Jarric

It been a nice weekend so far, not great goals wise though. Yesterday I went shopping for a snooker cue, which was actually really fun as it was basically an hour of playing snooker with various cues and chatting to the owner of the place who's really interesting. It took longer than I thought it would, and I ended up having lunch late, and we have Storm Dennis chucking a load of weather at us this weekend, so I'd pretty much convinced myself my long run wasn't happening. Much to my surprise though I did get my act together and go out for the long run. 10 very slow miles in the pissing rain, racing to get home before it got dark, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I was knackered when I got back, so the rest of the day was very lazy. Went and got sausage and chips from the chippy, shared a bottle of red wine with WW and watched people playing The Sims on YouTube. Didn't do my hip rehab stuff, and after I fell asleep on the sofa and rolled in to bed late I didn't brush my teeth either. This morning I got up for my short run, which being a deload week was only 2 miles. Then went straight out to go bouldering and had a really good time climbing and falling off some walls. This afternoon I went with WW to have lunch with my parents. Tonight I'll do my hip rehab stuff and set myself up for week 1. Much more excited about it now I've got a tracker somehow.

Yeah, definitely needed a test run this week too for some reason, despite my goals being very similar to last challenge! I tend not to use the recipes in MFP, because although I cook the same things a fair bit I often find myself substituting ingredients depending on what's in the house. It's a good idea to track the recipe before portioning it though.

Looking forward to seeing more of your transformation into a viking goddess.

I don't often do a zero week, let alone one where I trial my goals, so it's been interesting to try things out and try and learn from them before the challenge proper starts. Yesterday I went over my calories. I made gammon and pea pasta with cheese sauce, ate it, and then put it into my phone to find out I was over. So what I need to do is either track the recipe before I make it or (probably more likely as I was making this up as I went along) track it once I've made it and before I split it into portions. I could have just made this a three portion meal and it would have worked out totally fine. I did manage to save it by not drinking at pool and skipping my evening glass of milk again, so I finished at 2,479/2,410 calories for the day. Good thing it's zero week! Crossfit is going well, this morning was a 9 minute AMRAP or 3 power cleans, 6 lunges and 9 burpees over bar. I warmed up to 50kg on the cleans but didn't try any lunges at that weight, and man they felt heavy!

Looks like a reasonable approach to me! I know! Now I just need to work out when I'll find time to play it... I mean, whether or not I dress up you should definitely come and visit! Yeah, give it a go. Despite being a fairly expensive meal, I really do recommend them.

Love the range of things you have on your list to earn points, that's a good way to set yourself up for success. And well done on the T2B progression!

Oo, hope this went/goes well! Following along, obviously - can't believe it's taken me all week to get here!

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I managed to stay in the higher calorie target just barely, including sacrificing my evening glass of milk for an extra half of Guinness. Dinner was slow-cooked gammon with homemade chips and baked beans, not flash but it was very easy. WW's a florist so she's working some late nights this week leading up to Valentine's Day (which she lovingly refers to as VD). So I cut extra chips for her, did the washing up while mine cooked, ate and rushed off to snooker. Snooker was a really fun night, despite the fact that I played like a moron. Good to have a few beers and chill out with the team. It was only when I got home that I realised I hadn't done any of my stretches. I decided to go to bed instead, which isn't good and I probably wouldn't have done if it wasn't zero week. A lesson to be more prepared here. Tonight I'll probably be eating the same thing and eating it alone again, unless I can be bothered to do the gammon with pasta and cheese sauce. I've also agreed to play pool to help a friend's team out, but I'm hoping to get away from that early.

