ebm1224 Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 i liked this most recent article for a number of reasons but it got me thinking. i don't know that i've ever had a dragon to slay other than "i want to look good and feel good." also, once i get to my ideal weight/body composition, i'm not sure what my next dragon will be. i'm considering signing up for some races in order to give my workouts some direction. i'd also love to learn to kayak, hike the appalachian trail, and be able to go on trips where i ride my bike to the destination. i'm actually thinking of adding in some smaller dragons in the meantime because, honestly, some days the idea of being able to wear a swimsuit without fear just isn't enough.so i'm curious:what dragons have you gone up against? have you failed or triumphed? are their any dragons you were training to fight and then decided you didn't want to fight them?what dragon are you currently training for?and (most importantly) how did you pick your next dragon so that you didn't get complacent? Quote Link to comment
SusieBlu Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 My dragon was my physical training test and push up. I spent two and a half months training and killed it. I have to face it again (and again and again) every six months unless I score above a 90% and then it will be every year I will have to fight it. So as long as I am in the Air Force I have a dragon to fight. I have a set weight lifting goal of a 500 lb combine lift and that keeps me from just focusing on pushups, situps, and running. Quote Try everything once. If it kills you don't do it again.Paleo- So Easy A Caveman Can Do It Link to comment
Anivair Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I thikn I'm going to call pull ups my current dragon. I'm actually taking this whole challenge off them in order to get myself there. I'm doing a hardcore diet and a stronglifts 5x5 and getting well rounded and big and lean and THEN I'm going to try for the pull ups. That is, I'm going to get myself into pull up shape without doing pull ups. It's like a good experiment. Quote Level 3 Human Ranger STR: 9 DEX: 5.25 STA: 14.5 CON: 5.5 WIS: 16 CHA: 5.5 My Current Challenge Link to comment
Strickland5 Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 what dragons have you gone up against? Getting to a healthy weight/body shape, being able to really runhave you failed or triumphed? I triumphed - presently at 230lbs and still working. I have run two half-marathons and multiple other racesare there any dragons you were training to fight and then decided you didn't want to fight them?Not yet, though Pull Ups are looming on the horizonwhat dragon are you currently training for? My third half-marathon! After that its going to be shifting gears to more of a general fitness - aka pulls ups!and (most importantly) how did you pick your next dragon so that you didn't get complacent? I think about what I want do next. Quote Half-Ork Scout Leader Running PRs : 5K 24m16s | 10K 53m32s | 15K 1h18m09s | Half Marathon 2h1m44s | Marathon 4h42m2s Past Challenges #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40 Current Challenge : Don't Call It A Comeback Link to comment
The Tin Man Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I feel like I'm constantly babbling about this but I am definitely training to slay the Boston Run to Remember half marathon. I haven't slain any recently but am already thinking about what I might want to go after when the race is done. Full marathon, Tough Mudder, heavy lifting, increasing vertical leap, something Crossfit-related (now that I got an awesome Living Social deal) are all in there as possibilities. Quote The Tin Man: Cyborg Ranger Tin Man's Out of Date Epic Quest I am what I do. Link to comment
Corbab Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 One of my major dragons has been appearance -- I followed a number of terrible programs in search of abs, and only started getting close once I stopped caring about it and focused on my diet and lifts.Right now, my dragon is pounds on the barbell. I've been training hard since January, and I'm finally starting to see results. I also row, which sets up a whole bunch of dragons in the form of PRs. Actually testing them is hellish, but it feels great to know that hard work I've put in elsewhere leads to results across the board. Quote Never think of pain or danger or enemies a moment longer than is necessary to fight them. -Ayn Rand Amongst those less skilled you can see all this energy escaping through contorted faces, gritted teeth and tight shoulders that consume huge amounts of effort but contribute nothing to achieving the task. Link to comment
empeg9000 Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 I am fighting to slay my dragon still. I am trying to get down to 220 by my wedding in May. My next will be to get to 200. I haven't been 200 since I was just out of high school. I will also be trying to slay the pull up dragon during the next 6 week challenge. I am sure it's not realistic but I have been pretty dedicated and I am going to give it my best. Quote Check out my woodworking at peonywoodworks. Link to comment
