Broba Fett Gets Hitched

[Broba Fett]

First it was @imprimis5's turn.  Soon it will be @Tanktimus the Encourager's.  

 

June 10th it is my turn.  this challenge.  I close the deal on my most precious bounty.

 

But before we go there, let's get accountable and talk about the past month and a half.

 

I done fell off dudes and dudettes. I done fell off hard. 

 

I hit the gym last friday for the first time in about a month and I weighed in at 419.4lbs.   That's about 10lbs higher than a month prior.

 

Food has been bad.  Real bad.

 

I took a couple long runs and a hike or two but other than that exercise during the past month and a half has been non-existant.

 

Excuses abound:

Burnout from all the volume I was lifting during the last challenge I did. 

Wedding on the near horizon with too much left to do.  Counseling, appointments, etc.

Had to sign health and mental POA for my 50 year old dad, put him in a nursing home, and take care of all of his finances.

I finally finished writing my novella!  Then I read through it and edited it twice. 

 

But you know what they say about excuses.  Really what it boils down to is that I love food and I prioritized other things over working out.

 

Well now I'm ready to take steps to get back on the right track.  

 

Only problem with that is the events of the next few weeks are not designed to keep me on track with my fitness and nutrition.  

 

The next few weeks are designed to celebrate finding the love of my life and to let the two of us have a relaxing start to our marriage.  We will be eating and drinking in celebration the next couple weekends and then we will spend 6/11-19th enjoying the finest food and drink in New Orleans.

 

So this challenge will be about hitting a couple very realistic goals in the days before and after our wedding/honeymoon and setting a plan for afterward.

 

The realistic fitness goals:

Hit the gym at least 6 times with the goal of maintaining strength and getting a good pump before wedding pics.

Go on three runs.  (That's a thing!  The one thing I did accomplish on my time away from the gym is I got a couple runs in.  A couple at home and a couple at work on lunch.  One was 5 miles!  I nearly died the week after but it was 5 miles!)  

No dessert unless I am at a wedding related event or while on honeymoon.  

 

The thing I need to figure out is how best to train after honeymoon for the Chicago Tough Mudder I committed to doing with @Oramac and some other nerds (I forget if @Laghail and @Starpuck are doing it as well?) in August.  I think it's unrealistic for me to think I'll run the 10-12 miles so should I focus on just getting my walking up there and abandon running?  Should I abandon the gym and make getting those miles in my sole priority? I know very little and I'll need y'alls help to figure it out.

 

Bonus Goal is to get a cover figured out for my novella.  It's written, it's edited, it's formatted.  I have a fb author page ready to go.  Now I just need a professional cover and it'll be on sale. This won't be messed with till after the wedding so we will have to see if I have time. 

 

I think that's it.  Let's do it. 

 

 

[Laghail]

Following and hella excited for WEDDING DAY!! I had to bail on poor Oramac for the OCR, but I vote keep on keeping on with walking and your hypertrophy. This way, you get continuity (no new programming = no new decisions this close to the wedding) and swole (*cough cough* wedding night *cough cough*). I also tend to wrongly see running as a free pass to stuff face, when being sensible with food is the real fat burner. Dunno if you tend that way or not.

 

EDIT: I was smoking the gaj. No penalties for tough mudder, that's a spartan thing. https://toughmudder.com/mudder-nation/blog/top-5-myths-about-doing-tough-mudder

[Evicious]

Damn, Broba Fett! You've just been rangering it up lately!

 

I'm not a racer, so I'll leave the advice about workouts to the people who actually have experience doing such things. My only advice is (once the wedding is over) to fuel your workouts well, whatever they may be. Quality fuel = quality performance. That's all I have to say, other than, of course:

 

Spoiler

 

[Sloth the Enduring]

 

@EricMN can advise you better. But I think that unless you're an elite, you're doing a fair amount of walking at an OCR. I certainly wouldn't abandon the gym. I'd add in some HIIT and skill work though.

 

 

Have you been to the OCR thread? When I get on a real computer I'll post a link if you haven't.

 

I almost forgot because I was so excited about your race. Congratulations!

[Oramac]

I'm in and following of course!!  First and foremost, congratulations!  The wedding is a big deal, and I know you have to prioritize it.  

 

1 hour ago, Broba Fett said:

The thing I need to figure out is how best to train after honeymoon for the Chicago Tough Mudder I committed to doing with Oramac and some other nerds (I forget if Laghail and Starpuck are doing it as well?) in August.  I think it's unrealistic for me to think I'll run the 10-12 miles so should I focus on just getting my walking up there and abandon running?  Should I abandon the gym and make getting those miles in my sole priority? I know very little and I'll need y'alls help to figure it out.

