JediNickD Level 10: "Only what you take with you."

[JediNickD]

While training on Dagobah, Yoda takes Luke to a cave...

 

Luke: There's something not right here... I feel cold. Death.

Yoda: [points to a cave opening beneath a large tree] That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.

Luke: What's in there?

Yoda: Only what you take with you.

 

Luke enters the cave with his lightsaber as he is afraid that he may need to defend himself.  He encounters Darth Vader.  Igniting their lightsabers they duel.  Luke ends the confrontation quickly by beheading Darth Vader.  The mask on the head explodes revealing Luke's face under the helmet. 

 

There are several lessons inside the cave for Luke to learn.   The most obvious is that his fear and anger will lead him directly to the same fate as his father, Anakin Skywalker, who fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader.  Of course, Luke can only figure out the "fear and anger can lead to the dark side" part at the time.  He'd later learn the other parts from Vader himself.

 

Another lesson within the cave is that Luke showed courage to enter the cave, but hide behind a crutch (the lightsaber).  Would Vader have appeared with lightsaber drawn if Luke entered without his lightsaber?  We'll never know, but Luke was certainly fearful of the dark side when he entered with his lightsaber.  He learned this lesson well following the concluding events of Empire Strike Back.  In Return of the Jedi, Luke is clearly embracing his fears of losing the Rebellion and his life by confronting Darth Vader and the Emperor as their prisoner.  There is a line in the novelization, "Fear is a great cloud.  It makes the cold colder and the dark darker, but let it rise and it will dissolve." 

 

A third lesson is in what Yoda says, "Only what you take with you."  We carry fear, anger, and hate around just as we would a lightsaber, but it is a lot more difficult to leave them behind.  Courage, forgiveness, and knowledge are the ways to leave fear, anger, and hate in the past where they cannot effect the future.  Identify fears and find the courage to conquer them.  Quell anger with forgiveness.  Elleviate hate by acquiring knowledge of the situation and circumstances. 

 

My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me.  As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one.  There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow.

 

For this challenge, I plan to focus on stamina and cardio for my Fitness goals instead of aiming necessarily at lifting more weight and running faster.  This is the beginning steps on my 5k training for the Run for Your Lives 5k I am doing in October.  Also, it would be nice to lose 10 pounds, but that is a bonus.

 

Level 10 Main Challenge Goals are below:

 

FITNESS:

• Strength! +2 STR | +1 STA
  • 300 Lunges
  • 200 Burpees
  • 300 Mountain Climbers
  • 100 Hand Stand Push Ups
  • 150 Pull Ups
  • 150 Chin Ups
  • 150 Hammer Pull Ups
  • 250 Dips
  • 100 Dive Bomber Push Ups
  • 1000 Push Ups
  • 1200 Crunches
  • 800 Bicycle Crunches
  • 500 Dual Leg Lifts
  • 500 Side Leg Lifts
  • 1200 Oblique Twists
  • 1200 Side Bends
  • 1200 Side Raises
  • 200 Rollout Wheels
  • 300 Reverse Situps
• Cardio! +2 DEX | +2 STA
  • Sprinting Distance = 1000 m
    • 50m Dash = 5 reps
    • 200m Dash = 5 reps
    • 58.8m Medicine Ball Shuttle Run = 5 reps
    • 37.8m Shuttle Run = 5 reps
  • Jogging Distance = 25 miles
    • 3 mile Run = 3 reps
    • 2 mile Run = 5 reps
    • 1 mile Run = 3 reps
  • Run Hills = 20 reps
  • Sports Training = 300 minutes

DIETARY:

• Food! +2 CON
  • Take a Multi-Vitamin daily (minimum 38 of 43 days for an A)
  • Eat junk food 15 times or less. Chocolate and ice cream do NOT count. Cake, fries, chips, pancakes, syrup, candy, etc all DO count.
  • Eat only meat, veggies, and fruit as a meal 15 times. Dips/dressing allowed but must be minimal.
  • Cut down on sodium.  Add salt from a shaker no more than 15 times. 

