Mending Milythael - Challenge 6

[milythael]

He stood there motionless as the other assassins flowed out the various alleyways, shadowed doors and windows, or even over the eaves of the buildings abutting the anonymous courtyard, like the color draining from his face.  What had he just done?  Whence came this lunatic urge to volunteer for a mission where failure would lead not only to the loss of the contract, not only to his own death, but to the deaths of so many others as well?  What course of madness led him to this fateful event?

 

Long after the last remaining shadows were naught but inanimate darknesses cast by obstructed light, he broke free of the menacing paralysis that had caught grip of his mind and body.  He could not afford to fail.  Too much was riding on the outcome.  But, the journey ahead could not be a direct one. You cannot support the weight of an entire edifice on a rotting beam.  He would have to shore up past damages in order to take the coming strain.

 

------------

 

I haven't always been my best friend.  Often, I've been my worst enemy.  My goals this time around are going to be more about health, and less about fitness.

 

1. Meditate daily. (Con 1, Wis 3, Cha 1)
   • It is my goal to meditate every day for at least 25 breaths with my eyes closed.
2. Finish The Introvert Advantage and Change Your Brain, Change Your Mind (Wis 4, Cha 1)
   • These two books have been recommended to me by my good friend Kibcy.  Each has already given me better insight into the workings of my mind, and my emotional state.  Each has also already improved my ability to cope with the pressures of my life and helped to improve my overall quality of life.
   • This goal is simple.  Finish reading these books before the end of the challenge.  They aren't that long, and shouldn't pose that much challenge, but what I haven't read can't help, so get on it.
3. 500 Adjusted Brick Miles (Str 1, Sta 4)
   • I signed up for a GoRuck Challenge, a team event, on September 7th.  For the GRC, I will have to carry a backpack with 6 bricks through a brutal course of 15+ miles over 8-10 hours.  I am determined not to be the weak link on the team.
   • A brick mile is my made up metric for measuring work towards this goal this challenge.  One brick mile is moving one brick a distance of one mile.  The thing is, any walking and/or running is also important work towards this goal, whether I am carrying bricks or not.  Therefor, an adjusted brick mile is either moving my body one mile or moving a brick one mile.  Carrying one brick one mile will earn me two adjusted brick miles, while carrying six bricks on mile will earn me seven adjusted brick miles.
   • I have an approximate goal of 15 miles walking / running / hiking per week. I intend to start with one or two bricks, and add bricks to my pack along the way.  500 adjusted brick miles should actually be a pretty easy goal to achieve.  Since I signed up for the challenge, I've actually been walking 3.6 miles home each day after work instead of riding the bus all the way home.

[Morrigainz]

Yay! Hugs! Good challenge!

 

One question...how would you move a brick a mile without walking/running/biking it?

[milythael]

Yay! Hugs! Good challenge!

 

One question...how would you move a brick a mile without walking/running/biking it?

Throw it?  Hand it to a child then scare them until they run away?  What is the point of the question?  The purpose of the adjusted brick mile is to allow for walks and runs without bricks that still count towards the challenge.

[Morrigainz]

Okies. That is fine. I guess the wording just confused me

 

And yeah, I did imagine you throwing the brick in front of you for a mile. So. Haha.

[pwallace]

Throw it?  Hand it to a child then scare them until they run away?  What is the point of the question?  The purpose of the adjusted brick mile is to allow for walks and runs without bricks that still count towards the challenge.

I like the idea of scaring the children. but your might want to tape the brick to their hands and chase after them. just be careful that they don't turn on you and attack you with your own brick. Because of this goal (and the meditation goal) I will be subbing

[Siferiax]

Awesome!! I love your set up this challenge and I just know you're gonna rock it

[Bekah]

He stood there motionless as the other assassins flowed out the various alleyways, shadowed doors and windows, or even over the eaves of the buildings abutting the anonymous courtyard, like the color draining from his face. What had he just done? Whence came this lunatic urge to volunteer for a mission where failure would lead not only to the loss of the contract, not only to his own death, but to the deaths of so many others as well? What course of madness led him to this fateful event?

