers also form a mini-circuit. I do 5 PU's, followed directly with 10 MC's (each leg 10) as one set. I do this for 3 sets. Pushups (knees are fine if I'm tired) 5x Mountain Climbers (each leg) 10x Cool Down: Hang at least 1x5sec, but try for more. This is more to stretch my back than anything else. Downward Dog walkout-cobra stretch-walkin-up Sit-Twist stretch Fridays: Warm Up: Star Jumps 20x High Knees X Elbows 20x Training: Walking Lunges (preferably outside) with Farmer's Carry: 2x10 @ 2x5kg db Dumbbell Halo's (straight arms above my head): 2x10 @ 1x5kg db Tire Jump Squats (or just broad jump squats depending on the weather) 1x10 Scapular Pulls 1x5 Cool Down: Downward Dog walkout-cobra stretch-walkin-up Sit-Twist stretch Sword Training: I can't remember whether I've bought the decorative sword before I left NF, but I bought a Stainless Steel sabre like sword for a steal at a local security shop. Rocco will be helping me with footwork and other movements, as well as teach me how to duel. *Insert big eyes and one very wary mom* He is still taking fencing lessons and although his epeé training (attacks and parries) is a lot different than "old military style sabre fencing", the footwork and some things are the same. He is so looking forward to us training together on a Saturday. I'm... carefully optimistic with a dash of apprehension 🤔. In later months I'm going to mix the "military sabre" with a bit of "Han Dao". I've worked out a rough 34 week plan in general, but herewith the first 4-5 weeks. Pretty mundane. I'm going to train left and right to balance things out as much as I can. Don't know if I can do it, or will just confuse myself. Saturdays: One Handed Cut & Thrust Sword Warm Up: Star Jumps 20x Scabbard: unsheathe / sheathe (safely) 20x Footwork: Fwd/Back steps 20x Step Lunge 10x Advanced Lunge 10x Basics: Wrist Circles (small to big to small - clockwise - anticlockwise) 20x Wrist Waggles (left to right; up and down) 20x Cuts 1 and 2 (but try the wrap the brain technique from Han Dao) 20x each I think that's it.

Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. I return, considerably worse for wear, after a disastrous second half of 2021, ready to make 2022 my bitch co-exist peacefully with 2022. My circumstances have changed quite a bit since I was last here, I left my job and after some self-examination, a lot of tequila, and pointed counseling from the sainted @deftona, I have decided that I am not going to look for another career for some time, possibly ever. I have spent 53 years wrestling with late-stage capitalism, and other than caring for my mother (and my cats), I have decided to cut my responsibilities to the bone and prioritise having fun. So here are my goals for this challenge cycle, which will last 3 challenges/3 months (-ish), at which point I will re-evaluate my new hemp-wearing, sandal-footed, freewheeling lifestyle and see if I want to go back to being a corporate drone or if I can continue to make it, after all. hahaha who are we kidding, I expect to go completely fucking feral and never return to civilization. BURN YOUR NECKTIES AND JOIN ME. Anyway. On to the goals. *please note that this challenge is more about recovering from chronic workaholism and stress, not like counting macros and things, so it may be boring. Apologies in advance. Goal 1: Mornings in nature I don't currently use an alarm clock (my bed is next to an east facing window) but I'm going to set my alarm clock with some nature sounds to wake me up just before sunrise so I can have my coffee and meditation/quiet time as the sun rises. I like to do a quick 15-minute yoga routine in the mornings as well, and once the weather warms up a bit I'll do those things on my patio. Goal 2: Animal magnetism Spend 15 minutes daily playing with my older cat, who tends to get less attention because she's the aloof one. Do something for my wildlife garden daily, which can be as simple as filling the bird feeders or more complicated. I really want to build an owl nesting box this year and hang it in the woods right by the house so we can see the owls that live in the woods. Goal 3: IRL people Meet up with a friend once a week, and talk to at least two people, every day. When work went completely bananapants last summer I spent whole days locked in my office talking to no one, and I have a lot of social ground to make up. I missed the whole hot girl summer! UNACCEPTABLE. Goal 4: Rekindle my sense of wonder I want to get out at least once a week and do something that makes me feel like there is a world beyond spreadsheets and deadlines (not that I really have those anymore, but I'm still recovering). I have a small list of micro-adventures to start with that are all fairly local and low-cost and I will start doing those once a week. This past weekend I went to Savannah and did a bunch of hiking and mountain biking which was great.