LIFE:

• Mind! +3 WIS | +3 CHA
  • Family and Home
    • Hang out with my wife = 90 hours
    • Hang out with my kids = 90 hours
    • Household Chores (dishes, laundry, etc) = 70 hours
    • Write about it in my Challenge Thread or Epic Quest
  • Toastmasters
    • Complete two Toastmasters Speeches (1 Advanced Communication Manual Lesson, 1 Successful Club Series)
    • Officer Duty Hours = 750 min
    • Volunteer for at least 3 different roles
    • Volunteer as Table Topics participant twice
    • Blog about meetings in my Epic Quest thread
  • Jedi Training
    • Complete two IJRS Communication 101 Lessons with Exercises
    • Complete one IJRS Creed 101 Lesson with Exercises
    • Read Jedi-related Material = 500 minutes

 

 

Side Challenge Goals are below:

 

FITNESS:

• Strength!
  • Barbell Deadlift = 100 reps
  • Barbell Squat = 100 reps
  • Barbell Incline Bench Press = 50 reps
  • Decline Bench Press = 50 reps
  • Barbell Bench Press = 100 reps
  • Barbell Overhead Press = 100 reps
  • Barbell Standing Curl = 100 reps
  • Dumbell Bench Press = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Fly = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Overhead Press = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Bicep Curl = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Inverted Row = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Side Raise = 50 reps
  • Kettlebell Forearm Curl = 50 reps
  • Kettlebell Reverse Forearm Curl = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Hammer Curl = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Hammer Extension = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Goblet Squat = 100 reps
  • Dumbell Lateral Squat = 50 reps
  • Dumbell Two-hand Tricep Extension = 50 reps
  • Leg Press Sled = 1000 lbs 5 reps (970 lbs 5 reps)
  • Leg Extension = 50 reps
• Cardio!
  • Hiking = 6 miles
  • Biking = 8 miles
  • Rowing = 3 km

DIETARY:

• Food!
  • Cut down on sugar.  Record high sugar counts.
  • Cut down on sodium.  Record high sodium counts.

LIFE:

• Mind!
  • Continue Private Work Goal to improve productivity
  • Nerd Fitness Community
    • Update my Challenge Thread = 12 times
    • Update my Battle Log = 43 times
    • Write in my Epic Quest = 6 times
    • Comment on a New Friend's Thread = 6 different threads
    • Follow and Comment on New Friend's Threads = 12 comments total
    • Comment on my Accountabilibuddies Group Thread, Group Challenge Threads, and Old Friend's Threads = 12 times
  • GeoCaching
    • Find 6 caches
    • Hide 2 caches

[JediNickD]

I have a bum ankle from my vacation week last week.  We were doing chicken fights on a paddle board and I fell hard on the board and ankle.  Some swelling and pain, but not really restrictive to movement or anything.  I need to ease back into my workouts anyway, so I'll take it easy as it heals.  I might adjust my running goals a bit to match the missed time, but 5 miles a week starting next week should not be a problem.

[JediNickD]

I had a long day yesterday.  First, I was up early to hit the gym.  Then I worked like a dog getting caught up after my week off last week.  I finished the work day, headed home only to find my house in the state of disaster city with screamming, sugar-high children.  I was stunned my wife left five kids with a babysitter, who I wouldn't trust to watch a pot of boiling water.  Her sister feels the same way, but away they went to Ikea.  Luckily, two kids went home only minutes after I arrived.  I'm on my own for dinner as I have to head back out the door for Toastmasters Officer Training only 45 minutes after arriving home.  I quickly survey my dinner options and settle on a Peanut Butter sandwich hoping the refreshments at the training will be healthy and filling.  Before I can start making my sandwich, I have to deal with a minor kid crash as my 5 year old daughter was pushed over while weilding a scooter above her head... like I said, disaster city and irresponsible babysitter.  Next I get a phone call from my lovely wife to find out when she'll be home and about some unacceptable behavior my 5 year old exhibited earlier in the day.  After I get off the phone, I have a chat with my daughter about the behavior, how to correct it, and what to do if other kids are doing it.  With that all sorted out, I make my sandwich, pour my 2 year old a cup of chocolate milk, and out the door I go to Toastmasters Officer Training.  Other than being long, the training is pretty uneventful, but educational.  I arrive home near 10pm to find my wife missing again.  I panic a little as both kids are sleeping in their beds, but there is no trace of my wife.  As I'm cleaning up tools and trash from the projects she was working on while I was out, she strolls in with our new renter/house guest.  They were down the street at a neighbors discussing building walls to complete the renter's new room (guess what I'll be working on tonight?).  Anyway, we finish cleaning up clutter and trash.  I take out the garbage as it is trash day on Wednesday, while my wife prepares for bed instead of taking care of the animals.  After the trash, I go to the backyard in the dark to check on animals, feed and water, and lock them up.  The chickens are fine, but a rabbit is missing.  It's dark so I get a flashlight and lantern to check the burrow that they have dug.  Inside is what appears to be a dead rabbit.  My heart sinks.  I go back inside to change into clothes for digging up the burrow and burying the rabbit elsewhere.  I tell my wife the bad news and she offers to help.  After a half hour of digging, we finally are able to remove what is left of a decomposing carcass filled with grossness which had likely been there for almost a week (again, untrustworthy babysitter at work, coupled with new inexperienced animal sitters, not that I believe our previous sitters would have done much better about a sick, dying, or dead rabbit hidden in a burrow, but this will be hard to get over).  It is impossible to tell what did her in, but we have plenty of theories running through our heads to keep us awake the rest of the night.  It is just passed midnight when I get back inside and finally get myself ready for the next day and for bed.  Then I can't sleep for the reason mentioned above, plus my jerky cat and dog being noisy and annoying on top of my 2 year old crying in her sleep.  Little to my surprise, I woke up this morning tired with a mirgraine.  Oh well, off to the gym for another long day.