Long after the last remaining shadows were naught but inanimate darknesses cast by obstructed light, he broke free of the menacing paralysis that had caught grip of his mind and body. He could not afford to fail. Too much was riding on the outcome. But, the journey ahead could not be a direct one. You cannot support the weight of an entire edifice on a rotting beam. He would have to shore up past damages in order to take the coming strain.

------------

I haven't always been my best friend. Often, I've been my worst enemy. My goals this time around are going to be more about health, and less about fitness.

• Meditate daily. (Con 1, Wis 3, Cha 1)
  • It is my goal to meditate every day for at least 25 breaths with my eyes closed.
• Finish The Introvert Advantage and Change Your Brain, Change Your Mind (Wis 4, Cha 1)
  • These two books have been recommended to me by my good friend Kibcy. Each has already given me better insight into the workings of my mind, and my emotional state. Each has also already improved my ability to cope with the pressures of my life and helped to improve my overall quality of life.
  • This goal is simple. Finish reading these books before the end of the challenge. They aren't that long, and shouldn't pose that much challenge, but what I haven't read can't help, so get on it.
• 500 Adjusted Brick Miles (Str 1, Sta 4)
  • I signed up for a GoRuck Challenge, a team event, on September 7th. For the GRC, I will have to carry a backpack with 6 bricks through a brutal course of 15+ miles over 8-10 hours. I am determined not to be the weak link on the team.
  • A brick mile is my made up metric for measuring work towards this goal this challenge. One brick mile is moving one brick a distance of one mile. The thing is, any walking and/or running is also important work towards this goal, whether I am carrying bricks or not. Therefor, an adjusted brick mile is either moving my body one mile or moving a brick one mile. Carrying one brick one mile will earn me two adjusted brick miles, while carrying six bricks on mile will earn me seven adjusted brick miles.
  • I have an approximate goal of 15 miles walking / running / hiking per week. I intend to start with one or two bricks, and add bricks to my pack along the way. 500 adjusted brick miles should actually be a pretty easy goal to achieve. Since I signed up for the challenge, I've actually been walking 3.6 miles home each day after work instead of riding the bus all the way home.

Absolutely fantastic goals!! I LOVE that two are entirely for self care <3

Throw it? Hand it to a child then scare them until they run away? What is the point of the question? The purpose of the adjusted brick mile is to allow for walks and runs without bricks that still count towards the challenge.

LMAO!!! Children don't scare that easily! At least not in my experience! You may have to throw the child AND the brick!!

[Morrigainz]

LMAO!!! Children don't scare that easily! At least not in my experience! You may have to throw the child AND the brick!!

Now I want to see this. Dammit!

[Bekah]

Now I want to see this. Dammit!

Hence why we should tag team the GoRuck!! lol!!!

[milythael]

Hence why we should tag team the GoRuck!! lol!!!

I really don't think the GoRuck Challenge is a spectator event.

[Bekah]

I really don't think the GoRuck Challenge is a spectator event.

the after party is! lololol and given Mir's fondness for beer, I suspect she will be being thrown with the brick!! Gotta celebrate somehow after you dominate that thing!

Im so damn excited for this thing...lol you would think I entered it!

[chris_de_maas]

I love, love, love your challenge Mily! Your goals are great and I know you will totally, completely, indubitably rock them!

[OrangeJorwell]

Oooh, a GoRuck! I really want to do one next year! (Next year so my friends might be able to get the time off to do it with me.)  And I think throwing a brick a mile would be a heck of a workout. Maybe you should include that in your training.

[milythael]

Six weeks without missing a day of work and on the first day of the new challenge, I'm going to stay home sick.  It seems like there is some irony there.

