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Artinum is Running for Freedom (and milk!)

Artinum

By Artinum
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Artinum

Artinum

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Name: Andrew Williams (aka Artinum)

Race: Half-elf, half cyborg, half mad.

Civilian role: ICT Technical Specialist

Motto: "I wonder what happens when I press this button?"

 

This is my sixth challenge, and my third as a Scout. I used to run as a young child and I remember feeling that, if I could just go a little faster, I could take off and fly. When my teenage years started, my running stopped. I discovered I could talk to computers (and far prefer them to people), and my life became more sedentary. I stayed slim, but that merely hid the fact I was actually terribly unfit.

 

About a year ago, while bending over at work, I felt something go in my lower back. I had to be driven home and spent most of the next week in bed on strong painkillers. Back on my feet, walking down the road to the local shop - a five minute stroll that took me ten and left me exhausted - I had a horrible vision of my future. Once I was fully recovered, I started looking into doing something about it... and found Nerd Fitness.

 

Since joining, I've cut out a ton of sugar from my diet, finally mastered the push-up (which I could never do throughout my youth) and rediscovered my love of running. Yesterday I briefly had that feeling again - that I was just on the brink of taking off. Maybe soon I will.

 

FITNESS 1 - Run, run, run! (2 DEX, 3 STA)

I am now well into week five of Couch to 5K, due to snow-related setbacks. Can I complete the entire course? This will require commitment, stamina and a healthy dose of insanity. I have at least one of these. Aim - to finish Week 9 of the course by the end of the challenge (4.5 weeks to go over six weeks - I have some leeway).

FITNESS 2 - Pull-ups (3 STR, 1 DEX)

My arch-nemesis. I will find a way to do these! Now that weather is improving, I hope to do some inverted rows using the pullup bars at work on weekdays. Aim - work on inverted rows at work until I can do ONE pull-up.

DIET - Protein Booster (2 CON)

I often struggle to get enough protein and calories, which isn't going to help my efforts to improve my pull-up performance. So after every workout, I will consume a pint of whole milk. Aim - maintain this as well as I can throughout the challenge and make it a habit. If whole milk isn't available, alternative dairy products will serve.

(It's not quite GOMAD, but I'm not trying to bulk up!)

LIFE GOAL - Blogging (4 CHA)

I've mentioned once or twice that I've started a blog - The Freedom Muse. I've been inspired by the success of Steve Kamb and Nerd Fitness and I'm starting out the same way - a regular blog designed to inspire and motivate people to improve their lives. I may touch on fitness posts occasionally but mostly I'm interested in two aims: encouraging people to find and live their dreams, and breaking them free of the lies, habits and control systems that keep them in their day to day monotony. It's all genuine - because I'm living what I preach.

I've already started, and I'm committed to writing two posts a week - Mondays and Thursdays (Wordpress seems rather sloppy, however, at actually publishing scheduled blogs unless someone refreshes the page, so if they appear later it may not be my fault!). I now need to start to start promoting it! Suggestions on where/how are welcome. Aim - 100 subscribers by the end of challenge. At the moment, that seems hopeless.
 

What happens when you play Final Fantasy VII with everyone called Cloud?

It gets quite confusing... https://ff7crowdofclouds.wordpress.com/

 

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cracked_belle

cracked_belle

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::immediately runs over to bookmark the blog address::

 

can't wait to see how much you tear up this Challenge.  :D

just another cracked southern belle,

and a specialist in self-kintsukuroi.

Current Challenge Accountability:  Health & Happiness Are Hard: Wherein the Cracked_Belle Un-Dies

Epic Quest:  Adventures in Badassery  [under construction]

Spoiler

There is never a sudden revelation, a complete and tidy explanation for why it happened, or why it ends, or why or who you are. You want one and I want one, but there isn't one. It comes in bits and pieces, and you stitch them together wherever they fit, and when you are done you hold yourself up, and still there are holes and you are a rag doll, invented, imperfect. And yet you are all that you have, so you must be enough. There is no other way.
― Marya Hornbacher, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

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18ck

18ck

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Good luck with the pull up

From me too. I've been trying for weeks!

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2

Level 20 Ferret Demon Scout

STR 43 | DEX 21 | STA 49 | CON 30 | WIS 45 | CHA 21

Challenges: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25

Instagram | Wordpress | Twitter | Linkedin | Goodreads | Facebook: *spits* I despise facebook!

Valeu a pena? Tudo vale a pena Se a alma não é pequena.

