Salty Embraces the Weather

[SaltyDragon]

Hello, I am SaltyDragon, a friendly sea-going serpentine creature who just completed his first challenge in December. After reading lots of challenges in lots of guilds – along with much indecisiveness – I have decided to post my next challenge here with the Scouts. Many of you seem to be somewhat like minded with me and share many common goals, as well, so I hope that I can fit in here!

 

For this, my second challenge, my theme is "embracing the weather."

 

 

I recently learned of a winter challenge event (unrelated to NF) where the objective is to get outside and participate in some kind of running/walking activity every day in January. My work schedule doesn't quite allow this, so I'm not joining the official event, but I thought, "Why not bring it to my NF challenge?!" It sounds like fun to me, and I'm also doing it as moral support for someone I know participating in the formal event.

 

So, Quest 1, here are the rules:

Whatever the weather, go outside and run three miles every day.

Exceptions? OK, if the conditions are seriously trecherous or downright dangerous, one mile is acceptable. Same goes for serioius injury or illness. But barring truly extrordinary circumstances, I have to make the effort.

 

This is the main component to my challenge. I'm on the Oregon coast most of the time, moving to Seattle by the end of the challenge, so cold and rain will be the biggest factors. Snow and ice are still possible, though.

 

Because I have a few sea days scheduled (24 hrs or more working on a boat), I know I can't hit 100%, but I'm gonna give it my best.

 

Quest 2, stay in shape:

Do push-ups, at least a few, every day.

When you live on a boat, space limits a lot of your excercise activities. Push-ups though, you can find a way to do somewhere, even when getting tossed around in all but the nastiest of seas. So I'll do, let's say, 800 push-ups by the end of week 4.

 

Quest 3, stretch it out:

30 min stretching routines at least 3 times a week.

I stretch a little bit following every time I run, but I know I need to expand my routine. I'm also attempting to learn some yoga, so I may count some of that as well.

 

Thanks for reading – feedback is welcome. I know we are a few days into the challenge already, so I'll be posting some progress results soon!

[h3r0]

Welcome Salty!

[Terinatum]

Welcome to the Scouts! Glad you're here.

Plenty of us are weather-runners so you'll be an easy fit!

I hope your move goes well later. But for now, let's get those push ups in and run, baby, run!

Question on your stretching goal:

Do you have a set number of stretches that you do, say before and after a run; first thing in the morning; whenever you're standing for too long? I wonder how many kinds of stretches you could incorporate into your goal. I'm thinking you could figure out a lot about how your body is reacting to your new environment. A thought.

Best of luck!

[SaltyDragon]

Welcome Salty!

 

Thanks, friend! Glad to see you back, too.

 

Question on your stretching goal:

Do you have a set number of stretches that you do, say before and after a run; first thing in the morning; whenever you're standing for too long? I wonder how many kinds of stretches you could incorporate into your goal. I'm thinking you could figure out a lot about how your body is reacting to your new environment. A thought.

 

I don't, actually. I'm definitely in the exploring phase right now. I have a quick post-run routine that I've kept with for a while – calves, quads and hamstrings – but I know I should really expand on that. My flexibility is good in those areas, but kinda poor in others, and I'm feeling a little "unbalanced." That's why I want to spend at least half an hour, a few days a week, finding out what I like and what feels good to me. I like the idea of working up to a pretty extensive repertoire that I can draw from, a few here and a few there maybe, including different stretches to target the same areas in different ways. Variety and diversity, you know!

[SaltyDragon]

A quick update on my progress!

 

Technically speaking (and I often do), I've logged 3+ mile runs every day since Dec. 30 – with one exception that I'll explain shortly. But I really started the running challenge on the 1st, with an impromptu run in an unfamiliar city, because that's where I happened to be! I followed that up with a 5k race and polar plunge on the 2nd, and I followed that up with chowder and beer, but we don't have to talk about that right now. OK, here come the stats...

 

Jan 1: 3.04 mi, riverside path Portland, OR

Jan 2: 3.1 mi (and a splash in the river) cold and windy, OR coast

Jan 3: 3.26 mi, colder and a little icy, OR coast

Jan 4: 1.3 mi, cold, icy and dangerous, Portland – managed this distance "running" on the grass in a small park, but fell and suffered a minor wrist injury on the sidewalk :-(

Jan 5: 3.15 mi, back on the coast

Jan 6: 3.2 mi

Jan 7: 3.38 mi, rainy but not too cold

 

Push-ups:

Because of the wrist injury from the icy run on the 4th, I'm off to a slow start. Today was the first day I've been willing to put weight on the wrist, but the good news is that it felt pretty OK.

Jan 7: 40 push-ups

Total: 40

 

Stretching:

I've neglected this one a bit, too.