LeoDiablo2 Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 I'm still working on slaying my second dragon. The first one was beating the odds that me as a deaf girl can do it in a hearing world especially in martial arts. I was a nervous wreak throwing myself in a group of speaking-English with not being able to hear. But I slayed the dragon damn good and so far it has been 3 years.. *thumbs up* My next dragon I'm trying to prepare myself is to committ to my 6-weeks challenge. I have never been the one to be able to commit to a PLAN -numbers of week challenge. That's my area of weakness, I tend to give up too easily. I need to be able to stick it through and at the end of 6 weeks, I can look back and see my triumphs! Quote "I may not be the strongest, I may not be the fastest, but I'll be damned if I'm not trying my hardest." Link to comment
BlackChrystal Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 I have decided that the dragon I would like to slay is my jeans. I have been wearing the same size jeans for the past 4-5 years. They are getting uncomfortable; I've been having that lovely phenomenon called a "muffin top" going on laterly. Plus, I just don't feel great in them. I end up throwing on a pair of my yoga pants asap after I get home from a day out. I just want to feel comfortable in my jeans again. That is my first step. Get rid of the muffin top and feel confident that I look good in my jeans!!!!My husband and I just finished the "beginner body weight" routine this morning and I'm sweating like crazy. I'm amazed, it would take me a 1/2 hour at the gym before I even sweated a drop. I was panting after doing the warm up. *sad* I had no idea I was that out of shape. Now that I have a great resource to use to keep me going I think I'll be feeling comfy in my jeans in no time! Quote Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Right now, for me, it's less about the dragon that I'm after, and more about the courage to really get serious in training for fighting it, and then going and slaying it. I've been practicing at home, mostly at night, in secret, with my wooden sword and a poor tree that really doesn't deserve the amount of abuse that it gets. And there is a lot of improvement that I can make that way, but it isn't going to get me a dragon head on a pike. Eventually, I'll have to go public with my dragon-killing ambitions and face the possibility of ridicule. I can hear people jeering in my head. "Who are you to go after a dragon? You are a tiny little girl." So right now, it's the courage to start. It's knowing in my gut that my destiny involves dragons, and that I'll get there, no matter what anyone says. Everyone is just... really scary. And it's taking a lot of effort for me to get over how much scarier those people are than the actual dragon. Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
CalvinHobbes Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 I must slay the pull up dragon. Then I'll come up with more I'm sure. Quote Link to comment
cline Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 My dragon: torn tendon and broken ankle on a trip in 2007. Surgery in 2008. Surgery in 2009. Major knee and ankle surgery (still same problem) in 2011. Doc says athletics are out and if I was a pro (which I'm not... Lol) career would be over. I'm doing so well!This week I'm slaying the dragon: going back to the place where I hurt it and I'm going to repeat the activity. Fingers crossed for saturday.... Quote I AM going the distance 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood. Link to comment
Ryan Sannar Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Addiction.I need to pull a paladin and get God's help on this one though. Quote Link to comment
Red1263 Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 My dragon's name is MCAT, and I'll be slaying it in June, I've already begun preparing for it since mid-Jan.O.Chem was my last Dragon as it had beaten me before, but I faced it again and vanquished it!I know I have to eventually face the Spanish dragon in the future, hopefully I'll be able to slay that one as well.After the MCAT Dragon, I'll be facing the "Applying for Medical School" Dragon, who's strength is proportional by how well I slay the MCAT dragon. Quote Level 25 Final Fantasy Rebel My Epic Quest | My Journey | Currently on the Trial of Orthos Str: 60 | Dex: 23 | Sta: 66 | Con: 28 | Wis: 55 | Cha: 14 Goals for 2021: Spoiler Build my brother a Destiny 2 Lamp Learn how to do a Handstand Play 1 song on the acoustic guitar Clean up the Christmas Decorations and finish setting up my apartment (hang things up, plus some other few things that need to be organized) Re-introduce Pull-ups into my routine Build a shelving unit next to my Desk "No matter what, if you can hold your head up high, you've done the right thing." "When you stand with your family, your family stands with you." "Write what needs to be written." Link to comment
Damy Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 Every challenge I slay another dragon. This time it's the "Pistol Squat"-Dragon and he doesn't have a chance! If I'm not able to kill him this challenge, I'll kill him in the next. I'm not doing this out of cruelty. I just want to get my reward and my reward isn't a damsel in distress, my reward is my Indiana Jones hat. I want to earn that hat. Let's be honest, a broad-brimmed fedora looks stupid on small shoulders. Quote My art: http://damon1984.deviantart.com/gallery/ Link to comment