A lot of them are from the Gousto recipe boxes we get. It's not a cheap way to eat so we only do one box (three meals) each month, but we've been doing it for a few years now so we've built up a decent repertoire. And of course cooking them the second time is much cheaper with supermarket ingredients instead of the ones they deliver. I could barely boil an egg before we started getting them, and it's forced me to cook and try new things as the selection always changes, so I really recommend it. You can actually get all the recipes on the Gousto website without signing up: https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook. If you do decide to sign up you can use the code NICK20722 and get 50% off the first box (and I get £15 off my next one!) Yeah, it wasn't ideal, I'm glad it was a short run! Will do! Though I have a wisdom penalty and disadvantage on perception so... Thanks man! I must go back to that game sometime... I'll send this to WW and see if that helps persuade her (because I have no hope of putting together a good costume alone!)

I do do Crossfit, but my gym rarely does any of the benchmark WODs, so I've never done Murph or Cindy I'm afraid. Sounds like you've got a good idea to train it with those little 'murphettes'. Once you feel comfortable with the 2/4/6 your doing now more on to 3/6/9, 4/8/12 and then the full 5/10/15 of Cindy.

Hear hear! Responds Jarric and then, more quitely, It's good to see you my friend.

Looks like some solid goals for this challenge. I like the focus on the garden, might inspire me to sort out the mess that is behind my house!

Jarric steps into the hall, looking more sure on his feet than he has in months. Gratefully accepting the Chaplain's whisky he raises a glass, and the sits back on a bar stool to observe proceedings. Pint of the black stuff, barkeep he says, the pint appearing by his hand before the sentence is finished.

Wow man, that training programme looks pretty hardcore - looking forward to seeing you smash it.

Week Zero's going pretty well. I've got some DOMS in my lower back thanks to a 100kg squat on Monday (new 3RM which equals my previous 1RM, which I'm very happy about, but it was more squatmorning than squat!), and 63 deadlift reps on Tuesday in the WOD (only 80kg, but it's still a lot of reps!). Calories have been under the low goal of 2,410, so I think that can work. And I managed to make a crab risotto with clotted cream on Monday and had WW's homemade chicken soup yesterday, so I'm definitely not deprived of good food. Tonight is snooker which will mean having a few beers, so we'll see how the high goal of 3,250 works today. This morning I ran, only 4 miles as it's a deload week. All felt pretty tough with my sore back, but I got it done so all good.

Well, part of being ripped is low body fat, so slim isn't a bad place to be. The other part is building muscle, and you've done an impressive amount of that since you started Crossfit. That WOD's interesting, the devil press sounds awful! Were the farmers carries at the same weight as everything else?

Hyper-focused? Whatever the word is, I'm glad you're it. You're gonna smash this challenge dude.

Yeah, part of it is it being daunting, part of it is just that I need to set that time aside. This week it'll need to be Saturday early afternoon. I've never been very good at rewards, never came up with a system that worked for me. Nice to meet you man, if DR's excited to see you back here I'm sure we'll get along. Good times man! Must have a drink together again sometime soon. Good to have you man. ====== Unrelated to anything, I drew a thing:

Well, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery Seriously though, I love the goals and I hope they work well for you. Making your finances your foundation makes a lot of sense. I knew money was tight but I had no idea just how tight man, I hope the job search comes good soon.

Love this challenge, building your skills in things you enjoy is a really great idea. I look forward to seeing your progress, hope we get some art pictures too when you're happy with them.

Nope, you deserve it Go for it, it worked well for me so I hope it does the same for you. Honestly, it's planning. A long run is 2-3 hours of running time, but I also need to eat a decent amount of time beforehand and pack nutrition, water and clothes, and afterwards I have to stretch well, eat lots, and shower and change - it's basically half a day of commitment. That's fine, but I need to plan my weekend around it and often I fail to plan. The extra accountability would be really helpful though, thank you Wolfman.

