SUMMER challenge PROGRESS REPORT

SUMMER CHALLENGES 2018 bibs progress. Taken by PKSenagore July 8, 2018. All rights reserved.

TIME TO EVALUATE WHETHER YOUR CHALLENGES are helping you meet fitness goals and set up a season of fun activities. Are they providing an easy framework for staying in shape or stressing you out?  Helping to bring you in contact with family and friends or leaving you alone during workouts?
 
There’s nothing sacred about a fitness plan. If the effort made to stick with the program is not achieving the intended outcomes, time to change or ditch it.
 
The first 6 weeks of summer are history. Week number 7 has started and provides the perfect opportunity to look back and consider making adjustments so that the second half of the summer holiday can be as good or better.
 
Here’s my PERSONAL progress report:
(I’m doing all six to be able to make adjustments or suggestions to others, as needed)
 
Challenge I: Streaking
Walking this challenge has been a lot easier that running it.  Not only in terms of actual effort but in the ease with which I can stop what I’m doing, without necessarily changing clothes or finding a running route, and complete the one mile distance.  I had a tough time on a 3-day train trip but accomplished the task by walking back and forth on station platforms during stops, in segments.  It took a bit of enthusiasm out of the challenge and I hope to get back into the spirit of the streak this week. July 5 marked the year anniversary of when I first injured my knee/calf in 2017, so am feeling grateful that after a year I can walk, if not run, daily without pain.
 
Challenge II: Run/Walk/Bike Across America
I am cycling the cross-country segments on my fat tire bike, so fell a week behind because of the travel.   Will attempt to catch up over the next few weeks. The train trip from west to east coast was inspiring. I crossed mountains, plains, and big rivers for real!!!
 
Challenge III: Fastest 5K or Summer of Fun 5ks
The biggest difference this year is that I am training to speed-walk my fastest 5k of summer 2018.  Memorial Day I clocked a base finish time and on July 4th checked progress with another 5k that was 1 minute 21 seconds faster. Not a spectacular improvement, but since it was walked a few days after the train trip perhaps all the sitting temporarily slowed my progress. My goal race is August 6.

Challenge IV: Summer Series Sweep
High Intensity Interval Training by walking went well up until my trip. In advance, I decided not to hold myself to the plan for the week of travel.  Resumed HIIT walks the next week, rested and glad to have had a break. 

Challenge V: Buddy-up
Every week I have completed at least one exercise activity while in the company of another person or talking on the phone with them during their exercise. This is possibly the most fun of all the challenges this season.  The more I do it the more I am eager to connect meaningfully with friends and family during fitness efforts.
 
Challenge VI: Obstacle Course Training
Physically this challenge was the most intimidating and toughest. I was able to complete the 6-week plan just before traveling because I had started 1 week early.  Remarkably, the upper body work has helped my golf game!  This is the first year I’ve gotten out fairly regularly on the course. Because of the boost in golfing confidence I will start another 6-week plan, but this time more thoughtfully adapt it to build core/back/shoulder strength without exercises that require jumps or full pull-ups. It hopefully will include a progression to master pull-ups when finalized.
 
That’s my summer thus far. The effort of taking on all six challenges feels a bit too ambitious, so I plan on taking a week of “vacation” in which physical efforts will only involve ‘Streaking’ and ‘Buddy-Up’. The ‘Fastest 5k’ will be completed on the Monday of that week! ‘Across America’ and ‘Series Sweep’ will be suspended/adjusted.
 
Enjoying time with family and friends will be most important during “vacation” week.
 
How’s YOUR summer progressing? If challenges aren’t fun, make adjustments or suspend efforts temporarily. More than half the summer remains; make the most of it.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!