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Hammlin

Hammlin

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I struggle with protein too, good luck with that Artinum. I followed your blog, as well :)

My Blog | My Story

Race: Wood Elf | Class: Footpath Ranger Leader

Level: 18 (STR):44.25 (DEX):37.25 (STA):30 (CON):31.25 (WIS):31.5 (CHA):25.25

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke

"Love does not throw the book at you because love doesn't have a book to throw." -CS Lewis

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german

german

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FINALLY!!! I was wondering when would you give us a link to your blog! Will read it an give you honest feedback, thanks for sharing.

Also great set of goals, wish you the best of luck graduating from C25K, for me it was a life changing moment, wish that feeling for you.

german

monkey scout

"swim, bike, run", or at least "Don’t drown, don't crash, don't walk"

“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.†-Joe Rogan

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Artinum

Artinum

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New blog post up today - http://freedommuse.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/dont-fear-the-reaper/ - featuring tunes AND a Bill and Ted reference. Don't miss it! In fact, subscribe today! Heck, subscribe yesterday!

 

Don't worry. I'll calm down later after my run. Steve's latest post is rather fitting - I have a terrifying ordeal ahead of me. Running. For. TWENTY. MINUTES. Without pause! Or paws, which is a good thing as my shoes wouldn't fit if I had paws. Still, the cat seems to be fond of barepaw running.

What happens when you play Final Fantasy VII with everyone called Cloud?

It gets quite confusing... https://ff7crowdofclouds.wordpress.com/

 

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cracked_belle

cracked_belle

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I wish I could train Zero to run along side with me.  #WishfulThinking

just another cracked southern belle,

and a specialist in self-kintsukuroi.

Current Challenge Accountability:  Health & Happiness Are Hard: Wherein the Cracked_Belle Un-Dies

Epic Quest:  Adventures in Badassery  [under construction]

Spoiler

There is never a sudden revelation, a complete and tidy explanation for why it happened, or why it ends, or why or who you are. You want one and I want one, but there isn't one. It comes in bits and pieces, and you stitch them together wherever they fit, and when you are done you hold yourself up, and still there are holes and you are a rag doll, invented, imperfect. And yet you are all that you have, so you must be enough. There is no other way.
― Marya Hornbacher, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

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german

german

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Great blog post, I really enjoyed reading it.

german

monkey scout

"swim, bike, run", or at least "Don’t drown, don't crash, don't walk"

“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.†-Joe Rogan

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Artinum

Artinum

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I wish I could train Zero to run along side with me.  #WishfulThinking

 

Scrabble DID start running with me one night. I had to lead her back home and start again.

 

Great blog post, I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Thank you! Thursday's is going to be a bit shorter but I have a long list of ideas to write up when nothing specific comes up.

What happens when you play Final Fantasy VII with everyone called Cloud?

It gets quite confusing... https://ff7crowdofclouds.wordpress.com/

 

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Artinum

Artinum

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Good job on the running. I've been working on a pull-up progression for months, I'm still on inverted rows. Are you using Steve's do-a-pull-up plan?

 

More or less, yes. I've been lifting makeshift weights for ages. I tried reverse pull-ups a while ago but it was too much, too soon. Inverted rows are, however, a possibility - assuming I can find a suitable bar. I know just the place...

 

On the subject of runs, I've just got back from the impossible. I have FINISHED WEEK FIVE of C25K. This involved a twenty minute run! I've never run for so long in one go in my life!! Now I feel GLORIOUS!

 

Time: 35:28 (five minutes walk to warm up, ten minutes cool down - hey, I finished further from home than ideal.)

Distance: 2.86 miles

Average: 4.84mph

Fastest speed: 6.7mph (it's all about endurance at the moment.)

 

Week 6 beckons. Meanwhile, I'm drinking a pint of whole milk. I am still down on protein tonight.

What happens when you play Final Fantasy VII with everyone called Cloud?

It gets quite confusing... https://ff7crowdofclouds.wordpress.com/

 

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german

german

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Awesome!! 2.86 miles is 4.6k, so you are at 92% of your 5k goal!!, kudos, I know how you feel, and let me tell you, it gets better!

german

monkey scout

"swim, bike, run", or at least "Don’t drown, don't crash, don't walk"

“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.†-Joe Rogan

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18ck

18ck

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Excellent work on the C25K progress! I see your runner's high kicked in then!

Level 20 Ferret Demon Scout

STR 43 | DEX 21 | STA 49 | CON 30 | WIS 45 | CHA 21

Challenges: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25

Instagram | Wordpress | Twitter | Linkedin | Goodreads | Facebook: *spits* I despise facebook!

Valeu a pena? Tudo vale a pena Se a alma não é pequena.

