Steadfast as the Hills of Stone

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
I'm tempted to get lazy and use the move as an excuse to start anew and not post about the activities I did from July 30, which is where I left off my thread in the old forum. But I resist the temptation, and I'll attempt to catch up with myself -- not because I expect any of it to be particularly interesting to you, but because it would satisfy me to see it done.

But I still have very little time on my hands, so unless I want to reduce sleep time (which I don't), this will take a while.

Saturday, 31 July

Apparently nothing, busy with the Tolkien camp.

Sunday, 1 August

Same as the day before. Saturdays and Sundays are normally running days for me, so I was either very tired, or the weather was too bad for a trail run.

Monday, 2 August

-- 1 hr trail run

Now Mondays aren't running days for me, but this day we planned to go out in a group, which seemed too much fun to skip. Unfortunately, one of us tested positive for Covid and was sent home. Her brother, who would've come with us, didn't join either to help her settle things. So I had only one companion, a guy taller than 2 metres who, as a consequence, has a much longer stride than me, and -- having participated in trail race walks -- has ridiculuously good endurance and willpower. So it was tough. But I ended up being faster than I ever was on these trails alone, and it was also the first time I actually got to the end of the trails at the neighbouring town, Mátraháza. When we got back, the guy decided to go for a second round. With barely any water. Let's just say he wasn't feeling his best that evening.

(I also admit that I was the one leading the way since I knew these trails already, but I was so distracted by the conversation that I turned where I shouldn't have. We still got to the end destination, but on a shorter and tougher route.)
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Tuesday, 3 August

-- 1 hr 25 min trail run

… where I ran to Mátraháza and back alone, on the originally planned = slightly longer route.

Wednesday, 4 August

-- 50 min trail run

Thursday, 5 August

Nothing, except for the war games which are a regular event of the Tolkien camp. It's basically two big teams facing each other amd (among other objectives) trying to tear off colourful ribbons attached to the enemy team with velcro, representing health points. The game lasted several hours, and I had to try very hard not to look smug upon realising that it didn't tire me out as much as other people. :p
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
(Of course I messed up the days.)

Saturday, 6 August

-- 35 min trail run

The last run in the Tolkien camp.

Sunday, 7 August

No exercise. This was the last and therefore most emotional day of the Tolkien camp. The night before there was also a party, just like every year. Combine the consumed alcohol + dancing 'til the dawn (and because we magnify each other's nerdiness, that included squat hopping in a circle to Diggy Diggy Hole and sitting down and rowing in sync to I'm Shipping Up to Boston -- I guess I did work out after all?) + the medicine I took against motion sickness on the way back (which medicine makes me very sleepy), and what you get is a completely useless me for the rest of the day. When we were unpacking from the van and carrying all the stuff back to the storeroom, I felt so slow and weak that at one point shortly before we were done, I just gave up and sat down to stare at my phone.

But it was a successful camp with lots of new friendships forged, and that's what matters the most! :love:

Monday, 8 August

Back at home, back to regular workouts!

Before breakfast
-- Day 1-5 of Arms & Abs

Late afternoon
-- Day 1 of Epic Five | cardio | epic
-- Day 1 of the Olympian | lvl III

Evening
-- Greywalker | lvl III

Tuesday, 9 August

Morning
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 40 min: 1 min fast | 1 min jog
-- 5 min cooldown run

Midday
-- Day 2 of Epic Five | upper body strength | epic
-- Day 6-7 of Arms & Abs
-- Day 2 of The Olympian | lvl I

Wednesday, 10 August

Morning
-- 30 min run

Late afternoon
-- Get It Done | lvl III

Thursday, 11 August

Morning
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 35 min: 3 min fast | 1 min jog
-- 5 min cooldown run

Midday
-- Day 3 of Epic Five | lower body strength | epic
-- Days 8-11 of Arms & Abs
-- Number's Game
-- Day 3 of The Olympian
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Yes, @Laura Rainbow Dragon , @Sif_Shepard , the Tolkien camp is always a highlight of the year! :happy:

Friday, 12 August

Before breakfast
-- 40 min walk

Morning

Late afternoon
-- 20 min walk

Evening
-- 45 min walk

I know that I went home to Nyíregyháza this day, but I don't remember why I went for a walk three times.

