FluffyRin: Starting Out

[fluffyrin42]

Hey all - first challenge here.

 

I'm brand new to the boards, but have been lurking waiting for a new challenge to start.  I've been physically active before (3 half marathons, 3 sprint triathlons, several 5k's and a few 10k's), but lately I've been completely unmotivated and feeling exceptionally weak.  I decided that when I felt winded walking up the stairs to my office, it's time to get back on the horse.  So here goes nothing!

 

Goal #1: Unleash My Inner Warrior (+5 STR)

In high school, I did weight lifting for my gym classes and loved it.  For some reason, I've never really done it since. My goal is to strength train 3x per week.  I'm going to start with the BBWW and hopefully progress to the Advanced by the end of the challenge.  I'll do a max-rep test to start and maybe do some mini-goals to improve those stats.  

A: 6 weeks

B: 5 weeks

C: 4 weeks

D: 3 weeks

F: <3 weeks

 

Goal #2: Run Less Run Faster (+2 STA, +2 DEX)

I'm really keen on the premise of the Run Less Run Faster concept (3 workouts/week focused on specific aspects of gaining speed), but have never really structured my running plans around speed.  This challenge I will do the first 6 weeks of the RLRF beginner 5k training to get adjusted to the program (and considering I haven't been on a run in months).  I plan to base my training around a sub-50:00 10k so I can win a bet I have with my husband.

A: 6 weeks

B: 5 weeks

C: 4 weeks

D: 3 weeks

F: <3 weeks

 

Goal #3: Get a Move On (+2 WIS, +2 CON)

Hubby and I are moving Memorial Day - this challenge aligns perfectly with staying on top of all of our moving related activities.  My goal for this is to accomplish one moving-related activity per day for at least 6 days/week.  Whether that's cleaning a space, packing a couple of boxes, or purging in preparation, I don't want to be down to the wire in getting things done.

A: >33 days

B: 29-32 days

C: 25-28 days

D: 21-24 days

F: <21 days

 

Goal #4: Clean Living (+2 CON)

Having a dirty house bothers me, but cleaning is never a priority for me.  I saw a clean-sink challenge online, so I'm going to start there.  My goal is to go to bed with a clean sink every night.  This means that dishes are done and the sink is wiped down... putting dishes on the counter instead doesn't count.  

A: >90% days

B: 80-89% days

C: 70-79% days

D: 60-69% days

F: <59% days

 

Starting stats to follow...

[Blaidd]

Welcome and good luck with the challenge

[fluffyrin42]

Welcome and good luck with the challenge

 

Thanks! I'm excited.

[fluffyrin42]

Day 1 Status: I put together a challenge tracking sheet so that I can monitor my progress.  My running plan is ambitious, but I've decided that considering a day complete will be if I do my best towards each run, not necessarily completing it as written.  The google sheet is here - hopefully putting it out there will both keep me accountable and keep me motivated to stay up to date on it!

 

I'm also super excited - I managed to get my husband signed up (watsini), so we're going to be doing the challenge together!

[fluffyrin42]

Day 2: Managed to get my run in and the sink is still clean.  Oof - I'm out of aerobic shape.  Just need to do a moving task to stay on track for the week!

[fluffyrin42]

So far, keeping up with moving tasks is definitely the biggest effort.  I've been doing small cleaning/maintenance projects to check that box, but really need to get on with packing.  Strength workout yesterday kicked my butt, but the day-after burn is significantly less than Monday!  Progress!

[fluffyrin42]

Status for week one: Pretty successful!  Due to the snow, I wasn't able to get in all three runs - only two this week.  Boo!  I also missed one day of clean sink.  We ended up going out Saturday and I completely forgot about our lunch dishes that were still sitting there.

 

But we made huge progress on packing - in fact, we're starting to run out of things we can do until we have access to the new place!  If we do wind up running out of activities, I'll have to figure out a way to revise the goal.  In the meantime, I'm just going to continue to be satisfied with completing smaller cleaning related projects as my moving objectives.

