Goal + Action = Reality

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Thanks, @Fremen @Anek @daejamurrachan @Haleth @Lady Celerity @CODawn @NancyTree

Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 5
:v: Code of Abs Day 22
:v: 8 Weeks to 5k Day 44

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 17
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 2
:v: Walk and Run Day 17
:v: Warrior Arms Day 15
:v: Daily Hug Day 2

:v: ZR 5k training W2D2. Okay, so today's training didn't quite go to plan. I went somewhere new today, found out there was a nice grass running track (freely available!) and, yes, it was lovely, but rather hot, being in the high 20s. I was also the only one there, as you might expect on a Wednesday morning. I had to start with a 10min walk, which gave me plenty of time to walk around the 1k track and note the hill run and the creek loop (though not sure what happens with that bit. I think it's a little more rugged). Then I was told to walk for a minute, and I'd be told when to run for 15 seconds. So off I set. After a few minutes, I realised that I hadn't been told to run - the app had shut down. So I set my timer for 10 minutes because that was how long the run after the walk/run drills was to be, and set off. My last lap (when I was fairly staggering) was the only complete lap of running, and I was interested to note that my pace was 6'47", speed being 8.85kph (5.5mph) - a far cry from what my treadmill had told me. My ego is salved and I have definitely concluded that I am not quite as slow a runner as I had believed! :)
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Still so green for late summer!

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Three times around and they just stood there and watched. Or sniggered, I'm not sure which...

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Fortunately, only saw 'roos. No snakes or swooping birds. I ran around that funny shape at the bottom. Top left is the hill run and the other is the creek loop.

:v: Writing. Not much, but a little.
:v: Reading. Probably too much. :ss:
 
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Thanks, @Tileenah
@CODawn Yeah, it was pretty good. I think I'll find it nicer when the weather gets cooler.

Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 6
:v: Code of Abs Day 23
:v: 8 Weeks to 5k Day 48

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 18
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 3
:v: Walk and Run Day 18
:v: Warrior Arms Day 16
:v: Daily Hug Day 3

:v: Taekwondo. We had to get into lines for kicking, one person holding the paddles, others kicking. By height today. So one line had about six blokes in it. The next line just had me and A in it. I'm taller than him, but a little shorter than the others. Then the two ladies and teens were in the next line, then the kiddies. So A and I got lots of kicks in, having to wait only for each other. He complimented the height of my kicks, I just complimented his kicks. With grading not so far away, the coach split everyone into poomsae groups to focus on grading patterns. That left three black belts just mooching around, A, P and myself. The coach came up and suggested (told) we do koryo. P said he couldn't remember, so A kindly volunteered me in to lead and they both stood behind me. I'm okay with koryo so it didn't bother me. We went through twice, and yep, P had certainly forgotten it! Then we all sat down and people got up in their groups to do their pattern. Sometimes, there was only one person doing a pattern. P was sitting there, doggedly refusing to go up if we were called; A said he'd say we'd do it next week; I was all for just avoiding the coach's eye. Fortunately, because we weren't grading, we weren't called. A bit more kicking to paddles, then partnered up for sparring. One of my partners kneed my knee (or did I knee his?), right on the outside edge of my kneecap. Of course, it was my bad knee. But I grinned and carried on. The next person I sparred with (T) almost knocked me down, but I said he'd lose the point because he stepped off the mat. The only advantage I have in sparring is that I'm pretty good at the higher and more unexpected kicks like axe. T asked if I'd be writing with him this weekend; last weekend he said he was the only one who rocked up. Said I'd do my best.

:v: Writing. Must have been feeling a little emotional this morning because I wrote a few hundred words that had me tearing up! :cry: Is crying over your own writing a bit like laughing at your own jokes?
:v: Reading. Been doing quite a lot of this recently.
 
