blkhole24601 Becomes the Champion of Kirkwall!

[blkhole24601]

Introduction: The half marathon is under my belt, and my big goal for the year has been accomplished! Now I want to be faster and stronger and more flexible. For the winter months, I'll be cutting down my mileage because cold+dark=no fun and dangerous, but in place of all of this, I'll be focused on speedwork, strength training, and making myself a more employable actress than I currently am. So without further ado!

 

Main Quest: Become a faster runner, a stronger woman, and a powerhouse of an actress!

 

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Quest #1: Defeat the Arishok! Step One: RUN! [+3 STA, +2 DEX]

Hawke became the Champion when she defeated the Arishok. How did she do that? Let's be honest: she ran. She ran a lot. And fast because for a big guy, the Arishok's got a lot of speed to him. So, to become the Champion of Kirkwall, one must be able to run fast and for a long time.

• Speedwork 2x/week for at least 30 minutes a session [+2 DEX, +1 STA]
  • 100% = 2x/week | 50% = 1x/week | 0% = zilch
• Weekend long run (5 miles minimum) OR race [+2 STA]
  • 100% = at least 5 miles ran OR race completed | 50% = long run/race attempted | 0% = no effort

 

Quest #2: Defeat the Arishok! Step Two: Stabbity Stab, Kill Kill! [+3 STR]

Eventually Hawke had to stop running and start fighting, and when she did, she had to make each of her hits count. Can't do that without ample amount of strength, so let's build up those muscles!

• Strength training 3x/week for at least 30 minutes a session [+3 STR]
  • 100% = 3x/week | 67% = 2x/week | 33% = 1x/week | 0% = zilch

 

Quest #3: Make Like a Noblewoman and Dance! [+2 DEX, +1 CHA]

Hawke may not enjoy playing the role of nobility, but it’s her lot in life. Better than living in Lowtown with Uncle Gamlen though, amirite? Anyway, dancing is something she needs to be able to do. So dancing she shall do!

• Dance at least 2 hours/week in some capacity (Dance Central, Zumba, following along with YouTube videos, classes, lessons from friends, etc.) [+2 DEX, +1 CHA]
  • 100% = 2 hours/week | 50% = 1 hour/week | 0% = zilch

 

Life Quest: It's Friend Fiction! [+2 WIS, +2 CHA]

What, Varric and Isabela can't have all the fun!

• Write 5,000 words/week towards my novel. Week 5 is exempt because it's tech week and you don't mess with tech week. (Note: I do realize that this does not put me in a position to win NaNoWriMo this year, but between work, rehearsals, and social things (and lbr, Dragon Age: Inquisition), 5,000 words will be challenge enough! I just want to write again.) [+2 WIS]
  • 100% = 5,000 words | 80% = 4,000 words | 60% = 3,000 words | 40% = 2,000 words | 20% = 1,000 words | 0% = zilch
• Voice work 5x/week in some capacity (singing, dialect/accent, general speech, etc.) [+2 CHA]
  • 100% = 5x/week | 80% = 4x/week | 60% = 3x/week | 40% = 2x/week | 20% = 1x/week | 0% = zilch

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Rewards!

Average 90% or more: Something awesome from Think Geek. Because it's been a while since I splurged on that site.

Average 80% or more: Something from Activate Apparel. Most likely this or this or even this or this.

Average 70% or more: Removable sleeves. Not necessarily this brand or type, but this is a thing I must have.

 

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Extra Stats from Mini-Challenges!

Scouts Dinosaur Challenge: COMPLETE! [+1 STR]

Scouts Bunny Challenge: COMPLETE! [+1 STR]

Scouts Squirrel Challenge: COMPLETE! [+1 WIS]

 

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Weekly Scorecards!

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 (CHALLENGE REVAMP) | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6

[starsapart]

I love everything about this.

[blkhole24601]

I love everything about this.