I'm experimenting with workout schedules. That's the science. In my last challenge, linked here: I had the following goals: Goal 1: Workout every day. Goal 2. Eat more, earlier in the day, and in smaller portions to avoid bingeing at night; and everything should be clean. Goal 3. Water/Sleep: 6 cups at least & 6 hours at least. I'm not changing the goals for this challenge, I probably won't change the goals for a while. But because my completion chart looked like this at the end of the challenge,.... Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Work Work Work Work Work Jujitsu (AM) Church “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Cardio Resistance Jujitsu (PM) Life Group Errands Cardio Resistance Endurance or Speed Hams (RDLs) & Chest Yoga Abs Yoga Endurance Hams (RDLs), Lats & Delts Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week 0 ✔️ ✔️ 4/6 ✔️✔️5/8 ✔️✔️3/6 ✔️✔️2/3 ✔️✔️4/5 ❌✔️4/8 ✔️✔️6/7 Week 1 ✔️✔️5/7 ✔️✔️4/7 ✔️❌4/7 ❌✔️idk ❌❌idk ❌✔️4/7 ❌✔️4/8 Week 2 ✔️✔️3/5 ✔️❌4/6 ❌✔️2/8 ❌✔️3/6 ❌❌ idk ❌✔️idk ❌✔️4/8 Week 3 ✔️✔️4/8 ✔️✔️4/7 ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️idk ❌✔️idk ❌✔️4/7 ✔️✔️4/8 Week 4 ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️3/8 ✔️✔️ 5/6 ✔️✔️ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️4/6 ✔️✔️5/7 Week 5 ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌❌ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌❌ idk I figured I should reevaluate my workout schedule. I to see more green this time around. Changing my schedule around to look like this: Sunday,--Cardio: preferably hikes to build endurance, (Is there anything better on a Sunday afternoon?), but since the weather will be iffy over the next month, anything will be fine. Monday--Weights: RDLs + (Bench & Lats) or (Rows & Shoulders) Tuesday--Cardio: Doesn't matter what kind. Wednesday: Jujitsu & Abs/Core work, If no jujitsu class -> Weights again Thursday- Yoga: I usually have church activities on Thursdays, so I get home very late and in varying states of fed/hungry. So I'd rather do something simple and at home, while I get ready for bed. Friday-Abs/Core work: I run my errands on Friday nights, so I need something I can do at home, that's relatively quick. If all else fails, 1min. planks suffice just fine. Saturday- Weights again. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Week 0 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week Xtra Week 5 I know this challenge is only three weeks, but I didn't feel like making a new chart, now or in the future. I'm also going to start a week now, and go the week after Christmas. Because my main goal going into next year is to workout consistently, so there is no point in taking a week off anywhere and disrupting that. I'm less tired than I was a few months ago, and my strength and endurance are slowly picking up, so I know at least something is working.

Hello all. The big New Year challenge. I will be glad when 2020 is over, i am sure most of you will be too! Been the worst year of my life, not only due to COVID, but lost work (i am an artist) and my dad passed away suddenly. I am hoping 2021 can be better, even slightly. My goals for this challenge then. ACTION: I will be starting a major piece of work - ( https://www.fromheretothereproject.co.uk if anyone is interested! ) I am aiming for around 4 miles per day. Which is a MASSIVE step-up from where i am now... i barely move at all tbh. So from 1st Jan, I begin. eeeeek NUTRITION: I also need to fuel myself so i don't get poorly or worn out too easily. Good homemade food as much as possible. Prep lunches... WORK: I am VERY busy at the moment, which is great of course. Lots of planning exhibitions, shows, writing applications, submitting for funding. Figuring out how to make things COVID safe etc. So i need to keep using my gorgeous studio to work from, working hard, and keeping on top of things. FUN: An aim for this year is to read more. I started a Goodreads profile and I hope it inspires me to read more! Right now I am starting a re-read of Murakami's 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' which is a beautiful memoir from a cool, surreal mind!! (i also hope it helps me to exercise!) No pressure but read at least 2 evenings a week. And films... i want to watch more. I LOVE films yet I have struggled this year to focus. Watch one film a week. At least. So i have EXERCISING, EATING WELL, WORKING HARD and HAVING FUN. I think that will do for now xx