Saturday, 13 August

Before breakfast
-- 20 min jog

Late morning
-- Day 4 of Epic Five | abs & core
-- Days 12-13 of Arms & Abs

Midday
-- Day 4 of The Olympian
-- Critical Hit | lvl III

Sunday, 14 August

Morning
-- 1 hr 50 min run

Evening
-- 5 min raised arms hold | day 5 of Epic Five | challenge
-- 5x22 shoulder taps | day 14 of Arms & Abs

Monday, 15 August

Before breakfast
-- 5x12 sit-up punches | day 15 of Arms & Abs

Afternoon
-- Day 6 of Epic Five | cardio & abs
-- Day 5 of The Olympian

Late afternoon
-- Pushback | lvl III

Tuesday, 16 August

Morning
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 45 min: 1 min fast, 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Late afternoon
-- Balance | with EC | except that I didn't finish the second set because my boyfriend came home and I had to open the door for him, and I just didn't bother to continue afterwards

Evening
-- 25 min walk
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Wednesday, 17 August

Morning
-- 95 min run

Midday
-- Day 7 of Epic Five | upper body strength
-- Days 16-17 of Arms & Abs

Afternoon
-- Beginner HIIT

Late evening
-- 25 min walk

Thursday, 18 August

Morning
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 45 min: 3 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Midday
-- 5x24 shoulder taps | day 18 of Arms & Abs
-- Day 6 of the Olympian | lvl I

Friday, 19 August

Before breakfast
-- 30 min jog

Midday
-- 5x14 sit-up punches | day 19 of Arms & Abs

It seems like this was the day when I began to skip workouts and fall behind with both Epic Five and the Olympian. It's fine, I'm still active every day, but I also have a lot of work and training for a marathon means I shouldn't neglect rest either. So I just do what I have energy for when I have time to do it. Staying flexible makes it easier to stay on track. ;)

20-21 August

LARP-time again! A Witcher-themed one! The organisers kept using Polish names and I kept correcting their pronunciation.
 
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Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Monday, 22 August

Late afternoon
-- Day 20 of Arms & Abs
-- Day 7 of the Olympian | part I | lvl I
-- Day 8 of Epic Five | lower body strength | epic

Evening
I was supposed to do Olympian's mediation. Apparently I can't bring myself to sit down and do nothing anymore.

Tuesday, 23 August

Before breakfast
-- 1 hr run

Midday
-- Day 9 of Epic Five | abs & core
-- Day 21-22 of Arms & Abs

Afternoon
-- Day 8 of the Olympian

Late afternoon
-- Stay Sharp | with EC

I got my new watch this day! It's a Forerunner 55, so still one of the cheaper Garmin watches, but slightly improved compared to its ancestor. And why did I need it? My "old" watch's band got torn in the Tolkien camp, which wouldn't have been a problem in itself (I could've just ordered a new band), but when I arrived to the Witcher LARP, the front glass popped off… It was still functional, but obviously it wasn't waterproof anymore and after a while the glass couldn't be popped back either. Of course, this happened about a month after the warranty expired, so I decided I might as well get a new watch instead of paying for repair. I still kept the old one: I glued the front glass back, which resulted in one of the buttons being unusable, and obviously I still can't expose it to water, but it'll be good for when I want to track some workout without potentially damaging the new watch.

Wednesday, 24 August

Morning
-- 1 hr 40 min run

Late afternoon
-- Day 9 of the Olympian | lvl I

Thursday, 25 August

Morning
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 45 min: 3 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Midday
-- I Can & I Will | lvl III
-- Days 23-24 of Arms & Abs

Evening
-- 30 min walk

Friday, 26 August

Before breakfast
-- Morning Mobility | with EC

Saturday, 27 August

Before breakfast
-- 30 min jog

Afternoon
-- 4 km hike

Sunday, 28 August

Morning
-- 3 hr run

Late afternoon
-- Days 25 of Arms & Abs
-- Day 10 of the Olympian | lvl I
-- 5 min side leg raises | day 10 of Epic Five | challenge