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
@NancyTree This is Australia. We're always told that; apparently whatever we do, our lives are at risk. But we still do it anyway. I mean, when you live in a country where the minimum fire danger is Moderate, and you've got a lot of the world's most dangerous snakes and spiders and sea creatures - well, we grow up tough! :LOL: Come the zombie apocalypse, we'll totally rock that.
funny-Australia-cap-volcanoes-real-fact.jpg

Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 7
:v: Code of Abs Day 24
:v: 8 Weeks to 5k Day 51

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 19
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 4
:v: Walk and Run Day 19
:v: Warrior Arms Day 17
:v: Daily Hug Day 4

:v: Writing. And I'm off to a Write-In tomorrow.
:v: Reading. That's another book down.

It's quiet tonight. The Lad has gone off on his first camp. There'll be canoeing and fishing and hiking. Sounds like a lot of fun. *sigh*
 
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 8
:v: Code of Abs Day 25
:v: 8 Weeks to 5k Day 55

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 20
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 5
:v: Walk and Run Day 20
:v: Warrior Arms Day 18
:v: Daily Hug Day 5

:v: Writing. Went to the Write-In at the Library. I'd got there first, it seemed, and set myself up at a small table. After about 15 minutes, 7 women came downstairs, having finished their Speculative Fiction Group meeting up in the cafe, and colonised a larger table, without even acknowledging me, even though I knew two of them. Huh, okay, that's fine by me - you know how I am about socialising. About 15 minutes after that, T appeared and sat down next to me, pulling out his computer and getting to work. He commented that we were "non-payers" you see (not part of the official Writing Group - separate from the NaNo group) and therefore didn't quite deserve recognition. Huh, whatever. I looked up a bit later and found that all but two had gone and neither T nor I had noticed, or been farewelled. I was there for about 2½ hours and got some decent stuff written.
:v: Reading. And there goes another book.
 

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 10
:v: Code of Abs Day 27

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 22
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 7
:v: Walk and Run Day 22
:v: Warrior Arms Day 20
:v: Daily Hug Day 7

:v: Boxing. Wore my wraps for the first time. Felt cool. :cool: First drill was stepping with front foot and jabbing, then back foot and punching (parallel). Second drill was stepping with back foot and jabbing (lateral), and that really required co-ordination! Then we put on gloves and with a partner, jabbed and punched parallel, then swapped over. Next time it was lateral. Finally we got the round targets (which are really quite heavy! Or was it my arms were just tired...?) and did the same to the targets. Two minutes each, with 30 seconds to change over (take off gloves, pick up target, wipe off sweat). My arms tonight are now feeling rather wobbly! Funny thing, though. When I was going to my car, a woman and her (10yo?) son were going to their's next to mine. The woman quickly called to the boy, "Be careful when you open the door. Don't hit the other car!" Perhaps she saw me coming and noted I was still wearing my boxing wraps. :LOL:

@NancyTree Look what you've started! I was just checking the packaging on my boxing wraps to see if there were any special laundering instructions and this is what I read instead (no laundering instructions anywhere!):
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(Curious to know what sort of 'fatal injury' does not include death...) I feel such a daredevil! I assumed full responsibility for risk of death. I truly live on the edge.

:x: Writing
:v: Reading. Got to stop reading so much, because there was another book.

Lots of housework done today. My mother is coming on Wednesday night to stay for ten days. So the spare room is pretty clean, only need to straighten up the bed. Laundry has been done but will need folding and putting away. I've started on my bathroom. Mum comes annually. My housework gets done annually. :LOL:
 

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 11
:v: Code of Abs Day 28

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 23
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 8
:v: Walk and Run Day 23
:v: Warrior Arms Day 21
:v: Daily Hug Day 8