 

Yesterday, when I woke up in the morning, the left side of my head and neck was a tight mass of painful, cramped muscles.  I must have slept poorly Saturday night.  Unfortunately, part of that affected my left eye.  It is painful to move my eye, and excruciating to focus on something close and low, like food or drink headed towards your mouth. Throughout the day, I massaged painful muscles in my head, neck, and shoulder, and most released, though all were still tender.  Nothing helped the eye though.  Shortly before bed, I caught myself in the mirror and realized my left eye was extremely bloodshot.  I hoped a night of sleep would help, but it didn't. I woke up in just as much pain from my eye. I am going to take a sick day, get some pain killers, and ry to rest.  At least I'm not taking a day off because of depression.

[chris_de_maas]

So sorry to hear you're not well Mily... I hope your eye gets better soon and I'm really proud of you for looking out for yourself and taking the day off even though I know you'd rather have kept your perfect attendance record.

*humongous healing hugs*

[Siferiax]

Sucks Mily *huge hug* And be proud of yourself, because in my eyes you still have perfect attendance, because you're awesome and deserve sometime off when your eye isn't working as it should!!!

Feel better!!!!

[Morrigainz]

Ack! That is no bueno!

 

At least it waited until this challenge to act up, eh? Here's to hoping that rest + painkillers help. Hugs.

[Bekah]

damn, it's still jacked up? Self care is all about making the best decision for you, both mentally and physically, and sometimes that is a day off from work and some sleep and meds! I'm glad you are taking the day off! I really hope it's not serious and that tomorrow you are better than ever <3 soft hugs so that they dont make yoir headache worse!

[milythael]

Week 1 - Day 1

1. Meditation - 1/1 (42)
2. Reading - 0/2
3. Adjusted Brick Miles 3/500

Drugs and rest did their jobs.  I no longer feel pain from eye movement.  Unfortunately, I didn't sleep enough last night. Maybe the excess sleep yesterday had something to do with that.

 

I brought my new tactical gloves to work with me today.  The biggest positive about that is not worrying about getting my hands nasty on whatever I grab to workout.  I tried a form of cluster sets for dips and body rows on the way to work.  They must have been effective.  I have the body shock feeling that says, yes, this is going to hurt, and yes, this is going to build muscle.

 

• Dips (estimated max 5)
  • 3
  • Rest 8 breaths.
  • 2
  • Rest 5 breaths.
  • 2
  • Rest 5 breaths.
  • 2
  • Rest 5 breaths.
  • 2
• Hang
  • I tried jumping up and grabbing the bus shelter to hang.  This is one of the reason I was so excited to have my gloves.  The cross bars are 4 inch rounded square profile and are absolutely filthy.  Tell it to the gloves.  I slipped off immediately, something I hadn't counted on.
• Balance Walk
  • 650 yards.  There is SO MUCH uninterrupted, raised curb in the morning.
• Body Rows (estimated max 12+)
  • 10
  • Rest 5 breaths.
  • 4
  • Rest a few breaths. (Yeah, 5 seemed too long so I just started guestimating a shortish rest.)
  • 4
  • Rest a bit.
  • 4
  • Rest a bit.
  • 4

 

On both of the cluster sets, this is an estimate of what I did.  I'm not 100% positive how many extra sets I did. I went until I didn't think I could complete the next set.

 

Friday was an eventful day for me.

• I sent an attaboy email to one of my yodas (Mike Hrostoski of the blog Adventures in Personal Development) and he not only responded, but looked me up on Facebook and friended me. 
• For the first time since 1996 (I think), I asked a woman out, and . . . she said yes.  I have a date tomorrow night. 
• My GoRuck GR1 was delivered, err, should have been.  They actually shipped a field pocket instead of my backpack.   I sent them an email and decided to use the GR1 Field (field pocket) as a man purse over the weekend and fell in love with it.  I decided it was worth paying for it rather than sending it back.
• I met a couple people from a G+ group I'm part of and hung out for nearly 6 hours.
• I logged over 18,000 steps.

Saturday was pretty big too.