 

I'm geared up to keep the momentum going this week, but more snow is in the forecast, so I hope my running isn't completely derailed again...

[Snayll]

Great job on your cleaning and packing. Hope the weather gets better for you.

[fluffyrin42]

Week 2 | Day 2 Status:

 

Because we shifted our strength workouts last week, today was a strength day.  I'd been doing the BBWW, but substituting dips for rows last week.  I felt like I wasn't going to make much progress towards doing a pull-up that way, so today I did inverted rows with my knees bent at 90deg.  I also need a much more stable table - I almost pulled my table over on the last set!  Other than that, I made some progress on my knee push-ups and progressed from 10x3 to 12x3!  My lats are feeling it this morning!

 

Complete workout summary:

Squats: 20, 20, 20 - my husband reports that my form is complete crap, so I'm going to video it for a form check on our next workout.  In the meantime, I've been standing 4 inches from a wall to try and keep myself from leaning too far forward.

Knee Push-ups: 12, 12, 12

Lunges: 15, 15, 15 (each leg)

Inverted Rows: 10, 10, 8 (I got nervous after the table almost came crashing down)

Planks (sec): 45, 45, 45

 

I also managed to keep the sink clean after a crock-pot meal (I'm really really bad about just letting the crockpot sit dirty, it's gross) and purged a few items out of my closet for donation.  Looking forward to tomorrow's run to stay on track this week!

[Xerla]

Hello!

I realized that I haven't post anything in your thread!

 

Your cleaning goal is great! I think I need to make cleaning schedule too for my bedroom and bathroom.

 

And inverted rows.. I've been wanting to do that instead of dumbbell rows, but my study desk is too high and I can't reach it from the floor. I'm going to look around for another table haha..

 

Hopefully this 2nd week will be great for you!

[fluffyrin42]

Thanks Xerla!  For the inverted rows, I can't reach my table from a laying down position, so I usually sit on the floor to grip the table then move my feet out into position.  That way I'm hanging from the edge of the table.  Steve has a good video showing that position here: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/17/advanced-body-weight-workout-warning-this-will-kick-your-ass/ (video is at the bottom of the article).  Maybe that will make your study desk an option!

[fluffyrin42]

Week 2 Summary:

 

Goal 1: We only managed to get in two strength workouts this week. :-/  I took a tumble on my bike on Saturday and really wasn't feeling up for it.  I'm a little bummed because we'd been doing so well, but my goal is to get us back on track today.

 

Goal 2: I also only got in two runs this week.  It's finally getting light early enough that I'm hoping to switch back to morning runs.  That should make it easier to guarantee I get my run in without worry about the rest of the day getting in the way.

 

Goal 3: We did make more progress on moving tasks.  Took another load of stuff to good will and picked up everything we need for the last few repair tasks around the house.  Unfortunately we found out the drain pipes for the kitchen sink/dishwasher are leaking, so I've had to put a brief hold on dishes while we wait for the repairs to finish curing...  Which leads me to:

 

Goal 4: I actually did pretty well on this goal.  Last night was the first night where there were dishes left in the sink, but that's because we cleaned out the refrigerator and then got hung up with the leaky pipes.  Hopefully everything will be sealed up and I can finish the dishes tonight.

 

All things considered, I'm doing better than I'd thought I'd be.  I feel better - less winded on the stairs and I can tell I'm improving on my runs as well.  I'm hoping this week I can start adding some weight to a few of the exercises to keep things challenging.  I'm also up to 15 reps of knee push-ups, so I'm hoping by the end of the challenge I'll be rocking at least a few full push-ups!

[fluffyrin42]

Week 3 Day 1 Status:

Goal 1: Managed to get in the BBWW tonight.  The last 3-4 workouts I've done have finished with a monster headache, so I need to figure out what's going on.  According to the internets, I either need to warm up more before I get to the aggressive part of my workout or I need to hydrate better.  I generally drink 60-80oz of water a day, so I'm going to start with warm-ups.  I'm admittedly really (really) bad about just going into a workout cold.

