Ready, Set, Spring...

[Wildwanderer]

And so spring is upon us, at least in the upper, middle, central part of the country. I have been active on the boards for a couple of weeks, but have waited to do a formal introduction. There is much to tell about my life, but I will keep it as brief as I am able.

In middle school we moved from the country to the city. I went from lots of space to wander up and down cricks, through fields and fens, and across railroad tracks and gravel pits, to what I would consider my own personal hell. The suburbs. For the first time my life had bounderies to be observed, easy access to icecream, snacks and cable to TV. I spent close to three years eating my way through Cable TV and the birth of the internet. In highschool I found books and gaming, and while better than TV, not much better for my activity level. I grew taller, stayed the same weight, but still had loads of baby fat. In college I studied abroad, once, twice, three times then four. Learning once again my life no longer had bounderies and that being outside was my friend.

After college I tromped around the world for five years; learning yoga and how fun it is to run, bike and swim. Ultimately I loved it to hard and ignored the signs of injury until I had to stop everything but yoga. Two years later I was able to run again, but five years after swimming is bad news and I am afraid to jump on a bike. I am able to run, hike, lift and practice yoga.

I feel that I am a hobbit. I love food, especially freshly made. Hot bread out of the oven, fresh picked tomatoes out of the garden, eggs from the chicken coup and homemade beer. I would be considered tall for a halfling, but my barefeet give me away. I love good tilled earth and after years of being away I have a great appreciation for the country and a deep rooted love for my clannish family. After nearly a decade of wandering I finally made my way back home to the farm, where every good hobbit wishes to be. I have turned many unused wasted fields into specialty fruit crops, where I turn lovely sweet things into wine, cider, and mead. I am proud to say that we are pesticide free and only use honey and fruit for our sweeteners. Never cane suger or corn products.

I am gearing up for my first challenge here. Usually during the start of spring I slowly spend more and more time outside in the fields weeding, mowing and planting. My eating habits get poorer as I rush to get my work done. This year my goals will be pretty simple. I wish to max out my lifts (squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, and rows) and then maintain those weights through the next three seasons. I don't want to start all over again in the fall. I want to maintain my flexibility and keep my yoga practice strong and healthy. Not abandoning it in the summer and starting all over again in the fall. I want to start up running again and maintain a couple day a week running practice. Not for distance, but (I am beating the drum here) maintain a three mile average run. I want to continue an everyday meditation/prayer practice. Lastly, I want to continue an IF 5:2 plan that I started in January, while eating a healthy and diverse diet without drinking overly much. I am at 19% body fat, but I am getting married in October and would love to reach 12-15%. While I would love to reach that goal, I will be happy with staying healthy.

I work a very physical job at times, and while I rarely gain much weight, I do tend to slip into bad eating and drinking habits that make my pants get a little tight by Christmas time. I don't eat sweets and rarely drink soda, but I have a weakness for fried foods and more carbs than I need. I'll be posting my first challenge with the begginners and look forward to talking with everyone.

If you ever have questions about gardening, farming or the making of booze feel free to ask.

Cheers

Wildwanderer

[Wildwanderer]

Just finished my first barefoot run of the season! Felt great, wanted to do even more, but experience was telling me to stop and wait for the body to catch up with itself. My biggest problem in the future is going to be wanting to run further than I should. I have to save energy for work, or I will be useless in the fields. Running feels so good though.

I used to hate running, especially in high school. I ran a bit in college, but it was never what I would call a fun experience. It wasn't until after college that I finally did it consistanty enough to make the experience desirable. It takes time and persistence, but the rewards are worth it. I felt like I was flying today, and that is an experience that is well worth repeating.

[Diglett]

I felt like I was flying today, and that is an experience that is well worth repeating.

 

Yeeees.

You posted this immediately after getting back from your run, right? My first outdoor run since last fall was last night. I skipped back into the apartment all, "ROOMMATE! I RAN AND EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL!" (Luckily she also runs, so she humored me. Plus, she did the same thing earlier this week.)

I like a pretty wide range of things as well, but I've always enjoyed the seasonality. Winter is for mostly gym workouts (and gym rock climbing) and a little skiing. Summer is for running, hiking, backpacking, and sports leagues. By the time the seasons are changing, I'm excited for the next thing.

Of course, I don't mean to discourage you from your goals! I look forward to seeing your first challenge thread.

[Wildwanderer]

Thanks! Looking forward to a formal challenge. I decided to hit up the gym after a wine tasting tonight. I took a d-load week this last week to let myself rest. First time I've done it and it was hard. Once you start exercising it can be hard to take an appropriate break. I am learning. My lifts were not spectacular but I didn't loose much over the week so that is promising. I go back on Monday.

[Diglett]

Thanks! Looking forward to a formal challenge. I decided to hit up the gym after a wine tasting tonight. I took a d-load week this last week to let myself rest. First time I've done it and it was hard. Once you start exercising it can be hard to take an appropriate break. I am learning. My lifts were not spectacular but I didn't loose much over the week so that is promising. I go back on Monday.

 

Mmm, not wanting to take time off is a new thing for me. I played in college and we peaked for the post-season, and by the time the season was over, I definitely wanted to just sit on the couch under a pile of blankets and not train for a few weeks. And I did. And then I went back to doing things. Either way works, I think.