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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Episode VI RETURN OF THE JEDI After many months away, Starstuff has returned to the planet of Challengeooine in an attempt to free herself from the clutches of the vile gangster Melancholia the Butt. Little does Starstuff know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun construction on a new motivation-sapping space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Bleh Star. When completed, this weapon will spell certain doom for the small band of Rebels struggling to restore adventure, happiness, and improvement to the galaxy... This will be my first Challenge in a year. While I've been away from Challenges and the forums, I haven't been idle. I've been doing Rising Heroes missions (for anyone who might be thinking of joining, it's super fun), running virtual races for the Hogwarts Running Club (also super fun), teaching my pup to be a good running buddy (he is the best running buddy) and writing (started editing my novel and added almost 25k words to its sequel!). And, much to my delight and surprise, my husband has started exercising and cleaning up his diet (that setting an example thing? turns out it actually works). But things have been really rough the past month, and I could use some Rebel support to get back on track. Those of you who remember me might also remember that my husband and I have been trying to conceive for a couple years. After much poking and prodding, very few answers (according to all tests, there is nothing wrong with either of us, fertility-wise), and a number of "some studies suggest this might increase your chances" lifestyle changes, I finally got a positive pregnancy test at the beginning of December. And then I miscarried a week later. It sucked, you guys. On top of being physically and emotionally taxing, I wasn't allowed to run or take baths (my go-to stress relievers) for a couple weeks, and my hormones were a mess, putting me on this awful emotional rollercoaster. I was so stressed that I didn't really even enjoy The Last Jedi the first time I saw it (don't worry! this was rectified on repeat viewings). But I'm physically recovered now, my hormones are back to normal and I feel like myself again, and I'm ready to get back to actually, you know, living my life and being awesome. Goal 1: Escape the sail barge It's hard to escape a dangerous situation without strength and agility, which means I need to get back into my regular exercise routine, so my goal here is to walk or run every day, and complete a strength training workout 3x a week. Goal 2: Try a little help from your friends Sometimes, our friends have habits that we think are weird, but they turn out to be really effective. My husband has been doing keto for the past several months and having great success with it. I recently read a meta study showing that women eating low-carb diets tend to have an easier time conceiving and another study suggesting that moderate-to-high protein diets encourage increased ova quality in women. And I've read that some ultra-runners have had a lot of luck going low carb, too. That's enough to convince this carb-lover to at least give it a try for a few months, so my goal is to eat less than 40g of net carbs a day and get a minimum of 25% of my calories from protein. I still have some prepped meals that don't fit these guidelines, though, so my goal for the first day is to finish the last of my prepped meals, and then I can start with my new eating guidelines tomorrow. Goal 3: Reject the Dark Side With all the stress I've been under, I need to engage in some serious self-care so as not to slip into unhealthy coping habits. My goal is to practice yoga or meditate every day. Length doesn't matter, so long as I'm taking time to relax and center myself on a daily basis. Life Goal: Study the ancient Jedi texts That novel I started editing last year? Well, I need to finish it. One of my goals for the year is to edit a chapter a week (with breaks for Camp NaNoWriMo to work on drafting the sequel) until I've got a draft ready to send to beta readers, so my goal for this challenge is to edit five chapters of my novel. And because I like showing off pictures of my dog, here's Finn enjoying the new year at the dog park:

Welcome to Fair Middle Earth, my fellow Hobbits! should you accept the challenge - I urge to consider carrying the RING OF POWER through most of Middle Earth. Now the purpose here isn't just to wittily drop LOTR references (tho' that would be nice- who doesn't like a Great LOTR reference)? but to revel in the challenge of walking ALL the way to Mordor in 2018. 3405.5miles! .... I see there is nice little history to this challenge (https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/93325-walk-to-mordor-and-back-again-2017/) congrats to all those that slogged along most of that way in 2017. Lets start it again! so anyways. I myself would prefer something of a text based approach: I shall check my distance and glory in my current destination...

Frank Castle aka the Punisher is probably the ultimate Determinator, and I'm going to be channeling that determination and discipline in the lead-up to the holidays. Previous Challenge Stats STR - 31.75 | DEX - 52 | STA - 53.25 | CON - 85 | WIS - 56.5 | CHA - 50.5 Waist 29" Belly 32" Hips 37.75" Thigh 22" Weight 159lb Body Fat - 26.31% Goals Goal 1: Rest I'm not the greatest at taking care of myself, and it's kinda a problem. If I would do things like sleep enough and do mobility, I would be a lot better at the rest of my life. So I gotta work on that. +2 CON +2 WIS +1 DEX 11pm bedtime Daily mobility Remember to fill out my Pixel A Day tracker Journal once a week Read - to hit my Goodreads goal I need to read three books by the end of the year Goal 2: Refuel Track my food, hit my macros. 2-3 variances a week, depending how big the variance is. Log it, track it, and make sure it’s worth it. Avoid all the sweets and cookies and such at the office. +3 CON Goal 3: Resupply Get shit done: Christmas shopping - K/B, mom, dad, M, J/A (have ideas for dad + M + J/A) Do some (more) baby knitting - socks, mitts, etc. Go through kitchen cabinets - especially the cupboard where all my plastic bags are and the cupboard where my beer/wine empties are Do the mending Clean out my desk drawers Work on to-read magazine pile - 7 magazines read +3 WIS Goal 4: Move 5k x2/week Pullups Lift x3+/week - get my accessories in +2 STA +2 STR The Road So Far Week One 11pm 0/7 Daily mobility 4/7 Pixels - up to date Journal 1/1 Macros 6/14 Get shit done - got some of my Christmas shopping done, and have (some) ideas for the rest. Why are guys so difficult?! 5k 0/2 Pullups 7/7 Lift 4/3 Week Two 11pm 1/7 Daily mobility 5/7 Pixels - Dec 7 Journal 1/1 Read - working on book 1/3 Macros 12/14 Get shit done - Christmas shopping progress, did some knitting 5k 2/2 Pullups 6/7 Lift 3/3 Week Three 11pm 1/6 (not counting the night we went to the late show of Star Wars) Daily mobility 5/7 Pixels - Dec 17 Journal 1/1 Read - finished book 1/3 (Slaughterhouse-Five re-read) Macros 5/14 (didn't bother to track while I was at my parents', I know it was bad Get shit done - Christmas cards sent, shopping progress, knitting progress, reading progress 5k 1/2 Pullups 3/4 (3 days away with no pullup bar) Lift 2/2 (had to cancel one day because my body wasn't cooperating) Week Four 11pm 0/7 Daily mobility 3/7 Pixels - up to Dec 20 Journal 0/1 Macros 3/10 (not counting Sat/Sun) Get shit done - Christmas shopping done, made progress on the magazine pile and knitting 5k 0/2 - weather didn't cooperate and I didn't do it on the treadmill Pullups 2/6 Lift 3/3

