Talos is filled with DETERMINATION

[Talos]

I had so much fun with the Rebels during my respawn challenge - and my life is still weird enough - that I think I'll hang around here a little longer!

 

 

Thinking about my last challenge, I was reminded more than anything of one of the big themes of the lovely Undertale - "Determination". If you haven't played the game, it's more than just gritting your teeth and carrying on; it's a force that lets the characters come back from the brink of death, and even rewrite their own stories and those of the other characters in their world.

 

For those who weren't following along for the last one, I was basically respawning on the tail end of a nasty few months with depression. It went really well (thank goodness), and I'm doing better than I have in a while, maybe since around this time last year. I was working on rewriting my story, as it were.

 

I wasn't sure whether or how to do this challenge, since I'll be leaving next week for my annual week-off-the-grid on retreat, which I expect to be a wonderful time. The tricky thing about those trips away is that they tend to mess with my routine when I get back, so I think that's going to be my focus for the challenge: staying determined (especially once I get back), and locking down the benefits that I'm starting to see from the new and renewed habits I built last month. 

 

Also, y'know, it gives me an excuse to post about Undertale.

Thus, the goals:

 

Cooking with Undyne

 

 

I've been eating a lot of good food the last several weeks, but my cooking has been getting a bit repetitive. We can't have that; cooking is one of my favorite hobbies!

This challenge, my goal is to try two new recipes per week (aside from the week I'm away) and post photos and instructions where applicable. Yum!

 

 

Showtime with Mettaton

 

 

One of my favorite parts about last challenge was getting into a solid routine of practicing my guitar, and seeing lots of progress. I even learned, recorded and posted a song (?!). In addition to keeping up with this habit, I'm going to make it a goal to complete three online technique lessons per week either in guitar or mandolin, which I'm hoping to start learning in the next few weeks.

More bonus achievements like last time (and extra ratings for Mettaton) if I record another song for posterity.

 

 

Training with Toriel

 

 

It's important to be ready for when the monsters attack. I've been doing lots of crosstraining to get ready for a couple of upcoming races (a 10k on April 1, and a Tough Mudder in June), and I'm still in the process of getting comfortable with a more regular workout routine again. I don't want to set any particular goals yet for the mix of running vs. weights or outdoor adventures, since I had fun doing lots of each last challenge, but I want to aim for at least four workouts per week. 

 

 

Tea with Muffet

 

 

Finally, I need to keep working on rebuilding some of the social connections that fell by the wayside when I was fighting my way out of my cave of misery. This goal is to do something social with at least two friends during each week, or at the minimum track them down for a proper phone/Skype conversation.

 

 

(Thanks to everyone who keeps following along!)

 

[Jarric]

Hey man, great to see you, sorry I missed your last challenge. I have never heard of this game but I'll be following along regardless!

[Talos]

Thought about recording you guys an Irish song for St. Patrick's Day, but my singing voice is a little raspy tonight. Not sure if that'd be a good effect or not...  

[HappyDragon]

DETERMINATION is what WINS THE GAME! Just keep that up and you'll crush the challenge.

 

Nice game theme btw!

[Miw_Sher]

I think you've already seen the veteran mini this challenge.... if not, it fits pretty sweetly with your cooking goal.

 

Have fun on your retreat week! We will be here when you come back from that.

 

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[Talos]

11 hours ago, Miw_Sher said:

I think you've already seen the veteran mini this challenge.... if not, it fits pretty sweetly with your cooking goal.

 

Have fun on your retreat week! We will be here when you come back from that.

 

 

For sure! I'm looking forward to joining in the fun.  

Thanks again for the support - I'm hitting the road today (1000+ miles of driving this week, woohoo!) and I'll check back in again when I return to civilization.

[Unix]

Your social connections goal is very similar to mine, good luck! let us know how is going

[taymonsta]

On 3/17/2017 at 0:18 PM, Talos said:

Finally, I need to keep working on rebuilding some of the social connections that fell by the wayside when I was fighting my way out of my cave of misery. This goal is to do something social with at least two friends during each week, or at the minimum track them down for a proper phone/Skype conversation.

 

 

Oh man, I feel this so much.. I have really neglected a lot of people by way of my own isolation/ depression. Trying to reconnect and make amends to those that got hurt/left in the wayside of my tidal wave has been rough, and definitely a mixed bag. It's also hard to tell who should remain by the wayside (toxic ppl). Wishing you lots of luck with this. When it goes well it feels great, that's for sure. Really looking forward to seeing how it goes for you!  

 

Also, I've been wanting to sign up for a race/ event thing to look forward to. I think I just might! thanks for inspiring me! 

[Asa Pond]

I found it! Following!

[Talos]

Okay! I'm back!

 

I might still be a little slow getting into the rhythm of this challenge - I've basically just been scrambling to catch up with the rest of my life that carried on without me while I was away.

Retreat week was just awesome, though. Definitely helped me get my head back on straighter than it was.

[Miw_Sher]

Welcome back! And yeah, take your time. I know from experience how tough it is to get back to everyday life.

 

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[Talos]

On 3/30/2017 at 2:28 AM, Miw_Sher said:

Welcome back! And yeah, take your time. I know from experience how tough it is to get back to everyday life.

 

 

Oh man, yeah. It's slow going. It didn't help that I got seriously slammed with work and I haven't had time to really think about getting into these challenge goals. I need a nap.  