 

I've also noticed a weird pulling sensation in my left knee when I'm doing squats.  It's quite unpleasant.  I really need to set up the phone for a form check - I don't want to wind up doing some damage because I'm inflexible...  :-/

 

Goal 2: Run is today - it's supposed to be a speed day, so we'll see how that goes.

 

Goal 3: We're running short on moving activities and have decided to shuffle our moving plans a bit.  Now we're thinking we'll move earlier in May in order to get the dogs out of the rental.  We'll see how that goes...

 

Goal 4: Managed to recover from the refrigerator clean out pretty well.  Now I just need to figure out where the funky smell is coming from in the kitchen...

[fluffyrin42]

Week 3 Day 2:

Goal 1: Rest day from strength

Goal 2: I ran on Tuesday in the snow - I was proud of myself for getting out there.  I've had to mod my running plans... I'm basically just focusing on getting back to running 30 minutes without stopping before I pick back up on the RLRF plan.  Tuesday I managed to go 2.25 miles in 20 minutes.

Goal 3: Still going strong!  Got some more clothes cleaned and ready to pack.  This weekend I need to focus on finishing a dress I've been sewing for an upcoming wedding so that I can pack up all my sewing stuff...

Goal 4: I can't believe how well I've been doing with this task.  It makes cooking dinner so much easier when I don't have to clear a huge pile of dishes every evening!

 

Week 3 Day 3:

Goal 1: Yesterday we did another BBWW.  I need to figure out some variations on that workout - it's starting to get a little old and I'd much prefer to start doing fewer reps at higher weight.  Still slacking on getting a form check.  D'oh!

Goal 2: Rest day from running.

Goal 3: Didn't do a whole lot on this one. Picked up a few miscellaneous items, but need to do better.

Goal 4: Done!

 

Hopefully I'm able to meet the rest of my goals today, but my hubs is currently at an emergency vet visit with our pup... Hopefully we won't have to take her to the 24 hour hospital tonight!

[fluffyrin42]

Blerg.  This week has been one giant fail.  The only goal that is getting any action is moving because, well, we're moving!  After our pup got sick, we had several carpet-dirtying moments at our rental and we decided that rather than extend our stay and move gradually like we'd hoped, we just up and moved on Tuesday to avoid potential damages.  Needless to say, most of our stuff is still 45 minutes away and we're trying to move a couple of car loads each night after work.  I don't know if I'm allowed to count a clean sink every night if we're only using disposable plates and eating out pretty much every night.  :-/

 

Hopefully we'll be able to make a huge dent this weekend and get the majority of our stuff at the new house.  Then I can start over on Week 4.  (Holy crap. We're almost half way through this thing!)

[fluffyrin42]

Status Summary:

Week 3: We were moving basically all weekend. We finally got enough stuff moved on Sunday that I could finally cook a meal at the new house.  It was so nice to not eat out for a couple of days.  Summary for the week:

 

Goal 1: Epic fail.  No weight training this week at all.

Goal 2: see goal 1.

Goal 3: Pass!  This one is going to get tricky going forward, because we've moved a lot of stuff out of the old place.  Now we'll be focusing on cleaning/fixing up the old place and unpacking what we can before the movers come with our furniture.

Goal 4: Pass-ish.  For the day that we cooked, sink was clean.  And I did manage to keep all the cans and bottles picked up in between, so I'll call it a success.

 

Week 4 so far: Didn't get in my strength workout yesterday, but did manage a super short run today.  It was better than nothing, though!

[fluffyrin42]

Challenge Summary:

 

This was one big case of mega excuses and life changing the best of intentions.  My complete change in moving plans  wrecked what progress I had been making and I just got overwhelmed and pretty much quit.

 

Goal #1: Unleash My Inner Warrior (+5 STR)

In high school, I did weight lifting for my gym classes and loved it.  For some reason, I've never really done it since. My goal is to strength train 3x per week.  I'm going to start with the BBWW and hopefully progress to the Advanced by the end of the challenge.  I'll do a max-rep test to start and maybe do some mini-goals to improve those stats.  