So my last challenge was weird. I was traveling, sick and recovering from a few months of heavy running. I set some goals that weren't all that exciting to me. It worked out ok, but I'm looking forward to getting in some miles. Short version: 1. Run 100 miles. 2. Do 50 chin-up negatives. 3. Finish reading "Streetwise Spanish" 4. Try every Daily Dare. Longer version 1. Running...not a ton of miles, but what I need to do now. I'm planning to do the first two runs of each week fasted, but I'm not making that an explicit goal. 2. The chin-ups are just a trick to get myself to the gym 3. That book has been stilling on my shelf (through several moves) for ~15+ years. And it's mostly a book to help you learn casual phrases. I'm pretty sure I'll be learning things like "Gee you look swell". 4. There is a Daily Dare PVP that runs 5 weeks. The goals for this challenge are looser. I'll try to do them every day, but I'll modify as needed and will give myself a ~2 day grace period if I don't get around to it. Bonus goals: 1. Get myself to three yoga classes. Don't want to add too much, but a yoga class is a really nice cosy thing in the dark of winter. And taking a structured class gives me ideas and motivation for more yoga at home. 2. New sushi list. I haven't finished writing it yet, but the basic idea is that when I finish all the things on the list, I get to buy myself some sushi.

Oh! My! God! I'm addicted to Stardew Valley on the Nintendo Switch. (And I binged too much on Friends...) And as I struggled a lot during the last challenge it seems reasonable to "escape my ordinary life" and respawn in... I'll throw around the buzzwords fundamentals, priorities and assessment. I need to simplify things a bit, but I also want to wokr on the things that are important. And I want to find out what I'm capable of without trying too hard. Hence, the goal is to simply track my behaviour in week 0 and then I try to do more in the subsequent challenge weeks. Everything's unhurried. I'll use the five skills from Stardew Valley for five different areas and I will keep track of particular task via various items. That means: Lots of pictures! Farming Farming is about "active meditation". I enjoy walking and running as exercise but their major benefit is psychological. And as I struggle to meditate "ordinarily" I will try to increase my "time spent moving my legs" trying to see it as more mental than physical training. For this skill I can collect Coffee Beans for walking at least 30 minutes without purpose. I.e. going to the grocery store doesn't count. And Hot Peppers when I go for a run. Mining Mining is about getting stuff done for work. I can collect a Diamond for every page I write for my thesis. And I get a Ruby when I successfully work on my handwriting recognition software. Foraging Foraging is about food. I will track my weigth and my calorie intake daily and I earn a Field Snack for every day I stay below 2500 kcal. Probably I'll reduce this number gradually... And I get a Fiddlehead Fern for every day I only drink 3 cups of coffee. Fishing Fishing means doing something relaxing an enjoyable which is still beneficial. So, this means here I tackle my biggest problem: my hobbies. I get a Squid when I draw something, a Stone Fish for studying/playing Go, a Rare Disc for working on my RPG, a Lost Book for reading or studying Polish and a Clam for practising/playing the guitar Combat Combat is about, well, fighting. Or rather being fit enough too fight. I earn a Rock Crab for every time I go bouldering. And I earn a Shadow Brute whenever I do my bodyweight training (as intense as my back allows). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As always I try to post here daily in order to keep my scores accurate. Let's get this challenge started!!

This challenge is going to be simple. I am going to start a Couch to 5K program. That is where this entire journey started for me four years ago. I need the exercise. I need the commitment. I need to overcome the depression.

Walk to Mordor and Back Again (2017) All who dare step outside The Shire will likely encounter many nasty adventures. The journey is not for the faint of heart, as the typical traveler must endure years of commitment. There will be other brave souls making the trek, providing much welcomed support and company, but only you can put one foot in front of the other. The fate of Middle-Earth hangs in the balance... are you prepared to walk to Mordor to destroy the One Ring? Begin Your Journey Now! Whether you have been trekking to Mordor for years or just looking to get started, you are welcome to join us at anytime. All miles/kilometers count. You decide how you want to accumulate distance. This is your adventure! (ex. my journey has included walking/steps, hiking, running, biking (distance/3), and swimming (distance*3)) SPREADSHEET Open the spreadsheet, click on the 'Sign Up' tab at the bottom of the page, fill in all fields labeled in yellow, and begin tracking and logging your distance in the appropriate monthly tab. “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” - Bilbo Baggins

Charlie_Quinn Stays on Target After a few dud challenges, I've noticed one big issue that is causing me the most trouble. Lack of consistency. I tend to float through my goals with no real focus and plan and then things start to fall apart near the end. So the main goal this challenge is to build a routine and stick to it for the entire challenge. The Star Wars theme is pretty obvious! I have tickets to go see The Last Jedi at 3am on December 14th. I've never been to the flicks at 3 in the morning before, so that's going to be interesting. Especially as I couldn't get the next day off work! But it'll be worth it. Weekly Plan to defeat The First Order Monday: Short Recovery Run Tuesday: Strength Training - Eventually this will change to British Military Fitness Class - I'll explain this below Wednesday: Run Thursday: Bouldering Friday: Run Saturday: Either Rest day or short strength session Sunday: Long Run / Trail Run Additional: Push ups, dips and pull up training at least 3 times a week (days TBD) My secondary goal is to work at building my strength back up. Breaking my finger in September meant that my strength training dropped off completely. I really want to join British Military Fitness - this is an outdoor bootcamp fitness class that is run by ex service men and women - as this is a really good way to build strength for OCRs and there is a class in the park 10 minutes from my work. My only worry, and this is going to sound really stupid, is that I don't want to join and be completely useless because I can't even do 2 push ups right now! I know there will be other people there that will be in the same boat, but I want to be able to do at least 5 push ups before I sign up for the free into class. So this is where the additional body-weight 3 times a week comes in. Nutrition Goal: Balance Last challenge I restricted my beer and treat intake and ended up losing a few pounds which helped me fit into my dress for my brothers wedding. I want to continue this, but not as aggressively as last time as I'm not looking to lose weight, just be a little healthier. I won't be putting a restriction on my intake, but I will be open and honest about all the treats and alcohol I consume. Last challenge, I found that the thought of having to log when I was indulging helped me resist the urge to splurge.