Jan 7: 30+ min

Total days in week: 1

 

So a slow start in some regards, but should be totally recoverable.

[Koaladle]

It may be a slow start, but it's reasonable. If you hurt your wrist, of course pushups aren't going to be at peak effort. You'll plugging along just fine, saltydragon. :-)

[18ck]

I like the commitment to brave the elements. Being a dragon seems like it would be useful for being able to melt the ice in front of you with your fiery breath, but I guess that's not working so well...? How's the wrist holding up since the 8th?

[SaltyDragon]

It's days like today when I feel a bit guilty about doing a winter warrior challenge...

 

Sunshine...

 

50 degrees....

 

 

And those poor folks in places that are actually cold now and have to go out anyway for the sake of their challenge...what must they think of me??

 

And then I look at my forecast for the rest of the week (100% chance of rain, every day) and I don't feel so bad. Yes, today was a fluke, so I made sure to take advantage of it!

 

I have been reading on other threads about folks and their bicycles, so I decided to get mine out. Plus, I had been wanting to try running straight off the bike – you know, just for the abuse. So I did a little over 12 hilly miles on the bike, then a quick change into the running shorts and did about 5 miles on foot. It was pretty tiring, but each activity is a different workout, so I like how it felt. I've been so focused on running for the past three months, it was nice to add in another element.

 

I'm seeking balance, remember!

 

I also fit in a good post-run stretch session, and 60 push-ups spread out across the day.

 

So, since the last update, running:

Jan 8: 3.2 miles

Jan 9: 3.3 miles

Jan 10: 5.1 miles

Total - 10/10 days in Jan

 

Push-ups:

Jan 9: 20

Jan 10: 60

Total - 120

 

Stretching:

Jan 9 and 10, 30 min

Total - 3 days in week 1

 

I still need to catch up on push-ups, but otherwise, I'm on track.

[SaltyDragon]

It may be a slow start, but it's reasonable.

 

Whoa, are you seriously calling someone who lives on a boat reasonable?

 

 

I like the commitment to brave the elements. Being a dragon seems like it would be useful for being able to melt the ice in front of you with your fiery breath, but I guess that's not working so well...? How's the wrist holding up since the 8th?

 

Ha, didn't need it today! Fortunately, that was just a cold snap in a different city. It's not usually so cold here on the coast, it just rains endlessly.

 

The wrist is better, thanks. Not 100%, but push-ups feel ok (just not one-handed!).

[Koaladle]

Whoa, are you seriously calling someone who lives on a boat reasonable?

 

 

 

Don't get used to it.

[german]

Hey salty!, great start defeating the weather demons!, adding bicycle to a quest for balance is, well, balanced. Best of luck!

[HumanNomad]

Woah, you live on a boat, and you might move to Seattle (my dream city one day)... I don't know you, but I think I like you!

[SaltyDragon]

Woah, you live on a boat, and you might move to Seattle (my dream city one day)... I don't know you, but I think I like you!

 

Yeah, don't get too jealous...we're there for six days, and then we head waaaay up to Alaska.........well, not exactly in Alaska, but near Alaska :-(

[Terinatum]

How are you feeling about your challenge, Salty?

2 more weeks plus a tad!

[Jormungand]

It was great reading up on your challenge. I've been staring wistfully at my bike tucked away in the back corner of our garage. Our weather here in Indiana has not been conducive to bike riding recently, though I think the next chance I get I'll try the running after biking. Keep it up. 

[Jayniana Jones]

Love the idea of embracing the weather. It looks like you are making great strides (haha) on your challenge.

 

My in-laws were in Soldotna, Alaska for a year and we found the temps there were chilly, but not as bad as the Midwest. If you're near the coast (which it sounds like you are), I don't think it'll be too bad for running. Says the person who has been walking in below zero temps for the last few days. Today it feels almost like spring. It's a balmy 11 degrees (F).

 

I envy you for being in a weather where you can bike. I saw a biker on our road last Thursday and I admired their toughness because the roads were pretty icy and the wind had a bite to it. I toyed with the idea of hauling out my bike, but figure I'll wait 'til spring.

 

Enjoy.

[chocolaterunner]

You have great goals, and you are killing it! Great job!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SaltyDragon]

Sum up the week!

 

Running:

Three miles or more every day this week, for a total of 47 miles so far in the challenge. This is getting pretty easy, especially the mental part. There's no thinking about it, I know I have to do it, so I just go. And there's definitely been a few days where I wouldn't have gone if not for the challenge, whether it's been raining or just dark because I got off work late. And by keeping the mileage low, so far I'm not hurting from it. Hope I can still say that at the end of the month!