Wowie wow wow last challenge of the year AND my 50th - yike I’ve been here for a hot minute, huh? This challenge when completed, will be number 50 for me. And that’s just the ones I’ve successfully finished, not counting the pile of half-assed incomplete challenges where I’ve fallen into a void hole or something. LEVEL 50 IS PRETTY BIG! As always I’m so grateful for this community - for all of YOU - for always being here and being so supportive. Nerd Fitness has really seen me shoulder some of the hardest times of my life and somehow come out screaming on the other side, and I credit a lot of that to the support I’ve found here and the fitness and wellness that’s been a big help in keeping my head on straight. If I can repay even a little bit of that it’ll be my absolute delight. ❤️ So, THANK YOU for helping me get here! I've also taken a big liberty and edited my ENTIRE opening post - thanks to Rangerbrain and everyone's DND characters popping up of late, I finally decided to sit down and not only write a character sheet for Shaar, but to retool my goals just a smidge to align with her classes. I've written for Shaar LOTS in the past, so it was an easy transition into an actual character format. And while I've written MANY character sheets in the past for my own creations, anything DND-related is so out of my wheelhouse, so this is all a bit of my own liberties (and my own fandoms) here. :3 Without further adieu... » Shaar kom Starkru bardic time-mage; of the furious heart, traveler 'twixt the stars Race: Human l'Cie Alignment: Chaotic Good Stats: STR 5 | STA 4 | WIS 7 | CHA 9 | CON 6 | DEX 3 Appearance: Shaar is short of stature, clocking in at a huge 5'3", but don't let that fool you; you know what they say about little dogs having the loudest bark? Yeah, that generally applies here. Long dark hair is often pulled into a high ponytail, various small braids woven into bits of it, adorned in kind with an assortment of small feathers and beads at their tie-offs. Jaw-length bangs frame a pale face that nine out of ten times is harboring at least a ghost of a smile, if not on her lips then lingering in forest green eyes. She is generally clad in dark colors as per her preference; layers of fur and leathers that seem comfortable and well-worn enwrap her small form, a pair of charcoal over the knee boots topped off by a light hooded cloak draped across her shoulders, fur-lined and dotted with various bone pieces and feathers along its hem. Despite her egregious nature she prefers to dress diminutively, save for a few special notations - her right wrist bears a gauntlet of sorts, a distinct covering of delicate bones settled in a single layer atop her forearm, all fitting together a bit too neatly - a single ring rests comfortable on her right ring finger, a set of pewter-cast swallow claws clutching a bezeled moonstone - and an intricately stitched leather belt slung low across her hips, housing more than a few sheathed short knives, and a small pouch containing... who knows what. Personality: Charismatic to a fault, there is a reason Shaar is a bard first and anything else second. She is a textbook extrovert and 9 out of 10 times will be not only ready, but thrilled to strike up a conversation with anyone, anytime, about anything at all. A patron acolyte of The Fury, Shaar is also a very steadfast and tenacious individual and can be very forceful in her ideals and beliefs, or defending those she cares about or shows loyalty to. She is always very off the cuff, joking and casual in most any situation - if you witness her get steely and serious, you know shit's hit the fan. She's got a temper and often swears like a sailor, but for the most part her heart is in the right place and she tends to funnel her wild exuberance into mostly non-reckless behavior. Talents: bard; There are many darkened taverns, in far-flung areas of the world, where legends exist of a small girl effectively shit-talking alpha thugs to the point of rendering them speechless. This is the legacy of Shaar - not only demeaning bullies and adversaries into a pile of mush with her continuous string of curse words and putdowns, but also flipping that skill completely around to support and enliven her friends at the drop of a hat. Nothing brings Shaar more joy than being able to bring laughter to a friend or ally in their darkest hour - well, aside from trash talking criminals, naturally. time-mage; A traveler and shepherd of the stars, not by choice, but by nothing more than circumstance and necessity, Shaar has the ability to hold the fates in the palm of her hand. Existing in multitudes across worlds, the burdens she has shouldered and overcome have opened the doors of locked away and arcane abilities, allowing her a myriad of resources to not only entrap and hinder her adversaries, but to benefit herself and her allies on the field of battle as well.. l'Cie; Shaar is a l'Cie - a human chosen by agents of the world's gods as servants to fulfill a focus or greater task. She knows very little of her racial upbringing, save that she is a patron of The Fury and that she harbors quietly long-lost attributes of the time mage, a sect of people little known to her world. CHALLENGE GOALS Bard [ "Cool story, bro~" ] A bard always has stories - I want to be more present on the forums. I know this is HARD for me because I'm always going 500 miles an hour but I want to work to share more with you all over this challenge; more updates, more wild stories from my life (because I have a LOT), more interaction with you, my friends! ❤️ [ Provoking Cantrip ] Keep fitnessing, twice a week at the VERY least. Treadmill, lifting, see how your elderly-ass skeleton is feeling that day! And do it. Simple as can be. Time Mage [ Cosmic Deceleration ] My life is a textbook example of “man makes plans and the gods laugh” BUT, I’d like to sit down and hang some goals for 2021 that I’d like to strive for. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head already and a lot going on (AS USUAL) but it’d do me good to solidify that shit so I can hit the ground running - as always. It's time to look ahead and plot my course. [ Stellar Interconnection ] Y’all I feel OLD lately. My knees hurt. My shoulder gets in the way of *gestures vaguely at life*. My back feels like an old-ass oak tree. I know I can do better at this because I have in the past and duuuuh I also own a fair amount of GMB Elements. I know better in that everything in my body is connected and I need to set myself up for a good 20-30 minutes of stretching and mobility twice a week. Foam rolling, tennis ball on wall, downward dog, ANYTHING that gets my elderly-ass skeleton moving more than sitting at my desk all day. OK friends, that's all I've got! Let's finish this year out HOT and then show 2021 what we've got!! (Hey, it's almost like I'm a real bard, you know, the rhymes..... ehehe~ ❤️ )