JonFirestar Crosses the Forsaken Lands. The two rangers gazed out over the shattered landscape. Like a dream the forsaken lands spread out until they dipped below the horizon. Huge whirling storms hung static in the air across the space below flashing green and white with magic infused lightning. Even from a distance you could feel the power from this place. The sickening film of pure magic that seeped from the land. Twisted trees spread out below them. Their bark black and pink on warped and misshapen trunks. A creature ran between the trees. At first Jon thought it was a fox until he realised it’s skin was slick like a lizard but red-copper in colour. It wasn’t a lizard, or a fox. It was something wrong. This whole place was wrong. Few in the civilized lands had ever ventured this far past the great barrier yet Jon could see in the distance the distinct outline of a human settlement. “Why would anyone try to live here?” His companion looked up at him. The hood dropping from Sarad’s face revealing the travel worn face. Smears of mud and dirt clung to her skin. Jon suspected he looked worse for wear. She squinted against the glare of the sun and pulled the brim of her hood back up over her dirt matted hair. “Because nobody will tell them what to do,” she said. “People can really put up with anything.” “But what about that?” He motioned to thick patch of visible air. It twisted and curled in on itself spattering around with pure power. Occasionally a spectral hand would appear as if clawing to get out. Sarad pulled a face. The disgust visible. “That’s why most of the villages are on the outskirts. It get’s worse further in. Just don’t stare at anyone unusual.” Jon tried to swallow but his dry throat rebelled against the action and he coughed instead. Further in was where they were going. He stared back at the magical corruption. An arm had appeared flapping around disembodied. It had almost solidified. It was nothing really. Spirits or manifestations of will but weak and devoid of any real power. At least that is what the mage had said. The magical storms were extremely dangerous but they hung static over the landscape anchored in place by mystical forces. The real danger in the forsaken lands were the Varrd. Raiding bands of the bestial creatures would breach the barrier at times and lay havoc on the lands. The forsaken land was said to be teeming with them. Jon looked back down at the village. He’d been told they’d find it here. There were others too, according to their sources. “How do they survive the varrd?” Sarad shrugged. “They fight them or appease them. How would I know?” “How do you appease a varrd?” Sarad didn’t answer. She stared back down at the spectral visage. A skull like face peered through the tear in reality screaming in silent rage at the intruders. She scowled. “This is why magic is controlled,” she swept her hand across the horizon. Jon glared at her. She wanted to start this argument again? The mage had been gone almost a fortnight. His eyes left hers and locked onto her bow clutched in her hands. The runes blazed a dull black light. Her distaste for magic didn’t stop her from employing it. The argument was pointless now. Neither of them were mages. Their friend was likely dead. Gone making sure they got here alive. “What they do to the mages is wrong,” he said. She swept her hand in front of her. “This is what happens when it gets out of control. Do you even understand how many lives were lost. The shattered the world.” Jon looked at the cracked landscape below them. The fissures were ancient wounds cleaved into the rock. Stories said they all snaked into the centre of the forsaken lands. Like cracks in the world itself. “They are legends, they exaggerate.” He said. Sarad snorted and in a flash of hands so quick he could scarcely follow she drew an arrow from her quiver and fired it at the spectre. The blinding white flash shot from the bow and Jon gasped as he realised what she’d just done. His head whipped round to see the arrow strike the magical appreciation in a blinding flash and then both vanished. She’d shot the arrow out of reality. “Sarad,” he said. “Shut it,” she snapped. Her voice choked and he could see tears glistening in her eyes. Rage boiled on her face but he knew it was directed at herself. They couldn’t afford to waste those arrows. As far as either of them knew they were unique. The only ones in existence were sat in her quiver. Even Danith hadn’t been able to explain what they were, let alone recreate them. Where they were headed they were going to need them. “Come on, let’s hope they have water,” Jon nodded down at the village. “Let’s hope we can even drink it.” Sarad nodded. Her face hardened. “The village is going to be weird,” she said. “Don’t stare at them.” The pair of rangers turned and started down the steep hill and into the Forsaken lands. ----- Hype has forsaken these lands leaving us to trudge through the shattered remnants. Hype isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Momentum and determined perseverance are the qualities that are going to win through in the end. I've come to the end of my race season. I've got very little to keep me hyped for the near future. If I'm totally honest while the hype has given me a lot of motivation to stick to my workout plans my eating has suffered as a result. Since i have no performance goals to hit for now it is the perfect time to refocus my efforts onto losing more weight. I have still got a ton of weight to lose. Eat to Survive This should be simple. I have a calorie target of between 2600-2700 calories. When I hit this thing bang on I lose weight. If I go over too much and too often I don't, or I gain. So I will record everything that I eat. Report any infractions to my plan and stop adding that extra scoop or gulp or whatever to my food (cause that's one of the things that is out of control). There are no variances in this and weekends are not an exception. This is simple but it is the primary focus on my challenge. Daily pass/fail Fight to Survive I've been neglecting my strength workouts somewhat recently. I have reasons for this (injuries and races) but I want to double down. I've lost strength and I want to get it back. Keeping to a regular schedule will help. The basic template is this: Mon: Squat and OHP, basic OCR circuit. Wed: Deadlift and Bench, OCR circuit Friday: Long OCR circuit. The OCR circuits will be detailed in the updates but it's just basically a lot of bodyweight exercises with an eye to getting better at OCR races. Session pass/fail Run to Survive During week 0 I don't intend on doing any running and hopefully that'll be enough to banish the niggle in my calf. If that is not the case in week 1 I will swap the sessions for another kind of cardio and revise my plans. In my head this is how I'd like this to play out. Week 0: Resting Week 1: 3 runs, 20 miles. 1 quality workout Week 2: 4 runs 25 miles 2 quality workouts week 3: 5 runs, 30 miles 2 quality workouts week 4: 5 runs, 30 miles. 2 quality workouts This constitutes an overall reduction in both number of runs and overall mileage. pass/fail for each run and pass/fail for q sessions. Scoring To keep myself accountable I'm reimplementing the health bar. The concept is simple. The pass/fail for the challenge is based on the 80/20 concept. There is a total of 74 points available. 20% of that is 15 so I have 15 health points. If I drop to zero I 'die'. I like this system because it provides a good visual indication of how you are doing and really shows that a few bad days isn't the end of the world. HP 14/15 |