[JediNickD]

This week has been a good re-introduction to the gym for my body.  My hamstrings and left elbow are resisting so I have to be careful pushing them next week.  Stretching and light warm ups is key to the hamstrings.  The only thing that helps the elbow is a brace and rest.  I'm looking forward to next week as I'll be running and running and running, with a few weights in between.  This weekend I need to get ahead on my body weight exercises so I can worry less about them later.

[JediNickD]

I need to simplify my Battle Log so I actually keep up with it, but then it would be pretty boring and pointless.

 

Anyway, did a bunch of bodyweight exercises this weekend.  Today I ran a little more than a mile in 9 minutes and spent 10 minutes of cardio time kicking a soccer ball in a raquetball court.  I capped off the workout with standing dumbell bicep curls, forward and reverse lunges, and weighted side squats (30 lbs).

[JediNickD]

Completed my first Toastmasters speech of the challenge.  Mentoring part of the Successful Club Series is essentially an educational session geared at teaching the club the importance and benefits of a Mentoring Program within the club.  I'll post the speech to my Epic Quest.

[JediNickD]

Yesterday, I wrote a majority of my Mentoring for Success follow up speech for next week.  Today I'll begin rehearsing it.  I need to get the time down to under 13 minutes so I do not run long again.

[JediNickD]

I forgot the write this.  I'm giving the Battle Log another break.  If I can figure out a way to simplify my entries, or tie them to my Excel spreadsheet, then I'll start it back up, but I do not have the time or motivation to enter everything in two locations.  Maybe I could write a macro to produce the Battle Log text for each day... that actually sounds doable.

[JediNickD]

Did some rowing this morning. Tried out the Rolling Wheel. Those are tough. I need to scale back my goal reps. 200 is out of the question.

Rehearsed my speech to 14 minutes which is good. I need to memorize it and work from bullet notes instead of paragraphs.

I worked on my Battle Log automating... this is going to be pretty sweet when I'm done.

I need to catch up on my Jedi training next week.

This weekend, my wife is doing a mud run. While out, I'm going to take the kids on a Geocaching hunt. I just need to find the right park.

[JediNickD]

Ran 1.5 miles on Saturday and 1.4 miles today.  I'm damn slow.  I've worked off almost all my "vacation weight".  Flag football season is coming and I need some speed!

 

Got some blisters clipping hedges yesterday.  Like a dope, I forgot to take off my rings or wear gloves. 

 

Found a cache on Saturday.  Rehearsed my speech a few times.  Did a little reading and chores.

[JediNickD]

Ran 2.3 miles this morning, then did more stuff lifting weights.  I only stopped running because my knee joints were in pain.  Concrete is hard.  Need some trail running, but trails are not safe before the sun is up.  Weekend hopefully. 

 

Completed my Toastmasters speech on Tuesday, then Table Topicsmaster on Wednesday at a promotional event.  Next speech is on October 1st and I already have an outline.  Maybe I can do it earlier in the other club... 

 

Sept 17th I need a humorous speech for our club contest.  I'm using Steve Kamb's "Do Sh!t that Scares You" as inspiration.  I think that'll be entertaining and Toastmasters-centric as public speaking scares the meatballs out of me.

 

And I met my Toastmaster Officer Duty goal of 750 minutes.  I think I'm working too hard at this gig. 