:v: Taekwondo. Lots of kicking today. Fortunately, most of the drills were using my best kick - turning. :LOL: My problem (okay, some people wouldn't consider it a problem, but if you're sparring, it kind of is!) is that I kick high. I find it very difficult to kick at, say, mid section/chest height, and I really have to work on that. I have to focus on kickinng the target, not just kicking! The holder for the adults' line (there weren't many of us today, only 5) had to hold quite low for the lady whose head reaches my chest when we were to hit the paddle with our knee (not extending the turning kick), and for me, he grinned and held it at face level (he's a touch taller than I am). So I grinned back and hit it with my knee, as required, though he was supposed to have been holding it lower. When we actually kicked, he held it for me at face level and the first time I missed it (too high) because I wasn't focusing on kicking the target. As T would say, I was being too poomsae! I'm still not really enjoying the sparring aspect, but not not enjoying it as much as I did at first, if you get me. I'm having a bit more fun, I think, and I find the drills are very focused and we are given a lot of time to practice - which I, for one, certainly need! Overall, I am quite happy with my new club.

:x: Writing. Not yet, but might get a bit done shortly.
:v: Reading. Yikes! After saying yesterday that I had to slow down, I finished the book that I'd started yesterday and read an entire other one today. Well, from tomorrow I'll slow again.

Laundry done, laundry room cleaned, bathroom cleaned. Only my kitchen to take care of and I'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow.
Autumn now, and a good start to it - grey and a little drizzly later in the day. I'm hoping for grey, low 20s and dry for the weekend when the Walks are on. And something similar for the next week, as I drag my long-suffering mum along trails. But she also wants me to help her with a computer programme and her writing, so I guess it won't be a particularly active week. Which will be kind of nice. My lats are a bit sore after yesterday's boxing training.
 
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 12
:v: Code of Abs Day 29

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 24
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 9
:v: Walk and Run Day 24
:v: Warrior Arms Day 22
:v: Daily Hug Day 9

:x: Writing. I did get some done last night before bed, but no time today.
:v: Reading. Always time for that!

Kitchen took only an hour to sparkle, everything else was looking pretty okay - even de-cat-haired the bedspread! The cats have been working to replace what I removed. Mum's here. One cat is sleeping in her open suitcase, the other shedding on the bed.
 

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programmes:
:v: Unbound Day 13
:v: Code of Abs Day 30

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 25
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 10
:v: Walk and Run Day 25
:v: Warrior Arms Day 23
:v: Daily Hug Day 10

:v: Taekwondo. Took mum with me. She shoved her nose into her e-reader, but assured me she lifted it to watch me from time to time. After joint warm-up, the coach decided that we'd do poomsae. I worked with a couple doing pattern 8 and proved that I had no recollection of pattern 8 whatsoever! It's my worst pattern, mostly, it appears, because I can't remember the darned thing! Anyway, he started off with the white belt pattern, having those people up on the mat first, moving through the other patterns. Finally, he called the black belts up and we grudgingly went up, wondering what he had in store for us because most of us had been working with other people, helping them with their patterns and we'd not done anything ourselves. He sprang keumgang on us, and for a moment, there were five rather shocked faces. Then we got to it. I think we all remembered it pretty well, but I was very wobbly, my knee having been manipulated and taped this morning by the physio and so it wasn't feeling very stable, but mum assured me that I wasn't the only one, and I could see that for myself. At least nobody screwed it up. Then to the wall for turning and side kicks. On to stretching, which we'd not done much of yet. Leaning over my leg, holding onto my foot, isn't a struggle for me, and it was nice for a change. Then we did a spot of self-defence which is always fun. Finally, I bowed out for the couple of sparring bouts that we always finish with.

:v: Writing. I'm claiming this today even though I didn't do any writing of my own. Mum's writing a story and has created a fictional land (in the 'real' world, not a fantasy world) and I tore it apart, asking her why this, why that, what imports, what exports, how large was the country, what industry, etc etc etc, all things she'd never considered and realised that what she had thought wasn't really very good, and she appreciated my input which showed her just how much she was missing. I'm glad I don't have to do any world-building myself! Spent much of the day working on her things, like getting her to do a MBTI personality test on her characters (which is great fun) because it not only shows how well (or otherwise) you know your characters, but helps you remember how the character will react in various circumstance, and getting her to sign up for Camp NaNo as I have.
:v: Reading. With mum reading Terry Brooks' writing book, I could sit quietly and read a novel. Not quite finished this one because I didn't have so much time.