The last challenge was a brilliant flame-out. I went in with the idea that I was going to leap directly into training for 2018, but due to work stress, illness and just lack of personal dedication, the entire challenge cycle was basically a bust. I feel like I'm turning into Luke Skywalker, retreating from the universe to basically hide on a personal sorrow planet of sulky solitude. Anyone who knows me knows that while the Master of the New Jedi Order may be the hero of that galaxy far, far away, he's not the man I want to be. I find him fragile, whiny, and sulky. A man who runs away to hide on Ahch-To after the fall of his Jedi Order to the Knights of Ren is not the kind of Jedi that I would want to be. Sadly, I've only run twice in the past month when my goal is at least three times per week, and I've gained eight pounds since Worlds due to poor fitness habits and eating like the fat man I used to be. Following that path won't allow me to reach my personal goals. Main Goal I am, in theory, training to qualify for the 2018 OCR World Championships, which will be held in England in October. I'll be going regardless - I should be able to register as a Journeyman qualifier by March - but just like 2017, I want to earn my spot through competition as an age-group competitor, and I'd love to post a better finish this coming year as well, now that I have an understanding of what it takes to qualify and what I'm up against when I get there. That said, I'm fighting a couple pretty imposing opponents: age and arthritis. This year, I became part of the "50 and over" age group. Advancing age does crappy things to recovery time, and I can't ignore this. But I can't use it as an excuse. I know several men in my OCR group over 50 who make me look absolutely sedentary. Also, in July of this year, the psoriatic arthritis that I've known was lurking around the corner decided to jump out and attack my knees with a vengeance. I'm at the point where I can tolerate the symptoms and still get in my work, but I will have to be smart, and take care of myself, in order to reach my goals. And while I want to take care of my body and train toward my goal and enjoy racing until I can't do it anymore, I need to remember that I am one 50-year-old man, and not a small army of people half my age. I am scheduled to the absolute max even on non-event weeks, and if I don't do something to take care of myself both mentally and physically, things tend to get very bad very quickly. Goal: Swifter I made a ton of progress here in 2017 and I hope it hasn't all been lost over the past three months. My gains were due to volume (mileage) and programming (speed work). My most obvious issue with remaining consistent here is due to knee pain. Pavement running is painful enough that I don't even want to think about it, and treadmill running is objectively horrible. I love running on trails - I enjoy the quiet and the chance it affords to get away from the rest of my world, and the softer ground hurts less - but now it's winter in Minnesota and I hate winter. I either need to suck it up and get on the treadmill, or I need to suck it up and get on a trail, and I need to do it four times per week, with an absolute minimum of 17 miles per week. Goal: Run four times per week per training plan. Goal: Stronger I attend three classes per week at my gym: two Boot Camp classes and one weightlifting class. This has continued to be a challenge goal as most races happen on Saturdays, and one of my boot camp classes happens on Saturday morning. It's easy to decide to drop While I would perhaps program each of the classes differently, the fact that it's out of my hands is a good thing. I wind up doing things that I wouldn't choose for myself (burpees, box step-ups, lunges, etc.) and so it remains a goal for this challenge. I will be on vacation starting the middle of Week Two, but I have a Personal Training background and can come up with a plan for the Thursday workout. Goal: Strength training three times per week. Goal: Smaller This is my battle against the Dark Side. I have struggled with my weight and my waistline for my entire adult life. Five years ago, I weighed 260 pounds at just under 5ft10in. Through exercise and proper nutrition, I lost between 60 and 70lbs, depending on where I am on a given day. I know what my macros are and I know what the good, whole foods are that make them up. I need to stay on this, every day, and to help with this, I'm going to really simplify things until I get into a groove I can handle. I've been stressing over daily micro-management of macros between run days, strength days and rest days for months, and I've been working at a calorie deficit for the majority of the past three years with very little to show for it around my waist. I'm going to take one stress item off my plate by standardizing my plate: KCal: 2,100 Protein: 125g Carbs: 175g Sodium: 2,800mG Goal: Stick to my macros. Log daily. Goal: Saner I need to keep this on the list for the foreseeable future. Meditation, prayer, alone time, whatever, but it needs to be 30 minutes per day, every day, and cannot be a workout or a run. I NEED this to keep myself centered and sane when my schedule gets overloaded and I get stressed-out and things go sideways. Goal: 30 minutes of quiet time per day. I've got two 10k road runs coming up during zero weekend that I am absolutely not looking forward to, and I've got a Spartan Beast in Florida after Week Two. The Spartan will close out my second Spartan Trifecta of 2017 and will be my 9th Trifecta in three years. For all the whinging I feel like I've done over the past month, I need to keep sight of the fact that I've changed myself from morbidly-obese, borderline hypertensive, borderline diabetic into something else entirely. Here's to a better challenge.