 

My awesome multicache was published on Tuesday, just in time for my Geocaching friend George to get the First to Find.  No cheating I swear! ;-) 

 

 

Lastly, I need to revamp my challenge to be more geared to the "new" NF format.  All the Lifting goals are essentially bonus goals or side quests right now.  Some of the Life goals should be shifted similarly.  Sprinting, Jogging, Diet, and one or two Life goals will be my Main Quest.  Hopefully, I can take care of that today or tomorrow.  At least my automating of my Battle Log posts is going to work.  Just need to finish setting it up. 

[JediNickD]

I completed my automating of my Battle Log in conjunction with my Spreadsheet log (and posted the updates for the last 21 days).  I've already come up with ideas to improve it visually. 

 

Yesterday, I did a Table Topics question about whether I prefer to create new ideas or build off existing ones.  I choose existing ones and talked about some work projects how I am working on old projects and my speech ideas which never come out of thin air. 

 

Today, my Toastmasters clubs had a table at a Job Fair handing out Toastmasters information.  I talked to a lot of people and we may have a few interested parties.

[JediNickD]

I ran 3 miles for the first time since last challenge. My knees are very sore from the impact.

Deadlifts on Tuesday killed my forearms and revealed the source of some other pain. I've been having pain in my elbow for a few months now wearing a brace to protect it, but doing deadlifts I felt me elbow being pulled apart in a particular area. I need to research what that tendon or ligament might be so I can have a doctor look at it. Right now, it is the worst it is ever been. I tried some pull ups, chin ups, hammer pull ups, and dips today. There was a little pain but nothing out of the ordinary. I should still definitely lighten the load in all my lifting exercises for a while. My challenge is focused on cardio so that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

On top of the elbow pain, a few nights ago, I slept on my left shoulder wrong and now it is all kinds of sore.

Tomorrow should be a sprinting day with lots of bodyweight exercises. Shoulder and elbow will be monitored and babied.

[JediNickD]

Friday, I worked on football training.  I threw a bit, but mostly I worked on punting and chasing, a one-cut power move drill, and route running.

 

Saturday and Sunday were busy days with a birthday party for my 3 year-old and a christening for my 1 year-old niece.  I was exhausted by 5pm yesterday and took a nap.  In the mornings, I kept to my routine, but nixed the upper body exercises as my shoulder and elbow need the recovery time.  I got plenty of lifting down with the rental equipment (popcorn and cotton candy machines) and removing baby clothes tubs from my basement to drop off for my niece.

 

This morning, I ran 3 miles again.  It felt really good after, but my left knee had some swelling on the inside tendon.  I iced it and took some Tylenol.  Maybe I'll where my brace tomorrow.  Football practice on Thursday!

[JediNickD]

Monday, I ran another 3 miles. Tuesday, I did hills for 20 reps. I found a hill in my neighborhood by a bank, which worked out real well. Wednesday was an abdominal day. Thursday, I kept it light anticipating football practice, but I had to cancel it. Boo.

I bought my 3 year old daughter a puzzle board game called Tsuro. It is for ages 8 and up, but it is such a simple concept I know my littles can understand it. I just need to remove the strategy for them at first, then teach it to them slowly. We played on Tuesday, with everyone placing random tiles. It was a little frustrating as they wanted to just fill the board with tiles. Looking back, that might not be a bad starting point for them showing them how to navigate the pathes on the tiles.

I had two Toastmasters meetings on Tuesday. I did a speech (hap-hazardly, but well enough) and Table Topic Master at lunch time. In the evening, I was a Speech Evaluator, Table Topics participant, and Timer. I really enjoy the evening club, but can only make it once a month. To earn my Advanced Leader Silver award, I'll need to be able to visit more clubs as an Area Governor. The current AG for my area is in this evening club, along with a bunch of the area big wigs. To ensure I get the spot, I need to show my colors outside of my home clubs, which starts by impressing in this evening club.

On Monday, I found a two-stage GeoCache (which I count each stage for my goals) with family and friends while out for a walk at a local promenade. We took in the sites while poking around. There is another two-stage cache nearby, but we only had enough time to get the first stage. Next trip :-D!

[JediNickD]

How about an update this week? Well, I've been busy getting my ducks in a row at work, at home, and at a couple recreational activities, fantasy and flag football. I don't want to talk about work, but I will say things are well as I gear up for a few different activities. At home, we have a number of different things going on with both kids starting new schools in kindergarten and preschool. We have two construction projects in the works. Also, we were out of town over Labor day weekend to visit my brother-in-law's new baby boy.