 

As for this, don't worry so much about running.  The group I normally run with (of which 1-3 are coming to Chicago as well) usually runs from the start to the first obstacle, then walks or runs however each person likes.  Personally, I usually end up running somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the event.  For training, if you can comfortably walk 5 miles you're fine.  Strength is a good thing to train as well, of course, for the monkey bars and big walls and whatnot.  The thing most people neglect to train is their mind.  Yes, I'm serious.  There's a few obstacles that aren't particularly tough physically, but are designed to challenge certain fears (claustrophobia, for instance).  This is one major reason why there are no penalties for skipping obstacles.  You are encouraged to try them all, but nobody will think less of you if you have to skip one.  

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again.

[Broba Fett]

2.5mi on my lunch. Walk/jog combo.

 

Individual replies coming one either get settled at my desk. It's just easier to upload photo via tapatalk.

 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

 

[Salinger]

Following along excited for you, for your wedding and Tough Mudder!! x

[Broba Fett]

1 hour ago, Laghail said:

 I also tend to wrongly see running as a free pass to stuff face, when being sensible with food is the real fat burner. Dunno if you tend that way or not.

 

I can definitely relate to this. I have been known to eat a 3k calorie meal even without the "justification" of a run.  Using exercise as an extra excuse to binge is definitely something I've battled. 

 

1 hour ago, Evicious said:

I'm not a racer, so I'll leave the advice about workouts to the people who actually have experience doing such things. My only advice is (once the wedding is over) to fuel your workouts well, whatever they may be. Quality fuel = quality performance. That's all I have to say, other than, of course:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Thanks!  I absolutely agree on quality fuel.  July is likely to get a much bigger look on revamping food.  Or maybe even right when I get back from New Orleans.  It just isn't realistic to try to make a big change right now.  Would be setting myself up for failure big time. 

 

49 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

 

 

 

Have you been to the OCR thread? When I get on a real computer I'll post a link if you haven't.

 

I almost forgot because I was so excited about your race. Congratulations!

 

Thanks sir!  I have not been to the OCR thread.  I know very little about them so it will definitely be a learning experience. 

 

24 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following along again.

 

Good to have you along sir, as always. 

 

26 minutes ago, Salinger said:

Following along excited for you, for your wedding and Tough Mudder!! x

 

Thanks!  Glad to have you.

 

26 minutes ago, Oramac said:

I'm in and following of course!!  First and foremost, congratulations!  The wedding is a big deal, and I know you have to prioritize it.  

 

Thanks man.  It wasn't even so much the wedding that threw me off as it was the stuff with my dad.  I did a lot of self-pitying that I had to deal with putting him in a home 25ish years before I had to.  I think the balance is coming back though. 

 

33 minutes ago, Oramac said:

As for this, don't worry so much about running.  The group I normally run with (of which 1-3 are coming to Chicago as well) usually runs from the start to the first obstacle, then walks or runs however each person likes.  Personally, I usually end up running somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the event.  For training, if you can comfortably walk 5 miles you're fine.

 

Excellent.  I know I can walk 5mi no problem at the moment.  I'm confident that if I taped my ankles and got good shoes (first priority after wedding) I could walk 10mi at the moment.  I'd be sore af for a week but I could get it done.  Maybe just step it up to longer walks with Tammy once per week or so and plan on walking?  I don't know that any jogging would be worth it since my jog is generally only 3.5mph or so. 

 

38 minutes ago, Oramac said:

th is a good thing to train as well, of course, for the monkey bars and big walls and whatnot.

 

This is by far my biggest concern.  I can dead hang on a pullup bar for a good long while two handed until I blow out my grip.  I've never done monkey bars or a pullup or scaled a wall taller than me or anything though. 

 

I forsee me doing a lot of helping of people over obstacles and such.  I will definitely work in some farmers and dead hangs and maybe heavy deads/rows and such to pump up the grip strength though.  We'll see what happens. 

 

48 minutes ago, Oramac said:

The thing most people neglect to train is their mind.  Yes, I'm serious.  There's a few obstacles that aren't particularly tough physically, but are designed to challenge certain fears (claustrophobia, for instance).

 

Heights and claustophobia freak me out so I'm looking forward to some conquering there. 

 

I was talking to Tammy about it and she wants to do the Mudder with us!  She's about as terrified as I am but we are both kind of viewing it like the strongman comp we did together last July.  It brought us closer together conquering something that difficult together and gave us specific goals to work toward regarding fitness. 