Grandkai's doing Assassin Stuff (part 2/2) Previous challenge had its good and bad things so i'm stopping with the bad and continue with the good from my last challenge. I'm gonna try and finished this last challenge of the year strong. Quest 1: Increase Agility "Assassins spend most of their time training with functional body weight exercises as that’s usually the only thing they need to lift." - Startbodyweight Routine 3 times a week; - Handstand Training every day for 5-10 minutes (alternate between handstand & headstand) Quest 2: Increase Stamina "They have solid endurance as well, allowing them to progress through an obstacle-filled environment without breaking a sweat." - Run outside 5-10 km 3x a week Quest 3: Improve Body "Fearless, calculated, and efficient, Assassins have low body fat percentages because extra weight could mean the difference between life and death on a mission." - No ordering food - Multivitamin, Omega 3 & Apple in the morning - Protein Shake & Apple after workouts - 2 Liters of water everyday Quest 4: Relaxation - 100% Rayman Origins on Xbox - Read 30 minutes after waking up and 30 minutes before going to bed So these are my quest's for this last challenge of 2017. A bit of my previous challenge with some new things. I'm gonna do my best to post every day on this challenge forum, even if its just an emoticon.

Overview / Motivation: Well, as with most holidays when everyone is home and the routines are thrown off, the fitness and nutrition drops off... While I've been able to focus on nutrition, but fitness routine was lacking. I'll be using this challenge to burn off the bird and all the pumpkin pie I've been eating since Thanksgiving - ramping up the burpees and planks this time around while maintaining my running and lifting goals. Also looking forward to checking out 'Think and Grow Rich' - seems like a must-read in the personal development arena. Good luck to all the rebels as we get back on track following Turkey Day! Main Quest: Work towards building my bench and squats to 250 pounds Side Quests: Average 6 Miles of Running / Week Points Potential: STA+3 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Average 210 Burpees / Week & Complete Daily Plank [Week 1 & 2: 1:15 Minutes, Week 3 & 4: 2 Minutes] Points Potential: DEX+4 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Average 3 Weight Training Workouts / Week Points Potential: STR+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Life Quest: Read "Think & Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill Points Potential: WIS+3 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60%

PREVIOUSLY ON AS THE FRELJORD TURNS… A harsh winter has once again settled upon the Freljord. Ashe, leader of the Avarosan tribe, must set out to battle to protect her people from the dangers that lurk in the frostbitten valleys. With the ancient queen Avarosa’s enchanted bow made of crystalline ice, Ashe sets out to protect her people and unite the Freljord, once and for all. In this challenge, Ashe’s in-game abilities will be unlocked as achievements are met. Ashe must also battle her way through the enemy turrets, which are stronger as she edges closer to the opposing base. At the end of the challenge, if all moves are unlocked and all turrets are defeated, Ashe will be fully equipped and ready to do battle with the Nexus within the enemy base. Will victory be forged, or will defeat come to the Frost Archer?... 1. Faster than my arrow? I think not. a. Half Marathon Training b. 5 points per week – 20 points total c. Enchanted Crystal Arrow – Achieved by two consecutive weeks of all 5 half marathon training workouts 2. No, really, put that apple on your head... a. Log Daily and HONESTLY on MyFitnessPal b. 7 points per week - 28 points total c. Unlocks Ranger’s Focus – Achieved by logging two consecutive weeks of food on MyFitnessPal 3. Avarosa guide me. a. 6,000 steps a day b. 7 points per week - 28 points total c. Unlocks Volley – unlocked by achieving 15 total days of meeting 6,000 steps 4. For the Freljord! a. Use standing desk for 1 hour a day b. 5 point per week – 25 points total c. Unlocks Hawkshot – Achieved by completing 10 days of standing 5. No One Escapes My Aim a. Clean something. Literally anything in the house. Just... do something already. b. 1 points per week – 5 points total c. Unlocks Frost Shot – Achieved by cleaning for three weeks in a row.

The last challenge went worse than the one before that, I almost never did what I was supposed to except by happenstance... I've been feeling very blah through the last challenge, and I think that's a lot of the reason why it went so poorly. I've been just plain exhausted most of the time, and it's hard to get motivated to do all these little things when all you want to do is sleep. Not sure if that's going to change any time soon, though the sleep-related habit might help with it, but I've got to find a way to do it anyway. My challenge will officially start on Monday the 27th, since I like measuring my week from Monday to Sunday, but I'm going to have a To Do list for the weekend before. Some of it is to prepare for the challenge, namely getting my journal ready to keep track of what I need to do and what I've done, but there are a couple chores I've been putting off too. The Pre-Challenge Weekend To Do List Fill out my journal for all 4 weeks of the challenge, plus zero week at the end Clean my room: Put away clean laundry Put away magazines and dispose of old ones Vacuum Throw out unnecessary clutter, sort necessary clutter and put it somewhere Dust Clean my car: Throw out accumulated garbage Clean the inside windshields Dust the dash etc. Cook food Buy a few larger glass containers Habit Goals 1. Physio and Stretching/Mobility This is a goal of mine almost every time I make a challenge, and I almost never fail to fail it. I've had ongoing hip issues and have not been dedicated with the physio assigned to me to help fix them, and so can't really judge if it's helping or not. And every time I feel like I'm getting in a good exercise groove, something gets tweaked and I have to take a week off to let it heal, and it's never serious, but it sets me back, more mentally than anything. Daily physio and a maintenance routine will help me keep up with other habits (like running), as it will hopefully remove any excuse to not do it (such as minor injuries and general aches and pains). And waiting until the end of the day when I work the late shift is not an option, at least for the physio aspect, I have plenty of time in the morning. 2. Meal Prep I sometimes do ok with this, and sometimes not. I've found that I really need to meal prep 2x/week, doing it all on the weekend isn't viable (or rather, doing a whole week at one time isn't viable, things get boring and/or funky by the end of the week and it makes it easy to go off plan). I also need to figure out some different protein options, specifically for mornings. I got real tired of the chocolate protein shake, and have found myself skipping protein altogether, which makes getting enough in a day a bit tough. It needs to be lower in fat, so eggs won't do (egg whites maybe but I'm not a huge fan and likely won't take the time to cook them in the morning). I also need an alternative to chicken breasts, I'm just so sick of them and I find even when I only cook a couple ahead of time I end up throwing some out. Suggestions for this are welcome. I also need to get better are packing meals the night before, so I don't have to rush as much in the morning. 3. Logging Things I have a fitness log to fill out for my police application, and it's easy for me to skip it for a few days then fill in a bunch of days at a time. As long as this is only a few days, it's not that big a deal, but it's better if I log it daily. I log my food in MFP, and am doing fine with that, but it's infinitely easier if I pre-log my day. Having everything logged in ahead of time helps me keep on track and avoid temptation, and will help with my goal of more variety, since I don't have to try to wing it and hope it fits. So I'll take some time before bed to plan out my day, and make sure I've got at least 1 fruit and/or vegetable in every meal. Most importantly, I need to remember to check my journal every day! It's going to have everything I need to get done on any given day written in it, so if I remember to look at the journal I have no excuse for forgetting a thing. 4. Sleepy Time This is another goal that's perpetually in my challenges and which I perpetually am bad at: going to bed on time and getting up with the alarm. The former is usually ok most of the time, the later not so much. I'm hoping some of the meal prep stuff will help here too, since the more I get done the night before, the less I have to do in my sleep-deprived state in the morning. Workout Goals 1.Cardio I will run 3x/week. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings before work, and on either Saturday or, more likely, Sunday. Tuesday and Thursday will be a treadmill workout, I've been doing 3 intervals at 7.0mph and increasing the time I go for at that speed, with ~1min complete rest between (usually I walk around the room a bit and have some water). Once I reach 3x8 minute intervals, I'll start increasing the speed. Once I'm up to 8.0mph, I'll go back to increasing time, and on and on until I can pass the beep test. The weekend run will be long, preferably outside, but on the treadmill in inclement weather is allowed. Starting at 5k, looking to work my way up to 10k (probably won't happen within the challenge but that's my ultimate goal). 2. Pushups I need to increase my pushup numbers for future police-related testing. My plan is to do 50 pushups on run days. I'll do them in as few sets as possible, with the goal to increase the first set by 1 rep each time.