Ziggurat of the Dead So last challenge I had the idea of the Ziggurat of Goals, whereby I would only get points for each goal if I had completed the goals that underpin it. It's a ziggurat because that's a better fantasy word than 'pyramid' (and it's easier to draw it with steps!) It worked very well so I'm not changing much, but as this is the 10th anniversary necromancy challenge we now have the Ziggurat of the Dead. (Aside: This reminds me of the SilverClawShift campaign journal which was my first real introduction to the madness of D&D, has anyone read that? If you like crazy fantasy stories you should definitely check it out.) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x--Extra Credit--x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx--Calories--xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx--Exercise--xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--Tooth Care--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--Hip Rehab--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx So that's the ziggurat. The observant amongst you will notice that there's an extra level to it this time round. Let's drill down into each goal: Hip Rehab - 15XP What: Do my stretches/exercises/foam rolling every day. Why: My hip was hurting a lot at the start of last challenge, and it has significantly improved from a month of consistency on this goal. It's not fully healed yet though, so I need to keep up the good work. This is important for a lot of goals I have this year and to enjoy a lot of the things I enjoy (OCR, climbing, running, lifting, sitting down!) How: I have a programme of 12 things per day. Aim to do a couple first thing in the morning, to get me off to a good start on a day. If I have stuff left in the evening, prioritise this goal over bedtime, but try not to need to! Tooth Care - 10XP What: Care for my teeth! Why: Because I want to keep all my teeth for as long as possible without tooth pain, and avoid expensive dentist bills. Another goal from last challenge that showed a measurable improvement. How: Brush in the morning with a manual brush, in the evening with an electric brush, and clean between my teeth/floss in the evening. Exercise - 10XP What: Exercise every day. Why: Because I enjoy it, and I enjoy it more if I'm more consistent. Because I have goals this year that require me to be fit. And because I generally want to be a strong and healthy person. How: There are no rules on what I have to do on what day, and anything of 20 minutes or over will count. With that said, I plan to do CrossFit MTTF, Run WSS, and boulder at least once per week. I also want to focus on not skipping my long runs, which I did too much last challenge. Calories - 10XP What: Count calories every day and stay under an average of 2,650. Why: Because I gained some fat over December/Christmas, and I'd like to lose that. I'd also like to be in the best shape of my life for Comicon this year (not actually sure if I'm cosplaying yet, but it's a good mid-year point regardless). This is both an aesthetic thing, and a efficiency thing - it's easier to run carrying less weight, and to do things like muscle ups, rope climbs and bouldering. How: Using My Fitness Pal, I'll aim for 5 days at 2,410kcal and 2 days at 3,250kcal. That allows for a night out drinking (the difference equates to 3.7 pints of Fosters, 3.5 pints of Guinness or 3 pints of Amstel, so with a bit of food planning I can happily go for 4 pints), or extra eating on long run day (it would give me 11 energy gels, or more likely a couple and a bit of extra food afterwards). I reserve the right to change the split of days in advance of the week, as long as the weekly average works. Extra Credit - 5XP What: Do 3 extra credit exercise sessions per week. Why: To work on some weaknesses and some areas I don't otherwise cover. How: I have three workouts I have planned for each week, which should only take around 10 minutes each: The Acrobat: Hangboarding practice, to improve my finger strength for climbing The Fighter: Pushups and pullups, to drill core movements that I would like to be better at when they come up The Bard: Bicep curls, tricep extensions and a core exercise, this is an exercise in pure vanity; whilst my goal to look great at Comicon is mostly about low body fat, it won't hurt to get bigger arms to match my growing shoulders. Other Stuff I'll be starting week 1 on Monday 17th February (challenges start on Mondays, fight me). There's a few events going on this challenge: Meeting an old friend for beers on Tuesday of week 1 It's my birthday Tuesday of week 3 I'm running Winter Nuts on Saturday of week 3 (aiming for 28km (~17.4 miles) and hoping not to get hypothermia - will be out for about 6 hours including 4 lake swims) Seeing a Metallica tribute band Friday of week 4 Going out to celebrate my birthday (and watch all of the last day of the 6 Nations rugby in a pub) on Saturday of week 4 For zero week I will be trialling the above goals, but not tracking them. I'll also try and write my roadmap for the year (it's a bit late!) and re-read my oldest challenges. You can also expect lots of talk about D&D from the two live games I play in, and the play by post I'm in with @Starpuck, @Raxie and @Wild Wolf, and expertly DM'd by @DarK_RaideR.