 

It's also a big deal because it's the first time she's shown a big interest in fitness since last October when she had to have emergency surgery and it brought her working out to a complete halt.

 

I'm stoked.

[Stronkey Kong]

Wedding night horizontal cardio might help here. 

[Broba Fett]

5 minutes ago, Curl Brogo said:

Wedding night horizontal cardio might help here. 

 

I was just talking to Laghail about this.  Unfortunately, (jk, fortunately) we're currently living in sin.  So this is already a thing on the regular. 

 

I'm definitely looking forward to extra special wedding night sexy time though.  We have a jacuzzi in our hotel room. 

[RedStone]

I'm totally a bridesmaid in a wedding on June 10th... SO I WILL THINK OF YOU!!!!!! Such excite. SUCH LOVE!!! SUCH BROBA!!!! SUCH WEDDING PUMP!!!! Glorious and I am here of course <3

[jonfirestar]

Following! Wedding and Tough Mudder hype

[Oramac]

13 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

Thanks sir!  I have not been to the OCR thread.  I know very little about them so it will definitely be a learning experience. 

 

Here ya go!

 

13 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

Excellent.  I know I can walk 5mi no problem at the moment.  I'm confident that if I taped my ankles and got good shoes (first priority after wedding) I could walk 10mi at the moment.  I'd be sore af for a week but I could get it done.  Maybe just step it up to longer walks with Tammy once per week or so and plan on walking?  I don't know that any jogging would be worth it since my jog is generally only 3.5mph or so.

 

Good deal.  Yea maybe stepping it up a notch would be good.  Just be sure to focus on getting better, but not to the extent that you injure yourself. 

 

13 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

This is by far my biggest concern.  I can dead hang on a pullup bar for a good long while two handed until I blow out my grip.  I've never done monkey bars or a pullup or scaled a wall taller than me or anything though. 

 

I forsee me doing a lot of helping of people over obstacles and such.  I will definitely work in some farmers and dead hangs and maybe heavy deads/rows and such to pump up the grip strength though.  We'll see what happens. 

 

Here's the cool thing: as much help as you give others, you'll get in return.  Everyone on the course is on your team.  There may be some unintentional touching of the posterior, but people will help conquer those walls! As for the monkey bars, there's not a lot of help to be had, but also know that Funky Monkey is probably the most physically intense obstacle on the course.  Hell, I've only completed it once out of 4 tries. 

 

14 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

Heights and claustophobia freak me out so I'm looking forward to some conquering there. 

 

Definitely get your mind of a good spot here.  Do what you gotta do.  Again, I'll give all the help and encouragement I can, as will everyone else, but at the end of the day your mental grit will make the difference.  Pull out that 20 seconds of courage and go BEAST MODE on your fears! 

 

14 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

I was talking to Tammy about it and she wants to do the Mudder with us!  She's about as terrified as I am but we are both kind of viewing it like the strongman comp we did together last July.  It brought us closer together conquering something that difficult together and gave us specific goals to work toward regarding fitness. 

 

It's also a big deal because it's the first time she's shown a big interest in fitness since last October when she had to have emergency surgery and it brought her working out to a complete halt.

 

Awesome!!  She's more than welcome.  I'm looking forward to meeting you both and helping y'all conquer this shit! 

[imprimis5]

Hey, dude. I'm here! I'm super stoked for your wedding!

[Broba Fett]

14 hours ago, RedStone said:

I'm totally a bridesmaid in a wedding on June 10th... SO I WILL THINK OF YOU!!!!!! 

 

It seems to be a pretty popular day. That's like the fourth wedding I've heard of that day.  

 

Then again, I guess most weekends in June are probably primetime. 

 

Glad to have you along. 

 

6 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

Following! Wedding and Tough Mudder hype

 

Excellent!  I'll probably need running advice sooner or later. 

 

3 hours ago, imprimis5 said:

Hey, dude. I'm here! I'm super stoked for your wedding!

 

Always a pleasure to have you aboard sir. 

 

3 hours ago, Oramac said:

Here's the cool thing: as much help as you give others, you'll get in return.  Everyone on the course is on your team.  There may be some unintentional touching of the posterior, but people will help conquer those walls!

 

That was the vibe that I got.  There's a couple that I will likely skip if they don't feel safe (crawling under 18" barbed wire... I don't think I compress that small, etc) and a couple where I'll primarily be focused on helping some others rather than getting myself across (the one where you literally climb people... I can see myself as a kickass foundation) but I think about half of them I should be able to attempt.  Many of those I should be able to complete. 