Hi all. It's been forever, but I'm back. Warrior's Barracks Challenge 1 Finishing 30 day challenges: Plank Challenge: on day 13 Russian Twist Challenge: day 5 Challenge 2 Weights/bodyweight exercises or cardio 5 days a week Challenge 3 Ranger Mini challenge: Doodlie challenge Athenaeum Challenge 4 Journaling/writing every day Read 1 chapter a day of: On Writing Well by William Zinsser Monk's Temple Challenge 5 Read 1 chapter a day in my chronological Bible

B.R.U.T.A.L. Bold.Rangers.United.Together.Attempt.Lifting Seems like there are quite a few Rangers this challenge which are getting back to (or are continuing) a lifting routine. That's why me and @jonfirestar thought it would be fun to bring us all together in one thread so we can thrive off of each other, in a friendly competition kinda way. Now i'm not quite sure how we are going to make this work, but a thing that popped into my mind right now is: Weight --> Reps --> RPE --> E1RM --> Wilks points, per lift That way we can update with our last training results, calculate an estimated-1-rep-max, and thanks to the wilks points compare to each other. People who aren't familiar with RPE E1RM and Wilks points. I will elaborate in due time. So if you are in need of some friendly lifting competition, sign up and post your last workout, so we can get this party started! Also if you have good ideas for how to format this thing, let's hear it. It's suppose to be a fun competiton, aimed at excelling in our lifting workouts. Now i will be off, visiting the rangers i know that are lifting this challenge, if you know a Lifting Ranger that i haven't visited yet, feel free to direct him or here! And if you have any personal questions, DM or tag me!

Last challenge–while the Empress and I were strategizing our path to world domination over tea and crumpets– we decided that I needed to focus on some very specific things to be my truest self in 2019. Definition: (1) (adjective) ruthless in competition; ( 2) (adjective) violently agitated and turbulent; (3) (adjective) marked by extreme and violent energy; (4) (adjective) marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid; "FIERCE" is the acronym designed to support this quest, which I am intensely committed to achieving, in ruthless competition with myself, through the following means: FOCUS - Attend to one thing at a time, the most important thing. IMPACT - Choose the most important thing on the basis of its impact, and where its effects will accumulate and compound over time. ENERGY - Trust the Universe and my intuition. Follow the path of positive energy. Invite feedback. RESILIENCE - Proactively seek to become stronger and more resilient by regularly going outside my comfort zone. Balance stretching my limits with adequate rest, recovery and social support. CREATIVITY - Fuel the fire. Nurture my creative spirit. Make cool stuff that energizes me and helps others. EXECUTION - The time for planning and strategizing is done. Execute the plan! 12/31/2018 - My accountability partner and I are meeting later today, New Year's Eve, to wrap up our respective end of year retreats and have a focused work session on our plans for the coming year. I'll report back here with the results and my challenge goals, on New Year's day. The results of the New Year's Eve Accountability Buddy session: We didn't get as far on concrete goal setting as we had planned. We realized in our initial checkin that we were both still a bit scattered and conflicted on some of our goals. We shifted gears after discussing possible solutions, and ended up doing a "Draw Your Future" exercise. and worked with our respective Tarot cards for the day. Mine, of course, was the Empress. I used this particular version, chosen intuitively from a page image search results: Once we had more clarity on our "whys", we adjourned to do some individual work on goal setting and prioritizing during the week, with the agreement to have a followup accountability session next Saturday after our hike. We had planned a hike as part of our session, but it was cold (46 degrees Fahrenheit! ) and rainy yesterday in Phoenix and we were wimps. (Had not prepared adequately.) We made a pact that there would be no more bailing for weather in the future–beyond adapting time or location based on actual hazards like lightning or flash flooding–as we are going to be FIERCE in our training. To be continued. I am getting ready to go back to work tomorrow, so I'm interspersing writing this update with household chores.

