Search the Community

Here we go. No more aimlessly wandering the wilds, no more vague faffing about. This is the day when this little hobbit steps out onto a road that definitely leads somewhere. The road is hilly, it's full of potholes, and the look of that rough surface means you know you are going to go through several pairs of shoes before you finally get to the end, but for once, you know it does have an end. The road leads to a castle, a whole 329 days' trek away. In 329 days, the summer solstice will shine with bright, fierce light upon that castle, and on that final day, challengers from all across the land will come together to prove themselves to themselves. On the 21st of June 2015, this hobbit will be taking part in Tough Mudder Scotland. The question is, how to get there. This is now my... well, this isn't my first challenge. I think it's my fifth. Maybe my fourth. A number. The point is, there has not been much progress; and though I mostly blame my laziness for that, I also blame a lack of ultimate goal beyond "get healthy and fit and somehow this will translate into being a good field ecologist or something". Now there is a date, there are obstacles, there is a location, there will be mud. So here goes. Main Quest: Get to, and compete in, Tough Mudder Scotland 2015. Challenge Quests: 1) Build up your endurance by starting a Couch to 5k Programme, to lay the foundations for greater distances as the year progresses. Three times a week. (Points: +5 Sta) 2) Start training for obstacles by following the Mudderling boot camp (pdf) given on the Tough Mudder website. Three times a week. (Points: +4 Str, +1 Sta) 3) Proper food. This is the one that I have always, always sucked at. The way I am dealing with it this time is a combination of everything I've tried so far: cooking ahead carefully portioned, wholesome meals with their calories and macros calculated. This will be sheer force of will over laziness rather than anything else. Every damn day. (Points: +1Cha, +2 Wis) Life Quest: Work out a monetary budget for the month. Stick to it. Simple as that. I can do this. (Points: +2 Wis) Further motivation: - Friend who thought the idea of me doing Tough Mudder was quite funny (he never said as much, at least) has moved away to Aberdeen. I want to see the look on his face when he gets back in two years and discovers I've become Xena, Warrior Hobbit. - In fact, just for the look on everyone's faces when they discover I've become Xena, Warrior Hobbit. (This, by the way, is the castle in question:)