I got a full size basement in May, but right now my Batcave is basic. I already had a small dumbbell set, some home made weights, and a macebell, but no space to use them in. My in-laws have some stuff I can get at Christmas: a bench, some floor padding, some loose weights which may or may not fit my dumbell bar. So I need to pick up some stuff and I want to minimize what I buy and how much I spend. Even Batman is picking stuff out of Wayne Enterprise's basement before he goes and just BUYS stuff. I want to scavenge, craft, or find for free, or quest for what I can. I'm going to see what I can do to make some spare cash to buy what I can't junk. I've already spied some scrap metal I can turn in for a few bucks behind my building. The wish list: Olympic Barbell - Picked one up as a Black Friday deal. 300# total weight for $180. That's about half of what I would normally have to spend. Barbell Rack - buying this. Pull Up Bar - I can do pull ups of the I-beam in the basement, but it's uncomfortable. I'd rather have a proper pullup bar. Floor padding - I want to muffle sound as much as possible. Deadlift Riser - The 45# plates for my barbell are a bit small so deadlifting is awkward. I want to get something to rest the plates on to raise them about an inch. Scrap lumber, basically. Parallel bars - For dips, basically. Super low on my list. Weight rack The goals: Find ways to quest for items Build the Bat Cave Get back into heavier weightlifting. Maintain running (30km per week)

You guys ever hear about the November Project? I was reading about it's history going from two college students wanting to work out in the cold and expanding to this global movement. I was interested in showing up to one of their meet-ups in my area. Has anyone gone to a November Project workout? What were your thoughts on it?

I had a run last week, and there is good news and bad news. Good news is I passed, and can still cover a mile and a half in a tidge under thirteen minutes. Bad news is my shins are a mess again, my ankle kicked back up, and I feel pretty chewed up. I could decide I'm not good at running and leave it at that. Instead, I'm going to find and take some pose running classes and fix my form. Several people that I consider knowledgeable on this not hurting yourself stuff have recommended pose running to me, it can't be any worse than what I'm doing to myself now. Goals: Tai Chi - continue Ending showers cold - continue Ice baths - I can't seem to get any momentum here, so I'm letting these go for now. Running - three sub goals Buy and read the pose running book Take the classes Practice Practice Practice I'd like to be able to run for the rest of my life, instead of being like a lot of guys I know. They were fit when they were younger, but are now just a mess of chronic injuries they fought through. For now, doing intervals just to keep running with minimal impact as I line the above up. - Murphy's Roommate

This is not fun. This is not ending the year in a blaze of glory. This is the hard work that needs to be put in, and long overdue hard work at that. There are no more excuses to hide behind. This challenge will run from week one right through until the next zero week begins, however long that may be. Burpees EVERY Morning What better way to get the heart pumping and the blood flowing every cold, cold winter morning? Going to be working it a little differently until I get a good gauge of how certain bodyparts react to it. Zero week I’ll be starting with five and adding one per day, then come week one I’ll be starting with six and adding one per day. Week two, starting with seven adding one, and so on. Grind, Grind Away The hard work part. Every week must see two bodyweight workouts, two runs, and yoga on at least three occasions. No excuses. Broccoli and Other Stuff Not that I need any encouragement to eat broccoli, the stuff is amazing. No, what I need is some structure to my diet and to filter out the crap that keeps slowly creeping in. I have taken steps to ensure I will have good ingredients available to me, and I will create a meal plan that stretches maybe three or four days in advance for two meals per day. The third, or any other meal, can be a more relaxed affair. Dairy is to be avoided. If I want cheese, it has to be the lactose free kind. If I want pizza, well, gotta make that myself. If I want chocolate… ...that’s allowed. Twice per week only. I do have a more detailed plan for this handwritten in my challenge notebook (I missed having one of these and so resurrected my formerly forgotten practice of doing so), so I’ve got the rules I need to stick to, what constitutes ‘relaxed’ meals, and so on. Fifteen Minute Method I seem to recall this working out for me before, so I’ll do it again. Fifteen minutes every day spent doing some domestic rangering. Week Zero This is a prep week, and as of writing this I’ve done not too badly in following my prep list. I’m pulling together some decent food options to ensure I stay on track with my dietary goals, the flat is almost in a habitable state, and I’ve rearranged my gym set up to reflect the types of workouts I will be focusing on for the next few months. It is important that I keep on track with the prep so that I can start out strong. And to finish... Tracking is important here, not just to keep myself accountable, but for the simple fact that if I don’t write down what I do and how I’ve done it, I’m going to forget. And I can’t build on blurry memories. I’ve set up a couple of notebooks for offline tracking, and every day I will condense and make coherent those notes for an update here. I will also endeavour to be more social on here as that’s something I struggled with last time. Weekly success will be judged as it comes, and finishing with a 75% overall success rate will earn a new piece of running kit.