Next, my brain has been in a whirl getting prepped for fantasy and flag football. Fantasy football starts off with the draft and I feel I did well enough with my evaluations and subsequent picks. I got most the guys I targeted and my keepers should keep my team prosperous. Last night, Wes Welker did above expectations scoring two TDs, so that is a good start, even though he fumbled a punt he had no business attempting to catch.

Flag football mind mess revolves around getting enough players on the roster and getting them educated on the league business. Lots of one-way communication from me to them. Then I am devising a playbook which will hopefully be more successful than last season's. Through the season, I hope we can move away from the playbook, and run a more improvised "get open" offense, but that comes with everyone understanding how to read what the defense and defenders are doing. We'll see how it goes as first game is Monday. We had a practice Wednesday, which went well with who showed up.

Fitness-wise, I am kicking my rump in the stump working to get faster and build my stamina. I can run 3 miles and sprint 200 meters, but neither matters if I do it like a turtle. I've been pushing cardio and ditching the weights. Next challenge will be more of that. I'm going to emphasize "reps until I fall over then do two more sets" while working in more aerobic exercises. Research needs to be done.

[JediNickD]

Well, I finally got a chance to put something for my grades.  I did moderately well considering I kept changing my goals as I went. 

 

My main quest was to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me.  I felt I accomplished that my main goal even with a couple of injuries along the way.
 
For this challenge, I planned to focus on stamina and cardio for my Fitness goals instead of aiming necessarily at lifting more weight and running faster.  
 
Level 10 Main Challenge Goals are below:
 
FITNESS:

• Strength! +2 STR | +1 STA  A
  • 300 Lunges (170)
  • 200 Burpees (130)
  • 300 Mountain Climbers (300)
  • 100 Hand Stand Push Ups (35)
  • 150 Pull Ups (55)
  • 150 Chin Ups (55)
  • 150 Hammer Pull Ups (40)
  • 250 Dips (30)
  • 100 Dive Bomber Push Ups (110)
  • 1000 Push Ups (440)
  • 1200 Crunches (1500)
  • 800 Bicycle Crunches (1100)
  • 500 Dual Leg Lifts (660)
  • 500 Side Leg Lifts (500)
  • 1200 Oblique Twists (1300)
  • 1200 Side Bends (1200)
  • 1200 Side Raises (1120)
  • 200 Rollout Wheels (100)
  • 300 Reverse Situps (105)
• Cardio! +2 DEX | +2 STA A
  • Sprinting Distance = 1000 m (2306)
    • 50m Dash = 5 reps (6)
    • 200m Dash = 5 reps (1)
    • 58.8m Medicine Ball Shuttle Run = 5 reps (5)
    • 37.8m Shuttle Run = 5 reps (13)
  • Jogging Distance = 25 miles (25)
    • 3 mile Run = 3 reps (2)
    • 2 mile Run = 5 reps (2)
    • 1 mile Run = 3 reps (9)
  • Run Hills = 20 reps (20)
  • Sports Training = 300 minutes (405)

DIETARY:

• Food! +2 CON A
  • Take a Multi-Vitamin daily (minimum 38 of 43 days for an A)  (38)
  • Eat junk food 15 times or less. Chocolate and ice cream do NOT count. Cake, fries, chips, pancakes, syrup, candy, etc all DO count. (15)
  • Eat only meat, veggies, and fruit as a meal 15 times. Dips/dressing allowed but must be minimal. (15)
  • Cut down on sodium.  Add salt from a shaker no more than 15 times.  (15)

LIFE:

• Mind! +3 WIS | +3 CHA A
  • Family and Home
    • Hang out with my wife = 90 hours (139)
    • Hang out with my kids = 90 hours  (162)
    • Household Chores (dishes, laundry, etc) = 70 hours  (96)
    • Write about it in my Challenge Thread or Epic Quest
  • Toastmasters
    • Complete two Toastmasters Speeches (1 Advanced Communication Manual Lesson, 1 Successful Club Series)  (1 and 1)
    • Officer Duty Hours = 750 min  (1380)
    • Volunteer for at least 3 different roles (7)
    • Volunteer as Table Topics participant twice  (2)
    • Blog about meetings in my Epic Quest thread  (4)
  • Jedi Training
    • Complete two IJRS Communication 101 Lessons with Exercises (2)
    • Complete one IJRS Creed 101 Lesson with Exercises (1)
    • Read Jedi-related Material = 500 minutes (505)

+2 STR | +3 STA  | +2 DEX | +2 CON | +3 WIS | +3 CHA