Monday, 29 August

Before breakfast
-- Days 26 of Arms & Abs

Tuesday, 30 August

Morning
-- 1 hr run

Midday
-- Day 11 of Epic Five | cardio

Late afternoon
-- Day 27 of Arms & Abs

Evening
-- Day 11 of the Olympian

Wednesday, 31 August

Morning
-- 50 min run

Late afternoon
-- Day 12 of the Olympian

Evening
-- Combat Burpee | lvl I

Thursday, 1 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x10 jumping jacks | day 1 of Before Breakfast Cardio
-- Day 13 of the Olympian | lvl I

Late morning
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 45 min: 3 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Afternoon
-- Day 12 of Epic Five | upper body & core
-- Days 28-30 of Arms & Abs
-- Battle Mage
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Friday, 2 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x6 basic burpees | day 2 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- Day 13 of Epic Five | lower body strength
-- Day 14 of the Olympian | lvl I

Late afternoon
-- Unlocked

Saturday, 3 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x15 jumping jacks | day 3 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 35 min run

Sunday, 4 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x7 full burpees | day 4 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Morning
-- 2 hr 20 min run

Monday, 5 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x20 jumping jacks | day 5 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- Day 14 of Epic Five | abs
-- Day 15 of the Olympian | lvl I

Meditation skipped again :(

Tuesday, 6 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x8 full burpees | day 6 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 10 min warmup run
-- 35 min: 1 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Late afternoon
-- 5 min jumping jacks | day 15 of Epic Five | challenge
-- Day 16 of the Olympian

Wednesday, 7 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x25 jumping jacks | day 7 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- 1 hr 40 min run

Thursday, 8 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x9 full burpees | day 8 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- 50 min run | a lighter run than planned because or period cramps… :sus:
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Friday, 9 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x30 jumping jacks | day 9 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Saturday, 10 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x10 basic burpees | day 10 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Morning
-- 20 min run

Sunday, 11 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x35 jumping jacks | Day 12 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Morning
-- 3 hr 20 min run

Monday, 12 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x11 full burpees | day 13 of Before Breakfast Cardio
-- Day 17 of the Olympian | lvl III

Midday
-- Day 16 of Epic Five | cardio & core

Tuesday, 13 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x40 jumping jacks | day 13 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Afternoon
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 35 min: 1 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run
This run went surprisingly well, despite having had a 30 km run two days before. Maybe it was because of my period (advantageous hormonal changes), or maybe because my watch had proposed a very ambitious workout and I felt cheered on by that, despite knowing that the algorithm overestimates my abilities. :D

Wednesday, 14 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x12 full burpees | day 14 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 1 hr run

Thursday, 15 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x45 jumping jacks | day 15 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 45 min: 5 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Late afternoon
-- Day 17 of Epic Five | upper body strength
-- Day 18 of the Olympian | lvl III
-- Lower Abs | lvl I | no EC, I couldn't bring myself to even attempt it

Friday, 16 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x13 basic burpees | day 16 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Saturday, 17 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x50 jumping jacks | day 17 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Sunday, 18 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x14 basic burpees | day 18 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 3 hr 30 min run
My left knee began hurting on this run, so much so that it affected my running form. I know that it's unwise to continue when this happens, but I was too anxious to finish my longest long run of my first marathon training.

Monday, 19 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x55 jumping jacks | day 19 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- Day 18 of Epic Five | lower body strength
-- Day 19 of the Olympian
Olympian's tendon days give me flashbacks of Power Up

Evening
-- Warrior Princess | lvl III

Tuesday, 20 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x15 basic burpees | day 20 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 35 min: 1 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Evening
-- Day 20 of the Olympian

Wednesday, 21 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x60 jumping jacks | day 21 of Before Breakfast Cardio
-- Day 21 of the Olympian | lvl III

Thursday, 22 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x16 basic burpees | day 22 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 45 min: 5 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Friday, 23 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x65 jumping jacks | day 23 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late afternoon
-- Day 19 of Epic Five | abs
-- Day 22 of the Olympian | lvl I | my knee immediately complained of the lunges, so I replaced them with squats which interestingly cause me no discomfort, no matter how deep they are. Side lunges were fine too, though I didn't dare to attempt to go deep there.

Saturday, 24 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x17 basic burpees | day 24 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 20 min run

Sunday, 25 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x70 jumping jacks | day 25 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Morning
-- 2 hr run
My knee was fine! Wearing a knee sleeve must've helped.
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Monday, 26 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x18 full burpees | day 26 of Before Breakfast Cardio
-- Square One | lvl I

Late afternoon
-- 5 min bicep extensions | day 20 of Epic Five | challenge
-- Day 23 of Olympian | part I | lvl I | I don't have enough space for reverse angels, so I just doubled the W-extensions

And the day ended with home-made baguettes!