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.)

Druids rock! Last challenge I rediscovered how much I enjoyed Tai Chi, discovered that ending showers cold is awesome, and generally enjoyed doing something different. This go around - Maintain Tai Chi 2 to 4x a week, schedule depending. My job has suddenly added a lot of travel, with vastly more on the horizon. Maintain ending showers cold. It really seems to fire up my day, and I like that. Add - practice Tai Chi (moving meditation and standing meditation) on days where I can't make or don't have class. Add - ice exposure. I dropped out the ice baths last challenge, have to get going on those this evolution. Add - running. I need to get my run times and weight back to reasonable numbers. Tomorrow I need to see what my mile time actually is now. Nanowrimo. Challenge- accepted! This should be an epic challenge. I have some huge life changes on the horizon - this is all prep for it, one way or another. - Murphy's Roommate

Hey everyone! My name is Hannah and something you should know about me: I tried enlisting into the Army but was shut down because of my Kidneys. I have Nephrocalcinosis, meaning I have calcium surrounding my kidneys and it can lead to kidney failure if my kidneys are put under too much stress. So instead, I’m going to school at my local community college to become a nurse. And I’m also still working out. Because of spite. Now my workout routine may seem like a lot, and it is but like I said I was going to enlist into the military. Goals: (I’m not going to be able to complete all of these in the next 4 weeks but these are long term goals) - Complete the 2-mile run in ~10 mins - 100 sit-ups in 2 minutes. - 100 push-ups in 2 minutes. - 20 pull ups in 2 minuets - 18 miles with 50lbs in 4.5 hours - Deadlift, bench and squat of 400 (I’m currently at least 200-250 for all of them) - Know how to read a map and use a compass. Swimming: - 2-3x a week, 2,000 meters - Wear fins when swimming for half of it How I do it: Swim any stroke you wish 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 50-100m 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 (can include biking as a substitute) - 2x a week carry a 30 to 50 lbs 5 to 15 miles at a fast walking pace. (Hiking!) How I do it: The Run and Leg PT Workout: x5 a week Repeat 4-5 times - Run 1 mile at your goal pace (5-6/mile) (no ruck sack) - Squats - 30 - Lunges - 20 / leg - Calves (heel raises) - 30 per leg (this is to stretch) Long Distance Bike / Leg Workout (Life Cycle Pyramid) x2 a week (when I don’t run) On a stationary bike with manual mode and levels of resistance: Start at level 1 for 1 minute; increase resistance level by 1 level each minute until you can no longer pedal in between the 80-90 RPM zone. Typically, I will do this workout for 20-30 minutes. Once at the top, repeat all levels in reverse order and work yourself down the other side of the pyramid. (It’s hell but oh my god do I feel great after a good workout) And, of course, there are long distance ruck marches for 10-20 miles with at least 45 lbs in a rucksack. The best way to train for these to move out with a rucksack for 1-4 hours at a time combined with smart foot care. (I.e wearing 2 pairs of socks and walking for a few hours before heading out to break in your boots.) Go from 3 mile ruck march with a 30 lb rucksack at a 45 minute pace to 18 miles with 50 lb ruck sack in 4.5 hours. put 45lbs in your ruck and move 4 miles as fast as you can. 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). i don’t always do the sets back to back, sometimes I run out of time, so I split it up, like during a study break I’ll do 1 set of each and continue on with studying, or if I’m waiting for the bus I’ll do it again with the help of the bus stop’s over hang. Me going to the Y: swim -> bike/ run -> EAT AND SLEEP.! The point is that I keep moving! Afterall, the best motivation is to prove them wrong and showing them that you can do it.

Hi! I'm normally over at the Assassins, but due to being off for a while I need to get my general fitness back up to snuffs - and since that's kinda your guy's specialty I'm hopping guilds, from being over at the Rebels to kinda try to figure my stuff back out. Last challenge went fairly well for the most part, but I still have a ways to go on most of the same general lines - either a leveled up version, or the same with better consistency. Namely the running... (Any and all advice from anyone with experience getting stiff joints to cooperate and work again without whining - HALP!) Main Quest : reclaiming the health bar (again) : losing 80lbs to get back to a healthy weight - I'm currently 5'5, and 220 lbs; getting my mental health back under control between ADHD, anxiety and general stress; and trying to get my strength and flexibility back so my body doesn't constantly feel like it's falling apart. Sidequest 1 : Running from the Zoms - Running 3 days/ week, with the help of Zombies, Run! This one's basically just cut and paste from my last challenge over with the Rebels, since long story short I only got half of the runs done last challenge. I also want to track my endurance through this challenge, so I'll be taking a measurement of my single-wind endurance hopefully tomorrow to get a baseline and do the same thing at the end of the challenge, hopefully I'll be able to run a fair bit longer in one spurt by the end of the challenge. Sidequest 2 : Fueling the Fear - Still working on tracking my food and cooking rather than rushing out 'cause I forgot to have something readily available. This is getting a level up from last time: I'm aiming to get 6 days tracked on LifeSum per week and keep at least 5 of those close/just under my recommended cals on the app, and having a set time to make meals ahead for the week - probably monday after work. Sidequest 3 : Mobilization - It seems like every time my chiropractor puts one thing back in, something else decides to start hurting. He's been giving me some stretches to help with those that were in my last challenge and I did so-so on, but I'm going to add something that does a stretch and strength component to try to get my body to start working together again. Hopefully. I'm not sure if I'll do better with a pilates or yoga regimen, so I'm going to leave those open (or if anyone with more experience has another suggestion...) and say i don't care which one happens, so long as one of them happens 3 times per week. Preferably on the days I don't run. (stretches as normal will still be taking place around runs as well, these are just another level to that) Lifequest : I got a lot farther with organization last challenge, so that's taking a step farther - I need to make sure more of the things on my to-do list in my bujo get done, so keeping up in there daily is going to be part of this, as well as scheduling in there times to get pieces of my apartment organized - and getting them done. Hopefully that's not too big of a bite to take; I'm not planning to get the whole apartment spic and span, just getting parts done one at a time (not counting things that need re-done with some semblance of regularity like vacuuming or mopping)

I'm keeping this super simple. I'm going to try to track calories and stay on my daily MFP target. I'm going to try to run three days per week. I'm going to try to cycle to three days per week. I'm going to try to play my ukulele a little bit each day. That's it. One point per day for each thing I do. 123GO!