It's probably going to be a half-challenge for me at this point, but I'll take what I can get.

[Talos]

Okay, I promise to give you a better update on my life within the next day or so, but I ran a 10k yesterday, knocked five minutes off my blisteringly slow PR (under an hour for the first time, though!) and didn't die.

 

So we're doing okay, I think.

[Miw_Sher]

7 hours ago, Talos said:

Okay, I promise to give you a better update on my life within the next day or so, but I ran a 10k yesterday, knocked five minutes off my blisteringly slow PR (under an hour for the first time, though!) and didn't die.

 

So we're doing okay, I think.

 

that sounds awesome! Congrats!

[Butternut]

Right on! Little updates are better then no updates  

 

hows the the guitar playing going?

[Talos]

6 hours ago, Butternut said:

Right on! Little updates are better then no updates  

 

hows the the guitar playing going?

 

Not bad! Not counting the few days I was off traveling, I've kept up pretty much perfectly with last challenge's habit of at least picking it up and playing for a few minutes a day to keep my fingers limber. I've noticed I can pick up basic songs much more quickly than in the past, and my technique is slowly improving. Now that I'm back and have the time, I need to get started (for what weeks remain) on my goal of doing new technique lessons, and maybe try a new song or two.

[Talos]

Further updates: today being my much-needed day off, I stocked up on groceries for cooking, but tonight's dinner was a familiar staple: roasted pork chops and vegetables in rice. Yum.

 

Also, check off guitar lesson 1/3 for the week. I hadn't done an actual focused technique lesson for a few months, come to think of it. 

 

We'll see if I can track down some friends, too.

 

Talos out.

[thegoodkindofchaos]

Sounds like you have a great plan for building on your last challenge!  

Congratulations on not dying from the 10k! Love it!

 

I love that you take a week away off the grid! I'm going to need to implement that in my life I think. I've been working through generalized anxiety and can see that being amazing for me. 

 

Looking forward to hearing more about your challenge!

[Jarric]

Congrats on the PR man, sub 1 hour for 10k is a big milestone!

[Talos]

On 4/4/2017 at 10:53 AM, Laidir said:

I love that you take a week away off the grid! I'm going to need to implement that in my life I think. I've been working through generalized anxiety and can see that being amazing for me. 

 

It's pretty amazing. Takes a day or two to adjust, and it's an almost fully silent retreat. Totally resets the brain, and makes it easier to process big life issues.

Last challenge was me coming out of about six months of depression and generalized anxiety, and I found one of the most helpful things was getting that in small doses - just by going out and hiking in the woods for a couple hours once every week or so, I really improved my morale.

 

10 hours ago, Jarric said:

Congrats on the PR man, sub 1 hour for 10k is a big milestone!

 

Thanks!! I didn't get as much training in for the race as I hoped, but my overall improvement over the past couple years still paid off.

[Talos]

Every time I try to talk to my friends they've got too much going on. I may have to escalate my attempts at socialization.

 

Seriously: Why is everyone so busy with life that they forget to have one?

[Talos]

More good stuff: actually cooked a new recipe today (a pineapple stir-fry of my own invention), and had the free time to go out and get a couple miles of hiking in! Weather was stormy in the morning, but just gorgeous later in the day. The trails were still almost deserted.

 

 

This is my happy place.

[Talos]

Hey! I wanted to check in again since we're getting close to the end of the challenge. I've been a bit disorganized in working toward my set goals, but still making overall positive progress in all those areas (exercise, food, music/hobbies, socialization, etc.). I think starting the challenge halfway through and a bit off my usual schedule made it hard to keep focused on tracking the data and checking in. I think this next challenge should go better... it'll certainly be a less busy time!

 

Right now, I'm focusing on recalibrating my workouts to prepare for the Virginia Tough Mudder (I'm running with a couple other folks from here, if you want to join us!) so more of a cross-training mix of running, trails, and free weights/bodyweight exercise.

 

I was feeling super stiff and sore a couple days back and realized I'd been slacking on my stretching routine, so I'm trying to pick that back up again, too.

 

Possible further updates to come! I'm going to try to enjoy the nice weather we're having.

 

 

[Jarric]

Glad you're doing well on your goals; it's great to hear you're making progress.

 

Will be interesting to see your Tough Mudder training as I'm doing the Ireland one this summer. I can't remember if you've posted in it but there's a OCR chat in the acountabilibuddies section of the forum that's great for info/advice/training stuff.

 

Edit: Here you go:

 

 

 

[Talos]

3 hours ago, Jarric said:

Glad you're doing well on your goals; it's great to hear you're making progress.

 

Will be interesting to see your Tough Mudder training as I'm doing the Ireland one this summer. I can't remember if you've posted in it but there's a OCR chat in the acountabilibuddies section of the forum that's great for info/advice/training stuff.

 

Edit: Here you go:

 

 

Thanks! Yeah, it's been a good four weeks, I've just been disorganized. Did a lot of cool stuff, though, and feeling decent about life. I'm hoping to keep more on the radar for the next challenge, if my next trip in a couple weeks doesn't derail it again. 

 

I'm on the OCR thread (haven't posted in a few days), it's good stuff. I should probably make that a bigger part of my challenge so I can track the training data better; I think I'm the only one in my group who's run it before, so I should probably try to be in shape to help everyone survive the thing.