Shadowlion haS TEA and CruMpetS with the Empress Yes, it is another Shadowlion ACRONYM Challenge… Tarot challenge... and a Fire Fit challenge... with Truck Porn, Tai Chi, Tuxedo Cats, a little alliteration, and all lot of other stuff I threw into my tags As per usual, I am a little bit late getting my challenge together. It was a bit of a hectic zero week that included much craziness at work, stitches to my left index finger, and a cold. Typing is still a bit slow, so in lieu of a lot of words, so I will leave you with several pictures that I will weave together into a challenge over the next few days. https://www.wired.com/story/sanfrancisco-smaller-firetrucks/

After too many challenges away, I'm back. It's been a long, strange trip which has, hopefully, made me a wiser shadow lion... I am building my challenge out of several other small challenges, sort of like challenge "lego bricks." Tiny Habits First, I am using the the five day "Tiny Habits' challenge starting tomorrow to kick things off. I expect to roll these over and build on them as I progress through the four weeks of this challenge. They are tiny, and that's the point. If you aren't already familiar with the concept, you can read more about the theory and method of tiny habits here. I will be following these 3 rules the first week of this challenge. After I turn off my morning alarm, I will do one visualization After I brush my teeth in the evening, I will floss one tooth After I lay down in bed, I will recall one happy memory Vegetarian Challenge Second, I have a goal of eating a vegetarian diet at least 90% of the time by Jan. 1, 2019. I've come to the conclusion that my previous efforts failed because of not really understanding how to keep my macros in healthy balance and get enough of the other nutrients I needed so that I did not crave meat. I'm giving this effort another shot, using this 30 day challenge as a more gradual 60ish day plan. That will overlap nicely with this challenge and next. Just What the Doctor Ordered Third. Recently diagnosed with sleep apnea, I need to use a pressurized airway device at night while I sleep. This condition carries a "compliance" requirement with my health insurance. I am still in the "adaptation" window and doing well, but my competitive streak wants to do REALLY WELL. That, and the doctor put the fear into me with what untreated or poorly treated OSA can lead to. Luckily, they have a "coaching" app that assigns points and let's me see ALL THE DATA! My nerdish side is very motivated by that. This photo of Lion and Safari Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor Photo of a sleeping (and snoring) lioness. Sleeping good; snoring, not. Preparing for the Adventure of a Lifetime Finally, I am easing into a more active exercise routine using some of the ideas from "Tiny Habits' grafted onto some things I was already doing to decrease the amount of sitting I do at work–stretches at my desk, breaks of stair laps or walking or a few bodyweight exercises. I will track these on my spreadsheet and summarize weekly here. This is part of a larger, secret plan I am hatching with a good friend of mine (with whom I have another 30 day health and happiness challenge going). I will gradually reveal details as they coalesce... Hmmm, not such a tiny challenge after all, but neither is it one of the overwhelming Shadowlion challenges of old. Finding my balance with four smallish mini challenges rolled into one larger one. I am still finalizing my point system for the above and will update that in my next post here. Woot! New Nerd Fitness challenge, and my first one as a 60-year-old!!!

12 Week Hypertrophy Quest Quest Goals: 1) Increase Muscle Mass 2) Decrease BF% 3) Increase Strength In All Lifts Overview/Details Each working set should be performed to near failure with 12 being the most reps you should perform and 6 being the lowest. This workout utilizes supersets.Take a 1 minute break between each superset. Supersets are grouped by letter before them. See Quest Objectives for context. Increase weight on each set by at least 5lbs. Increase weight from week to week as well. By the end of the 12 weeks, you should be 10lbs+ stronger in many lifts. This program can be repeated with endless variation. If you begin to plateau, seek ways of making the workouts harder. An example could be adding some dropsets. SPLIT CHEST/BACK SHOULDERS/ARMS LEGS Quest Objectives: Day 1: Chest/Back | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) Bench Press 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) DB Row 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest B1) Hammerstrength incline Chest Press 3x12 working B2) Hammerstrength lat pulldown 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest C1) Cable Crossovers 5-7x12 working C2) Reverse Flye 5-7x12 working Day 2: Active Rest | Start with 5 minutes of cardio if you normally don't do cardio, and add 5 minutes to your average time of the cardio you do regularly. Increase total time by 5 minutes every other week. By Week 12 you should be doing 30 extra minutes of cardio. For the sake of this program, cardio is considered 150bpm+ for the whole session. Day 3: Shoulders/Arms | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) DB Shoulder Press 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) Standing DB Curl 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest B1) DB Front Raise 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working B2) Tricep Extension 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest C1) Reverse Flye Machine 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working C2) Barbell Curl 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 minute rest D) Skull Crusher 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working Day 4: Active Rest | Do the same amount of cardio as you did on your first active rest day this week. Day 5: Legs | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) Squat 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) Leg Curl 1x6 warmup , 3x12 working 2 - 3 minute rest between A and B B1) Leg Extensions 3x12 working B2) Standing Calf Raises 3x12 working 2 - 3 minute rest between B and C C1) Weighted Walking Lunge 3x12 working C2) Lower Back Extensions 3x12 failure Day 6: REST Day 7: REST Let me know what you think below!