 

Yay :3

[BarefootDawsy]

OK first. Great goals. Loving the idea if winter speed work. Have you got a specific plan in mind for what speed work to do?

Second, what is that game? That video is hilarious...

Lastly, have a great challenge!

[Anaticula]

you have some really great goals this challenge.  I've made writing one of my goals too! Also, I love all the links you referenced,

[blkhole24601]

OK first. Great goals. Loving the idea if winter speed work. Have you got a specific plan in mind for what speed work to do?

Second, what is that game? That video is hilarious...

Lastly, have a great challenge!

 

Right now I'm doing Tuesdays for intervals and Thursdays for tempo runs, and I'm generally following Hal Higdon's Advanced 5K training plan for it (at least as far as what to do during the intervals and tempo runs) for now. Not opposed to suggestions, though!

 

Which video? The first one, with Princess Stabbity, is from Dragon Age: Origins. The second one, with Friend Fiction, is from DA:O's sequel, Dragon Age 2. Both are done by Bioware and I LOVE the franchise... as I love most things Bioware does. Check it out if you can!! The next game in the series, Inquisition, comes out in less than two weeks, eeeee!

 

And thank you!

 

 

you have some really great goals this challenge.  I've made writing one of my goals too! Also, I love all the links you referenced,

 

Thanks! November being the month of NaNo has informed a lot of us into having writing as a goal, I feel.  And yesssssss, I love some of the ridiculousness that Dragon Age gives us either in-game or meta or both.

[bgvanbur]

Great goals!  So many people are writing novels, what is yours about?

[blkhole24601]

Great goals!  So many people are writing novels, what is yours about?

 

In two words: space pirates. Mostly it's about my idiot main character not making good life decisions and accidentally becoming a pirate because only he can accidentally become a pirate in the manner that he does, but yes, pirates. In space.

 

And thanks!!

[BarefootDawsy]

Oh cool, I've heard good things about the Hal Higdon stuff. If it helps, I found hill sprints worked best for increasing speed for me.

Hay Dragon Age. I definitely need to give that one a go. I'm loving Bioware too...I play Star Wars: The Old Republic far too much!

[blkhole24601]

Oh cool, I've heard good things about the Hal Higdon stuff. If it helps, I found hill sprints worked best for increasing speed for me.

Hay Dragon Age. I definitely need to give that one a go. I'm loving Bioware too...I play Star Wars: The Old Republic far too much!

 

Ugggh, hills, but I do hear you. There is a very hilly trail near work for when/if I decide to protest the tempo runs and take to running at lunch instead of in the morning, I guess. But I don't disagree at all with hill sprints! I used to do them quite a bit and I've always seen the benefits from it at a race, usually when everyone around me is walking up a hill and I'm running past them, easy and steady. Plus it's probably a more effective way to increase speed since regular intervals, especially on a treadmill, are... eh, iffy? But hey, on a day I don't feel like tempo runs because tempo runs suck, I'll definitely do hill sprints!

 

Have you ever played Knights of the Old Republic? Bioware also did that and it's the basis/background story for SWTOR. I also really enjoy their other games Jade Empire (my gateway drug, as it were!) and Mass Effect.

[BarefootDawsy]

Ugggh, hills, but I do hear you. There is a very hilly trail near work for when/if I decide to protest the tempo runs and take to running at lunch instead of in the morning, I guess. But I don't disagree at all with hill sprints! I used to do them quite a bit and I've always seen the benefits from it at a race, usually when everyone around me is walking up a hill and I'm running past them, easy and steady. Plus it's probably a more effective way to increase speed since regular intervals, especially on a treadmill, are... eh, iffy? But hey, on a day I don't feel like tempo runs because tempo runs suck, I'll definitely do hill sprints!

 

Have you ever played Knights of the Old Republic? Bioware also did that and it's the basis/background story for SWTOR. I also really enjoy their other games Jade Empire (my gateway drug, as it were!) and Mass Effect.

