This year, we’re both simplifying and expanding the month’s challenges. I’d like to thank the whole community for their suggestions on guild workout playlists, and I’d like to thank my fellow leaders for helping me source content for each week!
Okay, so here’s the plan: we’re going to do something five days a week. Yes, five days a week. You can do this, and we’re going to do it together. It’s broken down into simple All-Guild Goals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We’ll have guild-specific breakouts on Tuesday and Thursday. Of course, feel free to do ANY guild’s breakouts! This year, all of the exercises are body-weight and require no special equipment or gym memberships. All of the workouts themselves were sourced from a free website - www.darebee.com (of Hero’s Journey fame) and require nothing special to access them. In fact, they’ll all be posted right here on the forum for your convenience!
This coming week’s All-Guild Goal is: add half a mile. If you’ve never run before, run a half mile on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you run regularly, add half a mile (or a mile) to your maximum. I’m at about a mile right now, so I’ll be shooting for 1.5 miles on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday’s guild breakout workouts to follow.
Normally I walk 1.4 miles every weekday to Uni, so I was gonna try and make some excuse about walking double instead. Forgot that next week I’ve got study week and therefore no lectures… Guess I’m down for some running, though I’ve never done so willingly. Urg, this is gonna hurt… Let’s do it Mounties!
I hate running so much that when a friend asked me to do a 5k, I told her the only way I would run with her if she was chasing me with a weapon. I still suck it up and do it, though. When I was running consistently last year, I was in the best shape of my life (at 36!). I aim to get back there, and I’m excited to have and motivating by having all of you with me!
Finding places to run might become a challenge for me. We just had another blizzard and the snow isn’t scheduled to melt for weeks. Maybe I’ll jog in place indoors, or add a few more minutes to my daily cardio.
Having just done back to back races over the weekend, I’m going to go the add half a mile or so to an average day rather than a race length (so maybe 3.5-4 miles total).
So…I think I’m gonna have to start making substitutions right off the bat…I don’t really have a place to run (and I’m not comfortable going out and running in my neighborhood) BUT I’ve just started a gym pact with some coworkers! So M/W/F I’m doing classes at our campus gym: two days are zumba or cycling (depending on the mood), and one day is barre fitness. This is week 3 of the endeavor, and the first week where I’ve actually been able to go all 3 days!
That’s AWESOME! I was just setting some reasonable goals for people just starting out on their fitness journey, not needing resources like gym memberships and equipment. Use those to your advantage, and let us know on this thread how you’re doing!
The majority of that I had to walk otherwise I was going to have to turn straight back around for home. I forgot how much I hate cardio. Any suggestions for an alternative walking amount? Cause I can’t do another day of that.
Did you try running the whole thing straight through? I do intervals myself; the pacers I followed for most of my long race were having us do 15 seconds running, 30 seconds walking. I’d done (mostly) 30:45 for my intervals during the shorter race (until the heat/humidity got to be too much).
I’d definitely recommend trying intervals, even if the running portion is less than 15 seconds to start with.
@Nimueh, I can’t run the whole thing, either. Feel free to take some time to work up to it; the group goal is for the whole week, and if it’s more important to you at the end of the week to get to the additional distance, go ahead! The most important thing is that we’re improving on where we’re at and encouraging each other.
I definitely second what Ashburn said about intervals; breaking it up into small bits helps me focus, and keeps my asthma/out-of-shape-ness from overwhelming me. You mentioned that you normally walk to uni. I’ve been told I walk like a New Yorker normally, but if that’s not you, maybe start with some speed walking? Or walk a few extra minutes and see how far you’ve gotten at the end? The more you do it, the easier it will get.
The run of a whole mile begins with a single step, @Nimueh!
My cardio today is going to be shovelling snow when I get home from work, apparently. It’s important to keep things flexible and take it one step at the time. Keep posted for tomorrow’s guild breakouts later today!
All right crew, here are tomorrow’s breakout body-weight workouts by guild! Get ready!
We’ll start with our friends in Thornmouth getting their noses out of their books, and starting their own fitness Origin Story:
The Balimorans are going to let their inner Wild Child loose…
… while the intrepid Weatherwatch guild explores new horizons by Walking, Running (and Repeating).
We Gossmerim will reflect on the Holistic interconnectedness of our bodies…
… While the Flinterforge guild meets the Days Work head-on in their daily Grind.
And as always, the Ebenguardians will work tirelessly towards a Better Tomorrow.
Let us know how you do with the workout you choose! If there are questions on how to do a specific exercise, check out darebee.com for further instructions including video demonstrations!
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