I ran a half mile without pausing for a rest!!!! *victory dance*

Hi guys, here's a programming question for those of you mixing running with lifting (I guess, rangers mostly). My primary interest is distance running, but I also want to have a stronger upper body. I'm struggling to figure out my weekly schedule, esp. when it comes to legwork. I've read on Strength Running that legwork is necessary for injury prevention, and for more speed and power, but my quads and hamstrings are terribly sore after all those weighted squats and lunges. I read that's the reason why it's better to do the legwork after running instead of before. But should it be done on the same day after running, or the day after? This is the latest version of my weekly workout cycle: Sun: long run (10k at minimum) Mon: strength training + walking 8000 steps Tue: active recovery day (walking 8000 steps) Wed: walking 4000 steps + HIIT/fartlek/hill running + strength training Thu: active recovery day (walking 8000 steps) Fri: walking 4000 steps + tempo run + strength training Sat: 24-hours rest day (from sundown Fri to sundown Sat) + walking 8000 steps after sundown (My strength training consists mainly of dumbbell lifting and bodyweight exercises. You can see the details in my battle log.) Is that a healthy schedule? Should I divide the strength training sessions into upper and lower body workouts (which would mean I'd have upper body workouts on what are now recovery days)? I'd appreciate your input!

I'm improving... Only about a week and a half late this challenge. I had an elaborate, old style Shadowlion challenge nearly ready to post at the end of the zero week, then realized that it just didn't fit the current reality. The work crazy hit and, well, here we are. This challenge is focused on continuing what was working from the last one, and adding just a little bit more. I will also do some theming, as I have time. That should help fill in some of the gaps in my challenge history over the past few months, as a way to gain some perspective for myself and in the hope that there might be something of value in it for others. Some of you might remember the series of challenges I did last year that were Tarot themed. I am picking that back up where I left off, at the High Priestess. Why will become clear later. The High Priestess is an archetypal image of a wise woman and spiritual guide. Whether she is seen as the traditional figure of a woman in blue, seated between two pillars and holding a scroll: Or in her wilder shamanic form Or in a multitude of other artists' concepts She offers the seeker a glimpse through the veil that hangs between this life and the mysteries, and acts as a conductor of souls into and out of the depths of the unconscious. Not a bad energy to have on your side when you're working your way out of a depression, shuffling your way out of the Underworld! With the aim of applying a little wisdom in my life, here are my goals for this challenge: Food shakeup - Try one new recipe per week. Bonus if it uses a new or unusual fruit or vegetable, or uses an old favorite in a new or unexpected way. Move that body - Take active breaks at work, stretch, move around hourly. Take a daily walk, preferably for at least 15 minutes. Leave the cave - Spend at least 15 minutes daily outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. Get out of the dark cave that is my workplace. Get stronger - 3 or more bodyweight strength sessions per week, consisting of at least wall or counter pushups, ring rows, and triceps extensions; 2 or more sets each basic exercise, 8 - 10 reps. Explore how to modify BW squats without irritating right knee. Try some kettlebell exercises? Dream, explore, observe - Take time to read, journal, do art or music. Minimum of 10 minutes daily.

Keeping it very simple. From March 3 - 11, I will lay the groundwork for the next challenge by: Daily - Track all food intake in a food diary to use in setting next challenge's food goal Daily - Take a walk, preferably for at least 15 minutes. May be combined with #3, if necessary, to defuse excuses, rationalizations, or other extraneous, self-defeating B.S. Daily - Spend at least 15 minutes daily outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. (Or whatever weather... It's Phoenix, Arizona, after all.) May be combined with #2, same reasoning as above. Complete three or more bodyweight strength sessions consisting of at least wall or counter pushups, BW squats, ring rows, and triceps extensions; 1-2 sets each basic exercise, 8 or more reps. Document totals for use in establishing a strength training baseline for next challenge Daily - Report back here. "If it isn't documented, it didn't happen." ~ Old EMT saying

BackStory: Hello, again my fellow Rangers! I've not been around at all this year despite multiple failed attempts. Truthfully this has been one of the most trying times in my life I have ever experienced. Within this past year, I've moved to a different city, put final preparations on my associate's degree, and had the most severe family problems. To top things off, I've been in a terrible haze of depression these last six months that I am only now starting to come out of. Since finally regaining a moment of clarity this month, I realized that depression had been my main foe all along when it comes to me being successful. Realizing this, I decided that I wanted to do something about it. My doctor recommended I take antidepressants and that is what I will be doing. However, I realize that medication is only a supplementation and I must put in the effort to achieve my goals as well. And so that is the point of this challenge, to simply start taking the small steps each day that will build into success. There is more to the story but for now, I just wanted to get this posted Without further ado, the challenge theme! Quest 1: Go Swole 4 days a week at 9pm (gym 4 days a week) Quest 2: Meditate every day at 5pm Quest 3: Knock sleep back by 5 mins every day Quest 4: Do anything related to my life's goals everyday (at the moment this is coding, writing, and cartography) Ranger Challenge Strength Feat: Complete 4 days in the gym Speed Feat: Row 1800 m in 10 minutes* Distance Feat: Run a full 2 half laps in park Combat Feat: Sign up for Archery Range Ranger Feat: Complete 4 mile Hiking trail despite the cold