Ella Olga Babygoat Torturekitty Murderclaws is my cat, potentially an ensorcelled fae creature, and a pretty good example for what I need to do this challenge. So I'm going to emulate my witchy familiar beast and get on track! Goal 1: Have a routine. Every morning Ella does the same things. She wakes me up, snuggles in bed, walks me to the bathroom, races me downstairs, questions me loudly on why her favorite treats aren't immediately available, herds me around the kitchen, and then takes a nap in her kitty bed overlooking the yard. If I am out of her routine - like, if I am at home later in the morning than she thinks I should be, she is frustrated at me. it's pretty hilarious! but I need a routine too. so: write down my exercise plans on a calendar and do them. this is how I got started, and it's how I stayed successful for the first year or so I was here. Goal 2: Stay Fit for Jumping Torturekitty is great at jumping. she has to get on and off of beds, dining room tables, the chair we put her food on to keep it away from mice, and also, she needs some extra air so she can bite us above the knees when we piss her off. so to prepare for jumping, I need to focus on some bodyweight things. I also need to minimize the impact on my body from throwing myself against the ground. push-ups and pull-up practice during the week, with daily practice ala the 100 push-ups plan, so I can get better at it. Also, do the yoga because it fixes my extreme lifestyle (and by extreme I mean I'm either throwing myself against the ground or I'm sitting still for 9 hours a day at work). Goal 3: Run from Bad Smells Ella will poop in her litterbox and then sprint around the house. She was kind of feral when we got her, and I wonder sometimes if she is getting away from the bad smell so that larger predators or threats can't find her when they come to check it out. Regardless, I need to do more sprinting around. We are planning to run a 5K on Thanksgiving, so I need to do the running thing. follow a 5K or even a 10K training plan during the weeks up to the run so I am in (more) peak form. OK! let's get to learning! TEACH ME, ELLA! edit for backstory! I'm karinajean, 40, live in NY state, commute to NJ about an hour each way (so lots of time in the car). I joined the NFA in October 2013 and over the last 4 years I've gone from 206 to around 184 with a crazy long plateau and about a year of a slow creep up that I am trying to creep back down on again over the 6 months. I practice tae kwon do several times a week, take weapons and boxing classes in addition, and have an overarching fitness goal of doing good form push- and pull-ups. I have a crazy mean (yet super sweet) cat and live with my husband full time and my younger stepdude 1/2 time. the 2nd stepdude is currently in college out of state. I motorcycle, knit and spin, and am endlessly ignoring how messy the house and yard is. I'm an ASSASSIN because I like doing all the things, and because I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups -- these seem like very efficient movements that will exercise my upper body and core, and if I can do those and run and do martial arts (NINJA) I will feel totally strong and fit and capable. The MERMAID comes in because I saw it in a dream when I was a very young child and I believe it to be true. also kittens. you see how it goes.

Jon Firestar: Challenge of the Living Dead On an inconspicuous day near the end of 2017 the dead started to rise from their graves. Nobody could explain why they had risen. Was it a disease, the effect of nuclear radiation or was hell simply too full? Whatever the answer to the question the human race wasn't prepared for their own dead to rise up. Within weeks civilization had collapsed with disparate bands of survivors eking out an existence in the wilds trying to keep away from the hordes of walking dead! Welcome to the Halloween challenge! I love zombie movies so that is going to be the theme for this one. With survival of the zombie apocalypse at stake there is a lot of work to be done! Rule #1. Cardio In order to keep abreast of the zombie masses one needs a good cardio engine! You need to keep running to keep ahead of the zombies. Outdistance the Zombies: The walking dead do not get tired. One must be able to keep ahead of them over large distances to keep the advantage! Simple milage goal of 150 miles in the next 5 weeks. This is worked out from the intended milage over the following few weeks. Who Thought Fast Zombies were a good idea!? It turns out that slow lumbering zombies are not the only threat! Someone also had to go ahead and develop fast zombies. Got to run fast to outrun a fast zombie! Two Quality Speed workouts per week! (Tuesday and Thursday) So my running plan hasn't really changed for a number of months. I'm starting to ramp up the milage again but that will be done very slowly from now until the new year. I'm going to be starting a dedicated marathon plan in January but until then I'll keep up with my current cycle because it is working quite nicely. Strong Enough To Battle the Horde! In order to survive sometimes one must battle the zombie horde. If you are strong and well conditioned that fight will go a lot better for you! I'm back into the gym after nursing a shoulder injury though my Spartan Race. The shoulder feels good and so I'm now I'm going to be rolling back into the Juggernaut Strength Program: Juggernaut 2 days per week (Monday and Wednesday) With my goal of running more, bigger and better OCR races I also want to focus on movements and exercises that will aid me directly in that goal. OCR conditioning workout once per week (Friday) Short OCR focused Tabata workouts during my other strength days. Supplies! Getting food during the zombie apocalypse is a challenging and dangerous endeavour! In order to maintain the strength and cardio strength one needs to scour the land for the best and most nutritious food available! Eat 2600-2700 calories per day. Record everything on MFP, record and post for accountability I'm trying to knuckle down and get on top of my eating. This one is really self explanatory but very important. The most important part is that I want to make sure I record and state all the things to try and maintain accountability! Handle the Fallout! There are two races in this challenge. At the end of Week 0 is the Maverick Trail Race. This is a local 15K Trail race and should be lots of fun The Second at the end of Week 3 and is Nuclear Fallout, a 7K OCR. That also should be a lot of fun to tackle. I'm looking forward to both but I've got no intention of going hard on either. I'm looking to have fun and enjoy the company of a few of the most awesome Rangers in the UK.