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I haven't participated in a challenge in a while. I'm a runner that decided to do only other things besides run for a long while, only to discover I missed running.... a lot. So, after a lot of thought, I've decided to chalk it all up to side quests of life and get back to my main quest for a while. Main Quest Run an ultra marathon. Particularly, the North Country Trail Run 50 miler. Before that though, I need to advance to and beyond the full marathon stage. This will be my training focus. Mission 1 Run 4x a week (M W TH S) - long run on the weekend. Focusing on running for a solid time frame for the next six weeks to build endurance back up after a long while off. I will be participating in 3 virtual races during the duration of this challenge (these might be partially walked - especially the longer distance one I had planned) Mission 2 Maintain activity on rest days, whether it be walking or some form of light strength training Mission 3 A very important mission for the sake of the main quest. Absolutely, under no circumstances should I consume foods that are known to trigger my migraines. This list includes - Wheat - Dairy - Soy - Alcohol - Fake Sugar I'm currently following the Whole30 program & I expect to maintain that with the addition of more sweet potatoes for post workout fuel. Life Side Quest This is embarrassing for me to admit, but we've had a mountain of clean laundry that gets cycled through repeatedly but never gets put away for the last 4 years - there's three of us in the house... I mean MOUNTAIN. My side quest is to conquer the mountain this challenge period. That's it. It sounds small: it is not. Accountability I blog! Fancy that! hehe. http://runningpaleo.com Motivation My boy. So someday we can run together & he won't have to worry about me not being there for him because I wasn't healthy enough.

Diet/Fitness : 90% Paleo food intake each week (avoiding allergens) [+3CON] I have a long history of chronic migraines. Over the past few weeks I've discovered that eliminating foods through a paleo diet seems to be clearing things up radically. ... and then I went out for wings and beer on the week off and ended up feeling horrible. So... in the general interest of my health I I'm going to adhere as strictly as I can to a paleo lifestyle for the long haul. I'll be photo-journaling my food through out this challenge and I will make note of any foods that I eat or drink that aren't paleo. The main things I'll be avoiding very carefully: dairysoyglutenartificial sweeteneradded sugar > 10g/servingalcoholThe arbitrary 10% allowance is for the occasional serving of brown rice or hummus on days I need a boost in carbohydrates. Each week I'll go over my foods that I've eaten and grade myself on this: A = 1-3 servings of a non-paleo food during the week B = 4 servings C = 5 servings D = 6 servings E = 8 servings Diet/Fitness: Hydration [+2CON] I drink coffee... lots and lots of coffee... during the week. My goal is to cut back and drink more water and herbal tea in it's place. I have a 32oz water bottle, my plan is to drink 2 of those each day. Accomplishing at least the 64oz of water each day will be awarded with an "A" - anything less than that will be a C (E if I only drink caffeinated beverages!!) Diet/Fitness: Exercise [+2 STR +1 STA + 3DEX] <---- adjusted attribute values I got ambitious last time and planned to go gung-ho for 6 workouts a week... that ended up being more discouraging than I thought it would be... so I think establishing a routine like I used to have in the past is an important thing to do. This time my plan is to start and complete the Bodyweight Brigade Workout Rank 1: Workouts are to be completed Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings at 6AM. Optional extra credit workouts such as "going for a run" or "taking the dog for a long walk" can be completed Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday if desired. A = all 3 BBW completed for each week + at least 1 additional optional workout completed for the week B = no more than 2 workouts missed for the 6 week period C = 4 workouts missed D = 6 workouts missed E = 8 workouts missed Funny story: as I was on track with my workout this morning... my pullup bar came 'undone' from the frame it was perched on and I promptly was *splat*ed into the floor. I checked to make sure I could move and then got up and finished my adrenaline fueled workout... by noon my ankle which took the first hit to the floor was swollen up and I'm no longer able to move it. X-rays didn't reveal any obvious fractures so my doctor's official opinion is "severe sprain: here take these pain pills, a couple ace bandages and a script for some crutches - stay off if for a couple weeks and keep it iced" THIS... does not bode well for my original fitness challenge. Sooooo... New challenge guidelines include just trying to do something each day whether it's a few one-legged planks or arm work, modified pushups, reverse crunches ... or leg lifts - whatever I can while the ankle is healing up. Then get back into more full-body encompassing workouts. Grading: A = a bit of something each day during the week B = something only 6 days C = something only 5 days D = something only 4 days E = something only 3 days or less LIFE: Organized Space = Organized Mind [+5 WIS] My home and office have been disaster areas for years. I always jokingly refer to it as an organized mess "don't move anything... I know exactly where it is" Think of how much less brain power I'd have to waste daily remembering where things are in a clutter if I finally just dealt with the mess!!! Objectives for this project: Sort all clothes, donate old clothes that don't fit or that are no longer desired, put off season clothes into a storage bin and store!Discard all expired canned goods in the pantry cupboardsDiscard all old/expired toiletries in the bathroomsRe-organized living room so I no longer have to trip over things to get from one end of the room to the otherRepair front door (or indeed... find a replacement...) File papers, recycle boxes, organize desk at workGrading (A-F) will be awarded according to the number of projects completed on the list. I'll be checking in at least 3x a week on this thread: here we go!