The shy cat has been quite happy sitting next to mum and being patted. She still only drools on me, though. I'd feel quite rejected otherwise!
 

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Thanks, @Haleth @NancyTree @HellYeah @Lady Celerity @CODawn

Programme:
:v: Unbound Day 15

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 27
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 12
:v: Walk and Run Day 27
:v: Warrior Arms Day 25
:v: Daily Hug Day 12

:v: Walk. 2½ hours, 10.5k. It was supposed to have been 11k, but my FitBit said 10.5, MapMyWalk recorded 10.6, and ZR gave me 10.7, so...? It doesn't really matter. I woke this morning at 4:30 and heard rain and thought, oh. When I got out of bed, it was grey. A little later, it started to rain. Driving to the start, there was some drizzle. By the time we were all ready to move out, the rain had stopped and bits of blue were showing through the grey. After about 15 minutes, the sun cme out and it became relatively hot because the air was so clear. But the clouds hadn't done with us yet, and gradually they crept over and most of the walk was done under cloud which was marvellous! Exactly what I had hoped! I tried to keep mum at a steady pace and didn't do too badly, although I had to go a fair bit slower than I otherwise would have. At about the 7k mark, she had to have a bit of a rest, and again around 9k, but she made it. :) About an hour after we got back home, it became very dark and rain set in for a while. It's stopped now, but it'll be wet underfoot tomorrow. I'd been wearing my street running shoes and I'd not worn them for so long and found that there was a bit of a ridge between the inner sole and the upper which rubbed me, and the inside part of each of my heels (hey, at least I'm even!) formed little blisters there, so tomorrow - bandaids!
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Over there on the left, almost directly below the tower on the mountain, is the first bridge we crossed, and the starting point is a little further to the left. We crossed the bridge, walked up ANZAC Parade, back along the foreshore, around the island that the Carillon (that thing on the right) stands on, over the bridge from which this picture was taken, along the foreshore on the other side and back to the start.

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One of my favourite war memorials along ANZAC Parade.

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Mum slogging up to Queen Elizabeth II Island and the Carillon.

:v: Writing. Wrote about 450 words - I had an idea for the redrafting of a section of the book I'm actually redrafting at the moment!
:v: Reading. Finished the book I started yesterday. Started another one. Mum brought How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by R. Ingermanson for me, so it's only polite of me to read it and I'm nearly done.
 

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programme:
:v: Unbound Day 16

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 28
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 13
:v: Walk and Run Day 28
:v: Warrior Arms Day 26
:v: Daily Hug Day 13

:v: Walk. 2½ hours, 9.82/9.91/9.89k - all pretty close today. It was grey again but dry. The sun did pop out from time to time and I was quite warm, but overall it stayed overcast which made the walking okay. Not a great route today. The organisers of this event recycle the routes every year, and there really are no particularly interesting ~10k routes from that particular starting point. The previous organisers used to get busses to start people at different places and just have them walk 10 or so kilometres back to the Base. There were different routes every year and much of them were off-street. Not this lot and this is the third (fourth?) time I've walked these same routes and the Sunday route I find particularly dull. Unfortunately, my mother decided that she should have done the 7k walk today when we were about 6.5k through the 12k walk! She had to lean heavily on me for about a kilometre and finally tanked within sight of the last checkpoint at about 10k. She refused my offer of a piggy-back. I was pleased. I may be taller and fitter and stronger than she, but she's heavier than I! After a rest, she managed to get there and we got a lift back to the start. She still got her medal, though, because she'd done the minimum of 7k, so she was pleased.
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It lightened up a bit as the morning wore on.

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A cute mushroom - that macro function on the phone works well.

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A wolf spider. I took this picture to send to my sister. She's an arachnophobe. Aren't I lovely? :LOL: A wolf spider wouldn't really hurt me, but you can see that I took this picture from behind!