Shamelessly stolen from [mention=53735]jonfirestar[/mention]: The hole is the grind is the challenge is the goals. Think about how insulted you are when someone (probably someone with a very long beard and a hunch back) tells you you lack discipline! The truth hurts, doesn't it. What a weak minded soul, to lack discipline. What kind of warrior (or hole-digger, for that matter) can you be? Well, excuse my French, but EFF THAT. I'm tired of being soft, physically and mentally. I'm tired of not doing what I say I'm going to do. Enough is enough. Let the grind begin. GOAL #1. Do things. I often have workout goals, which is great... but I want to give myself credit for all activity, large and small, to encourage a mentality of moving all the time. I'll probably add to this list as time goes on, but for starters: 1 dog walk - 1 pt 10 push ups - 1 pt 3 chinups or 5 reverse pull ups - 1 pt 20 snatches per side - 1 pt 20 weighted squats - 1 pt 100 swings - 2 pts 25min+ Yoga video - 7 pts 20min+ At home KB session - 8 pts Kettlebell class - 15 pts Aiming for 40 points per week. The glory of this is that it's super grindy. Most things give very little credit in and of themselves, but add it all up, and it's worth something real. A=160 pts B=120pts C=80pts D=40pts GOAL #2. Eat well. 5 pts per week - Meal plan and prep 1x per week. 1 pts per day - Avoid dessert. (I don't even like sweet stuff, but its so ubiquitous this time of year, I find myself eating it, and it's NEVER worth it.) 1 pts per day - Track all food. I know it's imprecise, but it keeps me honest. 1 pts per day - Eat your damn vegetables. At least one serving per meal. I LIKE vegetables. But I get into bad habits sometimes. 26 points per week. A=104 pts B=90pts C=76pts D=62pts Goal #3. Meditate. This is another goal that I've had in the past, that I often fail at. Why? It's not difficult? Anyways, I am finding my new job, which I do love, is definitely taxing my mental resources more than my previous one, and meditating absolutely helps. This is all about trying to stay sane. I will aim to meditate at least once one each weekday. A=20 pts B=16pts C=12pts D=8pts I'm going to leave this challenge at that. The grind isn't about getting fancy or aiming so high - it's just about getting through it and getting what you need out of it. Let it begin.

Hey y'all! I'm back after (another) hiatus. The short story: I had a year-long internship that was pretty rough in a lot of ways (you can read the sordid story of how I used my challenge back in January to help survive a bad several months' worth of depression), and went until I returned to my grad program this past August. I took a shot at getting another challenge going after that, but I didn't really have the mental or emotional steam to do another once my life had started to get more normal again. August, I made it back to school. I'd been exercising a bit throughout the year, although not staying in the greatest shape in the world - eating well most of the time, but generally just staying at basic running fitness, and going for pretty regular short hikes. Transitioning back into classes (and city life here in DC), I dropped most of that for about the first half of this semester. The damage of that inactivity added up pretty fast. I knew I needed to draw a line when I was feeling sore and uncomfortable literally just trying to sleep - I'd been sitting around for lectures and work so much that I was just that stiff. So I finally managed to slowly start some activity again - doing stretching and mobility a la Gymnastic Strength Training, and building my old running routine back in. Some weeks back, I think I hit a tipping point where, for whatever reason, I just decided I was tired of the mediocrity. I've had a lot of fun with athletics, and obstacle racing in particular, so I've decided to take that to the next level. In the past, I always did best when I could shoot for a milestone, and now the milestones are getting a bit scary... for example, in terms of straight-up mileage, the only main race length I haven't done yet is a full marathon (I did the Rock N Roll Half Marathon two years ago), and I've enjoyed two Tough Mudders. At this point, I'd rather seriously commit and see if I can survive something really intense, and get in really good shape for it, instead of just muddling along like I've been doing for months now. In sum, I have two major athletic goals that I legitimately intend to accomplish in 2018, barring serious injury or life crises: - Run the Rock N' Roll Marathon in March. - Complete a Spartan Race Trifecta (all three main lengths of their obstacle race series). I haven't done any of these yet, but I know they'll push me to a much higher level of overall fitness and strength. The one I've really got my eye on is the Colorado Rockies Beast, a half-marathon-length obstacle race at high elevation in the mountains. (Yikes!) The races I have in mind start in June. Basically, any challenges I do in the next year will probably be working toward these goals in different ways, but having the accountability of this community again would be awesome. Also, since this is going to take me out of the pure running world and into a lot of strength and crosstraining, who better to have along for the ride than the Rangers? (I thought of Iron Man for this challenge because he kind of reminds me of how I think of obstacles in general - with enough forethought, planning, and preparation, you don't have to have superpowers to overcome a difficult task!) All that being said, here are my main goals - keeping in mind that this month's challenge will be going right up through Christmas break: - Run! Run faster!: Running's a big part of my workout plan (really the main part right now). Goal is to get two short runs and one long training run done each week. No excuses. - Throwing my weight around: I'm just starting to work in some strength and bodyweight exercises as part of the exercise regime. Goal here will be two workouts of some kind in addition to the runs, always including a stretch/warmup and probably with a lot of Gymnastic Strength Training-type exercises. I might work in more Spartan-specific exercises as time goes on. - Diet: I'm really struggling with the food situation I'm in right now. I've got a mandatory meal plan as part of my program, and it's compounded by the fact that I have several mild allergies (and pretty serious gluten intolerance) that make it very hard to eat a balanced meal AND not get sick trying to eat the food here. Oh, and the dining hall people have zero clue about how allergen awareness actually works, so that isn't helping. My goal is to basically make it through five days a week having definitely avoided anything that would make me any sicker... This will probably be one of the hardest goals, honestly. - Pass my classes?: Oh yeah, and for half of this challenge I'll be doing final papers and exams. Yay? I guess I should try and make sure those get done... Here we go! (And thanks for stopping by.)