Thanks! You should definitely give it a look while the exhibition is still on, it was really interesting to see some original enigma machines and decoders, amongst other spy stuff.

Challenge Wrap Up Hip Rehab - 15XP What: Do my stretches/exercises/foam rolling every day. Why: Because my hip hurts, and I would very much like it not to. This is important for a lot of goals I have this year and to enjoy a lot of the things I enjoy (OCR, climbing, running, lifting, sitting down!) How: I have a programme of 12 things per day. Aim to do a couple first thing in the morning, to get me off to a good start on a day. If I have stuff left in the evening, prioritise this goal over bedtime. Score: 33/35 (weekly 7, 7, 6, 6, 7) - 14XP This went really well, and I've gone from my hip hurting most of the time at the start of the challenge to my hip rarely hurting at all now. I'm also much more flexible on these stretches than I was a month ago, which is a bonus. I need to keep on this as if I stop I'm certain the pain will return, but really happy with the improvement so far. Tooth Care - 15XP What: Care for my teeth! Why: Because I want to keep all my teeth for as long as possible without tooth pain, and avoid expensive dentist bills. How: Brush in the morning with a manual brush, in the evening with an electric brush, and clean between my teeth/floss in the evening. Score: 32/35 (weekly 7, 7, 6, 5, 7) - 13XP Another goal that went really well, and my dentist even complemented me on my brushing when I saw him. Another goal that's here to stay as I'm not confident the habit is truly built, but I'm in a much better place with it. Exercise - 10XP What: Exercise every day. Why: Because I enjoy it, and I enjoy it more if I'm more consistent. Because I have goals this year that require me to be fit. And because I generally want to be a strong and healthy person. How: There are no rules on what I have to do on what day, and anything of 20 minutes or over will count. With that said, I plan to do CrossFit MTTF, Run WSS, and boulder at least once per week. Score: 31/35 (weekly 7, 7, 6, 4, 7) - 8XP This was generally pretty solid - a couple of my misses were because of things further up the chain rather than just not doing exercise, so I've actually been even more consistent than it looks. I have missed a couple of long runs and traded them for climbing, which is not ideal given that they give totally different benefits, might have a think on how I can combat that (and indeed if I want to) Calories - 10XP What: Count calories every day. Why: Because I gained some fat over December/Christmas, and I'd like to lose that. This is both an aesthetic thing, and a efficiency thing - it's easier to run carrying less weight and I certainly won't get another muscle up for a while weighing what I do. How: Using My Fitness Pal. Take advantage of the fact that I eat the same things most days, and pre-fill the following day of an evening where possible. No particular calorie goal, just tracking is enough to keep me mindful Score: 31/35 (weekly 7, 7, 6, 4, 7) - 8XP I actually tracked every day, but failures up the chain meant less points here. Still very happy with how this went - here's the data: Week 1: 3,233kcal average, 2# lost Week 2: 3,219kacl average, 2# gained Week 3: 2,978kcal average, no weight change Week 4: 2,974kcal average, no weight change Week 5: 2,626kcal average, 1# lost If we say on that basis that weeks 1-4 were about maintenance, it would give me a maintenance figure of 3,101 daily calories. 10% deficit would be 2,791, 15% = 2,636, 20% = 2,481. That gives me a good idea where to target for the coming challenge. It would also imply that I lost 1# in the final week by eating at a 15% deficit, which sounds pretty good. Overall I'm really happy with how this challenge went, and I'll be carrying on the ziggurat formula into the next one. My worst weeks were 3 and 4, which coincided with people coming to visit and a heavy party night out. So I need to address how I meet my goals when I'm out of my normal routine, but at least I can say the routine works! Goals for the next challenge will be similar to these, with a couple of tweaks and a new one added.