 

I've got KoToR and Mass Effect on the list (I've got a small hard drive and minimal spare cash). Haven't heard of Jade Empire, but I'll definitely check it out. I found out the other day that a company is selling KoToR again..not sure about the MMO aspect, but it's here. 

 

I think we're going to get along just fine, you and me

[blkhole24601]

I've got KoToR and Mass Effect on the list (I've got a small hard drive and minimal spare cash). Haven't heard of Jade Empire, but I'll definitely check it out. I found out the other day that a company is selling KoToR again..not sure about the MMO aspect, but it's here. 

 

I think we're going to get along just fine, you and me

 

Most excellent.

 

If you have an iPad, I know you can get KOTOR downloaded onto your tablet. It costs money, but it's well worth it and I don't think takes up a lot of space. It's an older game, and so is Jade Empire. Mass Effect, you'll definitely need a LOT of space for, though, since it's three graphics/content-heavy games, but also spectacular storytelling and characters, which is my favorite thing about Bioware games.

[BarefootDawsy]

Most excellent.

 

If you have an iPad, I know you can get KOTOR downloaded onto your tablet. It costs money, but it's well worth it and I don't think takes up a lot of space. It's an older game, and so is Jade Empire. Mass Effect, you'll definitely need a LOT of space for, though, since it's three graphics/content-heavy games, but also spectacular storytelling and characters, which is my favorite thing about Bioware games.

 

Really? How have I not heard of this? I'll grab it today Thanks!

[Shukar]

Hills suck but they are so good, like all good things.

[blkhole24601]

Really? How have I not heard of this? I'll grab it today Thanks!

 

You won't regret it.

 

 

Hills suck but they are so good, like all good things.

 

Yeppp, so many benefits from hills, but oh god hills no why. ;;;

[Kailer]

Vicki, your new avatar is awesome!! And I love a Scout who dances. Good luck this Challenge!!

[blkhole24601]

Vicki, your new avatar is awesome!! And I love a Scout who dances. Good luck this Challenge!!

 

Thank you!! And dancing will be my Achilles heel for musical theatre auditions NO MORE! I don't have time to take formal classes until January but there are other ways to learn, and why wait?

[Terinatum]

Very cool goals! There's a few of us writing this challenge. Yay!

[sterre]

Looks like a good challenge! Good luck!

[Strickland5]

For some strange reason I read Hawke as Hawkeye ... yeah its one of those mornings.

[blkhole24601]

Very cool goals! There's a few of us writing this challenge. Yay!

 

Yes, yay! I love seeing all the writing goals, both those that tie into NaNo and those that don't. Solidarity and such!

 

 

Looks like a good challenge! Good luck!

 

Thank you!

 

 

For some strange reason I read Hawke as Hawkeye ... yeah its one of those mornings.

 

To be fair, it's only two letters short. Hawke + ye = Hawkeye. I've done similar; sometimes if I'm not realizing that I'm reading something about the Avengers I think I'm reading something about DA2 and I read Hawkeye as Hawke.

[stillskies]

That run Hawke run gif will never not be funny.

 

Because it's true.

[blkhole24601]

That run Hawke run gif will never not be funny.

 

Because it's true.

 

Yes, this. Even as a rogue or warrior I end up spending most of that battle running around in circles, though considerably less when I play warrior if I spec Hawke just right. ;;;;;;;;;;; RUN HAWKE RUN.

[blkhole24601]

Pre-Challenge Prep!

• Regarding the running goals, I should note that I have three races coming up. Tomorrow is the Great Candy Run 5K that I'm doing with stillskies (of the Level 1's) and starsapart (of the Assassins), December 6th is another 5K that I'm doing with stillskies that I haven't registered for yet   , and December 20th is the Christmas Carol Classic 10K that I'll also be doing with stillskies and another friend, P. So these are the things I'm working towards to keep me accountable for my training. Intervals on Tuesdays, tempo runs on Thursdays, and either a long run or a race on the weekend. Saturdays are preferable, but sometimes the schedule works out that I have to do it on Sunday and take Saturday as my rest and that's okay, too.
   