A: 6 weeks

B: 5 weeks

C: 4 weeks

D: 3 weeks

F: <3 weeks

 

I only managed all 3x/week in week one.  Overall, I did 7 strength training sessions for the entire challenge which is a big fat F.

(+0 STR)

 

Goal #2: Run Less Run Faster (+2 STA, +2 DEX)

I'm really keen on the premise of the Run Less Run Faster concept (3 workouts/week focused on specific aspects of gaining speed), but have never really structured my running plans around speed.  This challenge I will do the first 6 weeks of the RLRF beginner 5k training to get adjusted to the program (and considering I haven't been on a run in months).  I plan to base my training around a sub-50:00 10k so I can win a bet I have with my husband.

A: 6 weeks

B: 5 weeks

C: 4 weeks

D: 3 weeks

F: <3 weeks

 

While I did slightly better on this, I still only met my 3x/week goal on one week.  I did get in ~10 runs over the entire challenge, but nowhere near what I had hoped for.  Another F.

(+0 STA, +0 DEX)

 

Goal #3: Get a Move On (+2 WIS, +2 CON)

Hubby and I are moving Memorial Day - this challenge aligns perfectly with staying on top of all of our moving related activities.  My goal for this is to accomplish one moving-related activity per day for at least 6 days/week.  Whether that's cleaning a space, packing a couple of boxes, or purging in preparation, I don't want to be down to the wire in getting things done.

A: >33 days

B: 29-32 days

C: 25-28 days

D: 21-24 days

F: <21 days

 

This is probably the only goal I was remotely successful at!  We ended up moving most of our stuff on Week 3 of the challenge, so I was forced to do some things pretty much every day.  In the last week, we've taken a couple days off - only because we've unpacked all the boxes that have already been delivered, we've finished cleaning out the rental, and now I'm just waiting on furniture to be delivered before we can finish picking up the rest.  I've done a really poor job of tracking this in the last few weeks, but knowing how busy we've been, I'm confident that I made more than 33 days of moving tasks.  Hooray - one A!  However, I don't feel like I met the spirit of my initial challenge - which was to not procrastinate and get things done in advance, I'm only going to take half points.

(+1 WIS, +1 CON)

 

Goal #4: Clean Living (+2 CON)

Having a dirty house bothers me, but cleaning is never a priority for me.  I saw a clean-sink challenge online, so I'm going to start there.  My goal is to go to bed with a clean sink every night.  This means that dishes are done and the sink is wiped down... putting dishes on the counter instead doesn't count.  

A: >90% days

B: 80-89% days

C: 70-79% days

D: 60-69% days

F: <59% days

 

I actually did pretty well on this one.  We haven't been cooking as much the last few weeks with all the moving activities, but I would say I only really missed having the dishes cleaned and in the dishwasher a few days out of this challenge.  However, since I haven't been tracking and I'm not as confident on this one, I'm going to give this one a B.

(+1.5 CON)

 

Given that I had one goal that I couldn't really help but accomplish given the shift in priorities, I don't really think it's fair to say I was super successful on this challenge overall.  The clean sink piece was a huge upgrade over the past - I've definitely noticed that I'm a lot less likely to let the dishes sit in the dishwasher clean and then have a resulting pile-up in the sink.  So I'll go ahead and woohoo myself for making progress in one area!  

 

I'd like to say that it was life getting in the way, but a lot of it was me making excuses.  We had long days of moving, yes, but in the last few weeks, I've been slipping back into some old bad habits of sleeping through my alarms and not getting up when my body is ready.  It's left me feeling lethargic, crabby, and just blah.  So with the upcoming challenge, I'm going to try to get more back to my old self.  As far as leveling, I technically was around for all 6 weeks, but I just don't think I gave it even a sort-of best effort for the last half.  So no level up for me.  But I'll take my few attribute points and apply some of the lessons I learned for next time!