20220926_221632_2_25.jpg
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Thank you, @Fremen , @Anek , @NancyTree , @JCU ! :love:

Tuesday, 27 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x75 jumping jacks | day 27 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Late morning
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 35 min: 15 sec fact | 15 sec slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Evening
-- Day 21 of Epic Five | cardio & abs

They say people often start to gain weight when they train for a marathon. It's true for me too, so let's attempt cutting down on snacks again! Let's see if admitting to the Hive what guilty pleasures I had will help me have less of them. :LOL: (Or at the very least will help me choose healthier or less unhealthy options)

Snacks: a mug of cocoa with sugar and too much whipped cream. And it's not a snack, but it's full of sugar too and I actually like the taste, so I'll add it: a mug of Neo Citran because it seems I've caught a cold in this suddenly cold and rainy weather. :(
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Thanks, @lofivelcro , @JCU !
Unfortunately I couldn't avoid a full cold, but it's manageable. The next day I woke up to a sore throat, but it's been fine since then. But I'm still using up our tissue paper reserve rather quickly, and I have that sensation where your head feels like it's full of snot from your throat to your forehead to your ears.

Wednesday, 28 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x19 basic burpees | day 28 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 40 min run

"Snacks": (anything containing calories apart from main meals):
-- a teaspoon of honey for my sore throat
-- lots of hot tea (except for rose hip, I drank that cold to preserve vitamin C) sweetened with honey
-- a warm latte instead of my afternoon black coffee (but still without sugar!). Having caught a cold is a great excuse for warm drinks. :LOL:
-- 4 tasty biscuits a friend had baked for DnD evening
-- a mug of NeoCitran…

Looks like a long list, but only the biscuits were out of proportion. :noming:
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Thank you again, @JCU ! I hope I'll feel better by tomorrow. I'm supposed to go to a LARP event in the evening, and because we're going to play in pairs, I really shouldn't let my partner down...

I know, @GentleOx ! :cookie: Unfortunately, so do my thighs and hips, and they're really starting to show that I've failed to keep my portions in check for the past few months...

Thursday, 29 September

Before breakfast
-- 3x80 jumping jacks | day 29 of Before Breakfast Cardio

Midday
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 35 min: 1 min fast | 1 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Evening
-- Day 22 of Epic Five | upper body strength
-- Day 24 of Olympian

"Snacks":
-- hot tea with honey
-- a mug of cocoa without sugar
-- leftover pasta and leftover tortilla…
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Thank you, @Whirly , @huma , @NancyTree ! :love:
I'm feeling much better now, and was able to go to the LARP -- luckily, because it was a lot of fun! It was all about enjoying character interactions without any stifling rules or too much planning. And the setting? A reality show for couples to win their dream wedding. We didn't sign up in pairs but were assigned a partner about a week before the "show", but there were some hilarious ideas. :LOL:
Before this I had only been to fantasy-themed LARPs, and it was nice to try something else.

Friday, September 30

Before breakfast
-- 3x20 basic burpees | day 30 of Before Breakfast Cardio | still not liking burpees... :LOL:
-- Day 25 of Olympian | lvl I

Snacks and drinks:
-- munching on a bit of grana padano while cooking lunch
-- during the LARP: a bit of vodka, a bit of wine, and at the end three slices of baguette with camembert (yeah, my partner and I were going for every French stereotype we could stuff in the scenes, and he actually brought a baguette and cheese and wine. As for the vodka? There was a couple from Kosovo, similarly intent on using every stereotypical element they could think of :LOL:)

And then I slept poorly at night because there was a very loud party somewhere close… :(
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
Thank you @Fremen , @Silent Wolf , @Sif_Shepard , @Whirly , @huma , @Laura Rainbow Dragon ! :love:

Saturday, 1 October

Morning
-- 10 min warm-up run
-- 5 min: 15 min fast | 15 min slow
-- 5 min cooldown run

Midday
-- Day 26 of Olympian | lvl I
-- Day 23 of Epic Five | lower body strength

Evening
-- 3x22 side kicks | day 1 of Daily Kicks
The rest will have to wait until after the marathon on 9 October. This is a fun challenge, but I don't want to accidentally make my knees hurt because of lazy kicking form.