• For strength training, I'll be doing NROLFW Stages 2 and 3 throughout the challenge and supplementing it with either Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred or Ripped in 30 and/or the Superhero Bodyweight Workout app. Depending on what I have going on on my off-Fridays, the gym may not happen, but working out at home is always an option, too. My goal is to complete Stage 3 by the end of the challenge but we'll see! I'll be very pleased if I wind up lifting 2x/week and doing bodyweight stuff 1x/week if I can't lift 3x/week. These exercises happen on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
   
• I have finally purchased Dance Centrals 1, 2, and 3 for the Xbox Kinect, so they are options for dancing! I will also be relying on YouTube videos, and if there is dancing at rehearsal that totally counts, too. I may not get to take a formal class, and I may or may not be able to ask for friends' help, but I'll always have options all the same. No set schedule for these, but I'm going to try to do them on strength training days and the weekend.
   
• As for part one of my life quest, the writing bit... I'll always have a notebook on hand in case I get some spare time but no computer to type anything out on, and as part of the Candy Land Challenge accountabilibuddy group, my lists all include something having to do with working on this novel. So it'll happen, one way or another, I swear it.
   
• Then for voice work, I have bought two things from Amazon that will help me accomplish these tasks during my long commute to rehearsal on Mondays, Tuesday, and Wednesdays. I have Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen with the accompanying CDs to coach me through the accents I need for my upcoming show, and I also have Voice Lessons to Go for general singing exercises to work through while I wait in traffic. Most likely, I'll listen to the accent/dialect stuff on my way to work and once I get off the highway on the way to rehearsal on those days, and on my way home from work on days that I don't have rehearsal. Singing will happen during the highway portion of my trip to rehearsal and maybe on my home from rehearsal depending on how tired I am, and then on days I don't have rehearsal I'll sit behind my piano and get down into the nitty gritty there as best as I can. The plan is, for sure, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and then at least once on Thursday/Friday and again on Saturday/Sunday. If I do more than 5x/week, awesome. If it's only 5x/week, fine. But I need to brush up on my singing and accents and dialects are essential as an actor, especially since my show requires me to use two (Standard British and Cockney, mostly the Cockney), so time to get to it!
   
• And people may have noticed that I don't have a nutrition/diet/Constitution quest this time around. I don't feel like having one would be particularly useful this go-around. I know the right decisions to make when it comes to food, I just don't always make them, but quantifying that for a SMART goal is difficult. That's why my Candy Land board has a lot to do with making sure I make the right decisions. For the January challenge I may toss up a diet/nutrition quest since I think I'll be avoiding the gym in January and doing at-home stuff instead because so not fighting the January Joiners and so diet will be more crucial, but yeah. Candy Land and minis, that's what I'm relying on to help me with the food stuff.
  
  And also, I told my father that after the 5K tomorrow, I'm putting a moratorium on eating candy until after Thanksgiving, and then after Thanksgiving the only candy I'm allowing myself are holiday specific candies. By that, I mean like the peppermint nougats and candy canes, not a Reese's peanut butter cup in the shape of a Christmas tree. The only exception to this rule is the Ferrero Rocher chocolates since you can get them all year round, but I'm trying to keep it as contained to the Candy Land rewards as much as possible. Another exception is chocolates I receive as a personal gift. In other words, chocolates someone brings to a meeting does not count. So while my challenge isn't focused on diet, I'll make sure to report on how I'm doing on this front!

Today is a rest day, tomorrow is the 5K race where I can test to see where my 5K race pace is currently to help me tune up my interval training better, and then challenge start! Let's do this!!

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Looking great there with the plan.  I added the Voice Lessons to Go to my Amazon wishlist too!  I'm often driving longish distances and can use the time more profitably than I have been.  Thanks for the recommendation there!