Hi there I’ve already posted this in a few different places but I didn’t realize I didn’t do it already for the challenge! So here you go! Swimming: - 2-3x a week, 2,000 meters - Wear fins when swimming for half Swim freestyle for 200m, get out of the pool and do 20 pushups and 20 abs of choice. Get back in the water and repeat above ten times. This totals 2000m of swimming 100-200 pushups and 200 abs of choice. This is one great workout for the arms and lungs. Hypoxic pyramid adding the PT at every 100m. Hypoxic- Swim 100m freestyle breathing every 4 strokes and build up to 10-12 strokes per breath for 50-100m each and work your way back down the pyramid. This workout, if you go from 2 - 12 - 2 using the even numbers as your step will only take about 20-30 minutes but will challenge your lungs to the maximum. Running: - 5x a week run 5 miles I’ve been incorporating at least two or three of the following workouts in hopes of decreasing my time, my goal is to have a sub 12 minute 2 mile. Workout #1: - Run one mile easy/stretch - Repeat 8-10 times - Run 1/4 mile at 10-20 seconds under current mile pace - Jog slow or walk 1:00 Say you are running a 9:00 1.5 mile run = 6:00 mile pace = 90 seconds 1/4 mile run. Try to hit these 1/4 mile intervals at 70-80 seconds. Benefits - increase foot speed, and build VO2 Max. Workout #2: - Run one mile easy/stretch - Repeat five times - Run 1/2 miles at 10 seconds under current mile pace - Jog slow or walk 2:00 Workout #3: - Run one mile easy / stretch - Run one mile at 10 seconds above current mile pace - Jog 2:00 slow - Run one mile at current mile pace - Jog 2:00 slow - Run one mile at 10 seconds faster than current mile pace - Cool down jog 5:00 - Stretch Workout #4: - Run 5:00/warm-up/stretch - Run for 30:00 total BUT - Run 1:00 sprint / followed by 1:00 slow jog for 30:00 Hiking: on the weekends The long distance ruck marches for 10-20 miles with at least 45 lbs in a rucksack. Rucksack for 1-4 hours at a time combined with smart foot care. 18 miles with 50 lb ruck sack in 4.5 hours. A good goal is to get 4 miles in under 35 minutes. PT: Every Other Day - Pull-ups, 100 (10 sets of 10 reps). - Push-ups, 300 (15 sets of 20 reps). - Sit-ups, 300 (10 sets of 50 reps). Hope everyone has had a good start to thier challenge! Keep up the good work!

Continuing... 10/28/2017 Addition Overview Based on my goals, evolving Epic Quest, and tight time constraints, I am building a multi-challenge system, one that will most likely span the better part of a year, while still maintaining a basic challenge during this construction phase. I just don’t have time to sit down and master plan like I used to. That’s actually been the reality for more than a year, but I kept trying to do things the old way and failing. Silly Shadowlion… New situation; new constraints. New constraints; new methods. “Adapt and overcome,” as we used to say in fire academy. Changed Methods I’m building and modifying my challenge airplane while in the air! While I know that patience, small steps, and building keystone habits are critical to long-term success, temperamentally I like to plan big and then hit it hard. That approach has caused me injury in the past and I don’t have the time right now for the old-style extravaganzas. So, I am experimenting with new ways to apply challenge objectives and principles. These center on: Altering my challenge timeframes to better fit my particular situation Modeling people who have successfully achieved the results I want (my “dinner party” guests) Manipulating my schedule and environment to make old, bad habits harder and new, good ones easier More details on how I am doing that in the next installment...