• I went to the first Saturday gaming session at Pop Culture Paradise (a comic book / game store) and gamed with the UAG.  I left after a couple hours, just after the people, noise, and stimulation started to get to me.
• I logged over 11,000 steps (5+ miles, 9+ km) in 107 F (43 C) heat.  One strange thing I've noticed: as long as I'm hydrated, walking in the heat doesn't seem that bad.  Hours later though, I'm wiped out way more than I expect.  I'll have to see how this phenomenon affects me long term.

Sunday was all the eye pain.  I had no pain killers in the apartment and kept hoping this would go away with massage and rest.  It didn't.

 

Monday, not to be outdone:

• Morning eye pain.
• Called in sick to work.
• Slept an extra 3 hours.
• Woke to a phone call from GoRuck.  They are overnighting my backpack and said to keep the field pocket ($75) for my trouble, as it would be too much hassle for me to ship it back to them. If I didn't already think the world of GoRuck, this would definitely have changed that.  Consider me a loyal customer.
• Went out to get meds.  Ended up buying groceries too.  I definitely picked the right meds, and spent the afternoon and evening pain free.  My eye is still red, but not hurting.

Today, there may be some panic and worry about tomorrow's date.  I keep reminding myself that I have no expectations beyond meeting and getting to know someone who seemed interesting.  Also, I'm the production support person at work for the next two months.  That is creating some stress.

 

So, lots of rambling from the world of Mily, most of it not challenge related at all.  I guess you guys are used to it from me by now.

[Morrigainz]

Sounds like the last few days have been mostly filled with awesome! Glad the eye is feeling better and hope it's back to 100% soon!

 

Awesome on the ruck...that is freaking sweet.

 

So, what made you decide to sign up for it?

[milythael]

So, what made you decide to sign up for it?

It is hard to explain. It sort of just happened.  I've been interested in the GoRuck Challenges since I first heard about them last year.  I'd planned to get a backpack from them and decided to finally get one this last paycheck.  I was on the site.  There was a discount on gear if I paid for a challenge at the same time.  I noticed there was a challenge in my town.  Dominoes fell.  Synapses fired.  Suddenly, I was staring at the screen wondering what had just happened.  I'm still reeling.  95 days to go.

[Morrigainz]

I almost did it after some urging. But I don't think I'm ready yet. Especially with my goal of a half marathon this year. And after reading cline's write up, I think I made the right choice. I don't want to do anything to eff up my half goal, and I think that a GoRuck could really derail me.

[milythael]

I almost did it after some urging. But I don't think I'm ready yet. Especially with my goal of a half marathon this year. And after reading cline's write up, I think I made the right choice. I don't want to do anything to eff up my half goal, and I think that a GoRuck could really derail me.

I know I'm not ready.  I'm doing it anyway.  I don't have any other big goals I'm working towards though.  I think the GRC is a watershed event for me.  It is more about mind than body, and more about others than self.  I expect it to change me, and to leave a permanent mark.

[Morrigainz]

I know I'm not ready.  I'm doing it anyway.  I don't have any other big goals I'm working towards though.  I think the GRC is a watershed event for me.  It is more about mind than body, and more about others than self.  I expect it to change me, and to leave a permanent mark.

Definitely. And if I hadn't already said for three years that I'd run a half, I'd totally do this. Ah well..maybe next year.

[chris_de_maas]

There is so much wonderful in your post I don't even know where to start!

 

I'm so incredibly happy that your eye is better and that you managed to have so much interaction over the weekend, this is such a huge step forward! And I'm so proud of you for going home when you felt it was getting hard for you to take the noise and stimulation. This is real proof of strength. I really hope you see it. You are incredibly string Mily!

 

Well done on the workout, it's really cool that you just decided to play and do whatever you felt like because you felt like it, not because it was a goal and you had to! You rock sir!

 

Happy to hear you were faced with such amazing people and service with the whole ruck incident

 

And well done for asking a woman out! Didn't I just say you were strong?! Well add courageous to that! I certainly hope it will go well and that you will spend a wonderful evening.

 

*biggest hugs possible*