Quickdraw Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 I'm glad to see that post resonated with others, because honestly it really hit a chord with me.My life is a series of progressively mightier dragons.what dragons have you gone up against?Reenlisting this past summer was probably the most recent major one; the quest to get there was extremely drawn out, and the competition was fierce. Before that, learning Arabic was a real beast, as was Boot Camp before that. I'm gonna say college is far enough in my history that I don't wanna include it; I'm not the same guy these days.have you failed or triumphed?So far I have, but only because I'm the guy who always has another plan. I set my sights on slaying Reenlistment years in advance, and had to work EVERYTHING over the previous 4 years in that direction. Arabic was the hardest academic endeavor of my life.are their any dragons you were training to fight and then decided you didn't want to fight them?I have backed off putting in my paperwork for Officer Candidate School several times because it honestly kinda intimidated me. There have always been legitimate reasons for doing so (this deployment needed me) but way down deep the motivation has always been "I don't wanna go through that."what dragon are you currently training for?OCS. As it now stands, I will be in an excellent position to apply in about a year and a half, after some follow-on language training. In fact, while I've been delaying partially out of intimidation, the delay has enabled me to level up substantially (physically and otherwise) to better challenge it. I may have been right to fear the dragon before, but now I'm on the path to its cave.and (most importantly) how did you pick your next dragon so that you didn't get complacent?The Marine Corps is great about this: progression, if you want it, is a constant treadmill of things to accomplish. There's ALWAYS a drive to excel, especially if you surround yourself with the right people. There's always another rank to achieve, a physical goal to accomplish. Physical fitness tests every 6 months, annual weapons and language qualifications; it's a rare month where I'm NOT being required to prove myself somehow. Quote "|Improvise, adapt, overcome. "[ Level 3 Wood Elf Ranger | STR11DEX5STA6CON3WIS2CHA3 ][ Dragons to slay:|250+ PFT 290+ CFT GORUCK Spartan 13.1 290+ PFT 20 +35# Pullups ][ Challenges: 1 2 Current ||RPG Fanatics Goblin Ganker ][ Doomed Pilgrim - Play By Post ] Link to comment
TeaKwonDo Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 Great thread. Since high school I've got enough dragons up in here to make George R R Martin cry. Food Dragon: How the fuck to be paleo and social at the same time. Usually I've got the excuse of, "Sorry, gonna grab dinner at my place/bring my own lunch because I'm a poor student and it's cheaper," but last night was a party--and you can imagine how that went. A year ago I would have massacred myself for binging and wallowed in emotional hell for days, but today I got up, leisurely did my Monday workout, and I'll just wait until I'm hungry again and it doesn't matter when that happens. I'm calling the party a learning experience and I'll handle that kind of situation differently next time--that's all. The dragon is far from being slain, but at least it's mortally wounded. Strength Dragon: Unassisted pistols (currently using a door), unassisted 1-arm pushups (currently using a chair), and legit pullups. I'll be happy with 5 in a row of each--for now. Health Dragon: A problem-free lower back. Discipline Dragon: Putting in that one more rep no matter what. I don't get the most out of my workouts because I don't push myself enough, so I add on supplementary intervals and exercises, but I shouldn't have to do that if I really went all out during the initial routine, right? I'm constantly checking and tweaking my form due to Health Dragon, so that detracts from speed, power, and efficiency. Every week feels like I'm re-learning technique.Final Boss Dragon: Be 100% comfortable in my own skin. Ideally, I'd love a sixpack, and I idolize bodies like Zuzana Light and the Bodyrock,tv hosts, but it's healthier to love what I've got at the moment rather than anticipate loving it only when it resembles my ideal. Quote Train hard. Drink tea. Link to comment
Morrigainz Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 Current dragons: find a balance - a way to eat paleo/primal without alienating/pissing off my husband; DL and squat my bodyweight, eventually do a pullupDragons I decided weren't worth fighting: getting to 125 lbs; running a half marathon (for now...just not enough time)Future dragons: 300# DL and squat (may be unrealistic, I don't know); 20% bf; having a happy and balanced life (I complain way too much); GRADUATING COLLEGE WOOO Quote Level ? Half-Dwarf/Half-Amazon Warrior STR:21.25 STA:15 DEX: 10.95 CON: 14 WIS:15.5 CHA:17 SWOLE BUCKS: 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.