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huSTLer

huSTLer

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We have a couple similar goals!

We both want to improve our stamina and endurance via running, and we both want to write more. I love the idea of your blog, and I'll definitely have to add it to my reading list.

I consider myself a novice runner (~2 months) so I don't know if my advice means much. But I found that the easiest way (for me at least) to run further distances is to start at a pace that's uncomfortably slow. For me that was 6 mph, for you it might be slower it might be faster.

It took me four or five weeks to figure that out. I was just running out of gas because I was constantly hitting the accelerator. I thought I just didn't have the aerobic base yet and that it would come after weeks of training, but I wasn't make progress like I should. So one day I decided to see how far I could go if I just slowed everything down, and I was amazed at how far I went.

The idea is you want to feel like you could do this forever after the first 5 minutes or so. Trust me, by 30 minutes you'll be begging for mercy, BUT you'll know that you can do it. Then you'll want to see if you can go faster and further!

You've heard it before. Just check your ego at the door, don't worry about people on the street or in the gym looking at you or judging you - they'll do this no matter what ;) - and push yourself to do more than you think you can!

Best of luck!

Level 3 Warrior

STR 12.5 | DEX 3 | STA 5.5 | CON 10.5 | WIS 5.5 | CHA 3

Challenge #1

Challenge #2

Challenge #3

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german

german

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Boy, sometimes I miss milk...

Anyway, good progress, keep running and drinking (milk, of course).

german

monkey scout

"swim, bike, run", or at least "Don’t drown, don't crash, don't walk"

“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.†-Joe Rogan

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Artinum

Artinum

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We have a couple similar goals!

We both want to improve our stamina and endurance via running, and we both want to write more. I love the idea of your blog, and I'll definitely have to add it to my reading list.

I consider myself a novice runner (~2 months) so I don't know if my advice means much. But I found that the easiest way (for me at least) to run further distances is to start at a pace that's uncomfortably slow. For me that was 6 mph, for you it might be slower it might be faster.

It took me four or five weeks to figure that out. I was just running out of gas because I was constantly hitting the accelerator. I thought I just didn't have the aerobic base yet and that it would come after weeks of training, but I wasn't make progress like I should. So one day I decided to see how far I could go if I just slowed everything down, and I was amazed at how far I went.

The idea is you want to feel like you could do this forever after the first 5 minutes or so. Trust me, by 30 minutes you'll be begging for mercy, BUT you'll know that you can do it. Then you'll want to see if you can go faster and further!

You've heard it before. Just check your ego at the door, don't worry about people on the street or in the gym looking at you or judging you - they'll do this no matter what ;) - and push yourself to do more than you think you can!

Best of luck!

 

That's pretty much it, yes. I need to build up both speed and endurance - and it really has to be endurance first. Speed is no use if I can't keep it up. My running speed seems to wobble between 5-6mph at present, and my averages are lower because of the starting/ending walks to warm up and cool down.

 

I'm taking a day off from exercise to let my legs recover. Just checking in to say that I now have FIVE subscribers to my blog! I'm 5% of the way there! :)

What happens when you play Final Fantasy VII with everyone called Cloud?

It gets quite confusing... https://ff7crowdofclouds.wordpress.com/

 

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shortstuff

shortstuff

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On the subject of runs, I've just got back from the impossible. I have FINISHED WEEK FIVE of C25K. This involved a twenty minute run! I've never run for so long in one go in my life!! Now I feel GLORIOUS!

 

Woot! Well done. Next stop, 25 minutes and from there 30 minutes

STR – 24.45, DEX – 13.50, STA – 23.50, CON – 21.40, WIS – 27.65, CHA – 4.50
When the sun comes up, you better start running - Thomas Friedmen
Epic Quest - Current Challenge - Twitter - Goodreads - Fitbit - blog

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Artinum

Artinum

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Today: exercises! The standard three-circuit bodyweight stuff this evening... and two sets of 10 inverted rows this morning. The lowest chin-up bar is... possible, but it's still quite high. I wasn't really feeling it. I've not logged them on Fitocracy as I feel like they're cheating.

 

I think there are some dip bars round there somewhere. I'll look for those on Friday. They'll be near enough for horizontal.

 

One pint of whole milk consumed. Yum!

What happens when you play Final Fantasy VII with everyone called Cloud?

It gets quite confusing... https://ff7crowdofclouds.wordpress.com/

 

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german

german

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Good luck finding the perfect bar... Wait that did not come out so well.

german

monkey scout

"swim, bike, run", or at least "Don’t drown, don't crash, don't walk"

“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.†-Joe Rogan

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