:v: Writing. Just a bit but the night is young...
:v: Reading. Finished the Snowflake book last night, and another book today.
 
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Programme:
:v: Unbound Day 17

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 29
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 14
:v: Walk and Run Day 29
:v: Warrior Arms Day 27
:v: Daily Hug Day 14

:v: Boxing. Mum had originally said she'd come but bowed out shortly before I left, saying her back was sore. I'd let us both have a very relaxed day today, to recover from the weekend. So I mooched off to boxing alone. I was one of 6 people who'd brought mouth guards. We also had to put on head guards so I used one of theirs because a) I didn't bring mine; and b) I don't think my MA head guard is quite sufficient for boxing. As a result though, I have the dreaded helmet-hair! My eldest laughed and said my hair was all flat. It looks horrible all stuck down on my head. Ah, vanity! We practised slipping, then slipping and countering. Did some bag work - unders (hooks and uppercuts) and overs (jabs and punches), easy (slow and gentle) and hard (self-explanatory!). By the end of it, my arms were like limp rags hanging from my shoulders. Phew! We finished with a few rounds of body sparring, where we had to wear mouth guards again. Totally gross, what with the spit and all. Yuk. Because I'd been talking with mum, I forgot to have something to eat before boxing, so experienced the fun of hard physical work with low blood sugar. Was okay until near the end when it became quite hard.

:v: Writing. Even inspired mum to do some of her world-building while I was gone.
:v: Reading. Mum: "Have you finished that book already?" Me: "They're only short." The funny thing is, mine are old second (third, fourth or fifth) hand books, and newer version stand at about 340 pages, but my old copies (not abridged or anything, just different format) have a mere 220 or so pages. So I feel that I've read only a bit over 200 pages, but if I'd been reading the newer version, I should have been reading the exact same words but covering more pages. Odd, hey? So I say the books are short and that's why I can read them so quickly. :LOL:

My sister didn't think much of the picture I sent her. At least it was only a picture. You should have seen what happened when I plopped a small jellyfish into her hand. Let's just say it didn't end well for the jellyfish. And I had a lot of cleaning up to do... Funny though.
 
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TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Ta, @daejamurrachan and @Lady Celerity - I didn't get a medal though, because I was just there as her support.

Programme:
:v: Unbound Day 18

Challenges:
:v: Upperbody Light Day 30
:v: Knee Push-ups Day 15
:v: Walk and Run Day 30
:v: Warrior Arms Day 28
:v: Daily Hug Day 15

:v: Hike. 2 hours, 3.1k. Absolutely dreadful pace, so don't look! Mum was quite slow and had to stop several times. At one point, she said that she'd had enough and we'd have to go back, but she struggled on a bit further. Then she asked how much further until we got to the Cascades, so I nipped on ahead and came back, telling her only about another 100m. Her leg was really giving her gyp but by going very slowly, she finally got there! And was so pleased. The way back was mostly downhill but even so, she kept asking if we were almost back at the car yet. I had planned for us to go to a shop today, but the forecast for later today and tomorrow is for rain and it was sunny this morning so I thought, right, the Cascades, so we went. It was a lovely day for it, not too hot, not wet, but because we've recently had rain, a bit pleasantly moist. Apart from the really slow pace, I had a good time too!

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Following the little creek down.

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I love the moss covering every fallen trunk.

:v: Taekwondo. Mum stayed home again. I guess seen it once, seen enough. We started off with some primarily kicking drills which I quite enjoy. Actually, that was most of today's session, I think. We did some poomsae - two other black belts and I worked Koryo a few times. After that, we practiced one-step sparring (sort of self-defence) #1, 2, 3 and 4. Finally, the usual end of the session - sparring.

:x: Writing. I might get some done later tonight, or perhaps not. :LOL:
:v: Reading. Haven't finished yesterday's book yet, but the night is young.
 
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