 

Push-ups:

I've been doing these every day, too – between 10 and 80 for a total of 450 after two weeks. I'm on pace to exceed the goal of at least 800, especially since I didn't do very many the first week.

 

Stretching:

I've kept up with three extended stretching sessions this week. I can't say I've felt any great difference, but I think it will take time, and I certainly intend to keep up with it. I've found a few new things I like, and I look forward to searching and discovering a few more.

 

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Let's go week three!

[SaltyDragon]

My in-laws were in Soldotna, Alaska for a year and we found the temps there were chilly, but not as bad as the Midwest. If you're near the coast (which it sounds like you are), I don't think it'll be too bad for running. Says the person who has been walking in below zero temps for the last few days. Today it feels almost like spring. It's a balmy 11 degrees (F).

 

I don't mind the weather in Alaska for running, actually. The problem is that I'm on the boat, out at sea pretty much the whole time. Cold or not, there's nowhere to run!

 

(formulating ideas for next 4WC as we speak...)

[Koaladle]

If you're going to be at sea for most of it, why don't you focus on bodyweight work? Even if the rest of the boat is cramped, you can always do squats over the commode, planks in your rack, lunges on watch, and arm circles in the shower.

[Jayniana Jones]

I agree with Koaladle for the body weight focus. Throw in squat thrusts, mountain climbers, imaginary jump rope, jumping jacks, and jogging in place should help keep the heart rate up and provide entertainment for the crew. 

 

How big is your boat? 

[Mike_d85]

I agree with Koaladle for the body weight focus. Throw in squat thrusts, mountain climbers, imaginary jump rope, jumping jacks, and jogging in place should help keep the heart rate up and provide entertainment for the crew. 

 

How big is your boat? 

 

I kinda want to know how big the boat is too.  I've seen a few tugs that you could manage some short laps on, though I'm sure that kind of shenanigans is frowned upon by several captains.  Also, cleats are the tiniest hurdles ever.

[SaltyDragon]

How big is your boat? 

 

 

I kinda want to know how big the boat is too.  I've seen a few tugs that you could manage some short laps on, though I'm sure that kind of shenanigans is frowned upon by several captains.  Also, cleats are the tiniest hurdles ever.

 

It's about 200 ft, and carries usually 30-40 people. There's not much room on deck outside, and people tend to be working there. It's dangerous and cold, especially in the sloppy conditions we usually get.

 

I appreciate everyone's suggestions.

 

Sometimes though, life does what it does at the worst possible time. I have some personal situations that have come up  – right as I head back to sea for the season – and they will need a good deal of my attention for a while. I'll have to evaluate now what I can do for the remainder of this challenge.

[Koaladle]

This is the part where I sound really mean but in realityland have only the best of intentions by calling you out. <3 <3 <3

 

I went back to your challenge to figure out how much time you were dedicating every day to your fitness. You're not going to be able to run while you're at sea, so that one can be put to the side. The remaining two things take up a total of 45 minutes. Half an hour of stretching and some pushups? What personal situation could possibly demand that much attention? I've seen sailors get divorced, have a pregnant wife on shore, have a death in the family, get injured, deal with major casualties in equipment, and even stand port/starboard watches and manage an hour or more in the gym everyday. For the stretches, you can space that out over the course of the day, and you can max out on pushups in two minutes.

 

I want you to really look at what's going on and determine if you're using your personal situation as an excuse. 

[SaltyDragon]

Got a three mile run in today. Felt pretty terrible, but all things considered, I expected it to.

 

It's been a really rough week. I'm not going into details on a public forum, but some heavy personal and career issues all blew up at once on Monday. This caused a lot of stress, especially given that I'm stuck in a place where I can't go deal with anything. When I get really stressed, I pretty much can't eat, so  went four days without really eating anything (I did have a proper breakfast this morning, finally). Then two sea days on a transit to Seattle, with a little seasickness as I reacclimate to being at sea. So needless to say, I'm not feeling my best.

 

After work yesterday, I got the hell off the boat and checked into a hotel for the weekend. Kind of a waste of money, but I needed some privacy and time to myself. This morning, it was raining and pretty chilly. I had forgotten to take my windbreaker, but I knew I should try to run, so I put on two t-shirts and went for it. I don't really like running in an urban setting, because you keep having to stop at intersections, which makes it hard to get warmed up. I don't know the city well, either, but kind of by surprise, I wound up running right through the Pike street market. Anyway, I managed the three miles, and it was hard and not fun, but I'm glad I did.

 

Oh, and the walk last night to the hotel from the ship was over three miles itself. There was no running, but I'm counting it anyway, just because. That means I've missed three days running, and will probably miss two or three more in the final week.

 

Now maybe if it ever stops raining today, I'll go back to Pike street market and actually have a look around.