 

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

 

Did that little jog/walk on lunch yesterday and got super busy after lunch so I failed to eat anything but breakfast (power breakfast sandwich at panera) until I got home at 9:15.   Popped a frozen pizza in the oven and had 3 slices for dinner around 10.  :\

 

We had to terminate an employee yesterday and it always gets me waaay off my routine. 

 

Oh well, today will be different.  About to go half a bag of frozen chicken and some brussels sprouts for lunch and then the other half and some broccoli for dinner later on.  

Passed on free ice cream cake for another member of management's bday. 

 

Checking in on some of y'alls threads and then I'll be booting up a 5ish year old laptop and trying to get it in good working order in order to get some emulators running on it or something.  Want to play some of the old games from my childhood on lunch. 

[Wild Wolf]

20 hours ago, Laghail said:

 

EDIT: I was smoking the gaj. No penalties for tough mudder, that's a spartan

 

I frequently mis-calculate thing due to the gaj lol

 

Awesome looking challenge, Broba! Very excited for your wedding my friend!

 

 

Respawn time, dude!

 

 

Wolf

[Broba Fett]

30 minutes ago, Wild Wolf said:

Awesome looking challenge, Broba! Very excited for your wedding my friend!

 

Thanks sir.  Quick funny story regarding Mandalorian wedding stuffs: 

 

We decided to do bookmarks for our reception souvenir thingy and wanted to do quotes for it.

 

Tammy picked some flowery one from princess bride to go on one side.  I picked "I love you."  "I know."  for the other.

 

Then we both kicked ourselves that we didn't just go with "As You Wish" and quote both Westley and Boba Fett. 

 

[starpuck]

Man so much awesome in this thread, and dangit if you guys aren't making me consider that stupid tough mudder.    Maybe I will at least go to spectate!

 

I've done a ton of OCR's Broba.   I run about 1/10th of them.   Everyone jogs a bit out of the gate, then you hit obstacles and that becomes the focus.     I want a 1 mile race with 28 obstacles... that's more my Jam.

[jonfirestar]

2 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

Excellent!  I'll probably need running advice sooner or later. 

I'll help if I can but I'll add the same tidbit as everyone else. Don't worry about being able to run the entire distance of Tough Mudder. I walked at least as much as I ran when I did it. Especially all of the up hill sections. No point burning yourself out trying to run up hill.

[Oramac]

31 minutes ago, Starpuck said:

I've done a ton of OCR's Broba.  

 

Well then doing the Chicago TM with us should be a walk in the park!  

[starpuck]

1 hour ago, Oramac said:

 

Well then doing the Chicago TM with us should be a walk in the park!  

I was younger and more brave then.   Also, somehow in better shape - even though I feel like I've been doing the same thing for years now.

And, maybe not a "TON" - 2 Warrior Dashes, 1 Zombies Run, 1 Run for your Lives, 2 Bad Ass Dashes (those are really fun).   So more like a half dozen hah.

 

 

[Broba Fett]

3 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

I'll help if I can but I'll add the same tidbit as everyone else. Don't worry about being able to run the entire distance of Tough Mudder. I walked at least as much as I ran when I did it. Especially all of the up hill sections. No point burning yourself out trying to run up hill.

 

I think we're going to just walk it.  No sense in killing ourselves over it.  Just the 10 mile walk plus obstacles will be a huge achievement for us. 

 

2 hours ago, Starpuck said:

So more like a half dozen hah.

 

Half dozen more than I've done.  You're a badass.

 

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

 

So I messaged one of my favorite authors (Chris Philbrook) for advice on my book cover.

 

I was surprised to see he messaged me back today!

 

I probably shouldn't have been surprised since he's one of my favorite authors largely in part because he wrote most of his novels while at work, chasing a dream.  He's super down to earth.

 

Anyway, he says cover is super important and then sent me links to a couple different places that have hundreds and hundreds of stock covers for sale.  You pay them a small fee to buy the rights to the image and then it's yours to customize and use as a cover for the first 250k copies sold.  If you go past that the rights revert to them.

 

But... I will likely never sell that many and if I did I'd be sitting on a half million dollars to hire my own customer cover artist. 

 

So that's pretty awesome.  Now just to find the cover that is perfect for Paladins: Anointing. 

[Salinger]

Great news about the book! And your new fiance, i remember the troubles you had on FF and so happy for you Mark. Seriously!

 

Keep doing amazing x

[starpuck]

How did I not know you were doing writing things too?

And dammit, why have we not made this Midwest D&D group thing happen?

After you're hitched and settled?  We're doing it!   A meet up at your place, for a two day D&D game.  We can do it once every 3 months or something!