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So, 2016 has been absolutely nothing like I expected. After a wild but mostly awesome(barring the persistent back issues) 2015, 2016 kicked off with a completely unexpected breakup. The aftermath of that has been okay on the whole - or at least better than one would reasonably expect in this situation. January and early February were mostly staying afloat. Late February into early March were marked by my first foray back into the dating world in several years, and served as a reminder of how much I've changed(mostly for the better). Mentally where I really turned the corner though, was a little over a week ago. Despite being pretty beaten-up psychologically early this year, I never deviated from my training schedule. I did cut a few days short because the mental willpower just wasn't there, but I did pretty damn well on the whole. The weekend before last, I turned up for a local 5k, and just decided to go for it. Ended up shattering my PR. Needless to say that was a big step forward, mentally. So, what does this challenge entail? Smash PR's 1. I've got a 10k coming up, and I'm going to smash my PR. My 10k PR is a very pedestrian 46:39. I should really be able to drop this by 2+ minutes if I stay healthy and keep training. Stretch goal is to be able to hold a 7-minute mile for 10k, which would mean 43:30 - which would be utterly amazing. Sub-43? Okay, just let me dream. 2. Due to aforementioned back issues, it's been a while since I've deadlifted. Back in 2014 I used to be able to pull 400+ lbs(which looked pretty silly given my frame). Not looking to go for PR's here, but at least after the 10k, to start putting in more work on deadlifts and barbell squats. Because Beast Mode. 3. Decide if I'm going to sign up for a half-marathon in the fall. Because if I sign up I'm going to train and smash more PR's Be good to myself This means "all of the above" - body, mind, etc. 1. Eat well. My diet has admittedly been all over the place the past couple months - from unintentionally dropping 7 lbs over 3 weeks in the wake of the breakup(wasn't hungry), then eventually gaining back about 5 of it, albeit not in the healthiest of manners. I want to eat the way I did the last time I was single(albeit slightly less dogmatically) - healthily, but sufficient to fuel an active 190-lb adult who plans on smashing PR's. 2. Sleep Well. 7-8 hours every night. In bed by 11, preferably 10:30. 3. Limit Alcohol. This goes with #1 and #2 above - it's all about feeling and performing at my best. Exceptions to be made when out with friends and/or on dates. Take care of my **** 1. Work on the damn thesis. Call my advisor this week, get an experiment plan laid out over the next week or two, schedule a committee meeting. Just get that **** done. 2. Find a new house. Decide where I want to live. Get the mortgage pre-approval. Start checking out houses