Snacks/drinks:
-- 6 cubes of hazelnut milk chocolate (one in my (late) morning espresso)
-- a mug of cocoa
-- hot tea with honey
-- testing the scones I made for DnD Sunday!

20221001_203731_25.jpg

Sunday, 2 October

Morning
-- 1 hr 30 min run

Snacks/drinks
It was a DnD day. I won't say more.

Monday, 3 October

A rest day, I suppose? I didn't do any physical activities apart from chores and biking to and from a store. I also haven't slept as much as I would've liked in the past few days.

Snacks/drinks:
-- vegetables and pecans while preparing lunch. It's hard not to snack when you're cooking while hungry!
-- more milk chocolate than I intended...

My cycle began a few days earlier than expected. Which is great, because I won't have to worry about menstrual cramps during the marathon!
 

Mianevem

Well-known member
Valkyrie from Budapest, Hungary
Posts: 1,088
One thing I dislike about the new forum is that it doesn't keep my unsent posts if I accidentally close the tab in the mobile browser...

But the higlight of the past days was my first marathon anyway, on 9 October. Before that I was mostly resting, and I'm definitely not doing anything but resting since then, so there's no point in reporting that.

The important thing is that I finished the 37. SPAR Budapest Maraton with an official finish time of 4:25:34! To be fair, I walked a lot in the second half, even though I genuinely expected that I would be able to run from start to finish. One thing I was worried about was that my knee would start to hurt too much to continue, or that my stomach would not agree to the refreshment. None of that happened, luckily! In fact, I didn't even feel the slightest tinge in my knee during or after the race! My calf muscles, however, were not up to the task, and began protesting during the 28th km already. I was surprised, muscle fatigue to the point of it almost cramping was not something I ever faced during my long runs. But then again, I was aiming for a faster pace than during those weekly long runs. After about 35 km, my quads and shins joined the calves, so every step from then on was truly painful, even when I walked. I still managed to make my way to the finish line (making sure I walked a bit between kilometres 41 and 42 so that I could finish it running). I suppose no one will protest if I claim the 42k badge despite all that walking. :eyes:

As for the refreshment, I decided to bring my own: electrolyte drinks and homemade running fuel. In the end I didn't even touch most of the latter. Even though I practiced with it during the long runs, it still felt too dry during the race, so after a while I just took the water, iso and magnesium that was offered at the refreshment stations (also because that gave me an excuse for walking).

I'm proud of myself for having crossed the finish line, but I'm also a bit disappointed that I was slower than I expected. After finishing I felt like I never want to do this ever again, but maybe I'll try another marathon in 2 or 3 years...
There was a guy at around the 40 km mark, we laughed at each other as we were walking next to each other. He said it was his 13th or 30th marathon (I don't know which, we were talking in English, and my brain wasn't functional enough to tell the difference between the two numbers). He also said it wasn't at all easier than his first one. So I don't know. Maybe I'll try again, maybe I won't. For a little while I'm not capable of running anyway, currently I need to hold the railings to even be able to walk down stairs. :LOL:

To conclude, here's a picture of me a few minutes after finishing. I tried very hard, but I couldn't muster a smile more sincere than this one. There was also salt all over my skin from sweating, as well as on the back of my shorts, forming a V-shaped white line, as my boyfriend kindly pointed out. :LOL:

20221009_145025_25.jpg

(Edit: what a funny coincidence that this is the 42nd post in this thread)
 

JohnStrong

Well-known member
Guardian from Alberta
Posts: 458
"No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. -Socrates"
Wow, congratulations on this major achievement. Crossing the finish line is what really counts! I've only trained for a half, so I can only imagine - I admire your dedication and hard work. Way to go! 💪
 

Gandhalfit

Well-known member
Druid from TLV
Pronouns: You there
Posts: 920
"Every world spins in pain. If there is any kind of supreme being... it is up to all of us to become his moral superior. Vetinari/Pratchett"
Congratulations on finishing a marathon, amazing 👏 :D :worried:

I'm not entirely used to the new forum but I haven't had to stop writing before I could post yet.
 
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