• Challenge,  On Writing,  running

    Started Another Streak

    I Have a Monster Streak Going… That is the one I wrote about blogging every night here for over 11 straight years without a miss. So I know how to do a streak successfully. And over the years I have started a lot of streaks and challenges for myself. Some are writing streaks like a short story a day for over a hundred days that I did in 2022. That was fun. And I have started a ton of streaks that just went nowhere for one reason or another. Mostly I gave them no power, or they had no end goal. I think a solid goal is maybe the most…

  • Challenge,  running

    Exercise and Weight Challenge

    I Started July 1st… So today, Saturday July 15th, is the start of the third week. Time to check in with myself and reset some. My overall goal was to lose 20 pounds by October 1st. And be back running solidly most if not all of a 5K. I had been stuck on this weight for most of two years, and not willing to make the drastic changes it took to move off it, both in food and exercise. What I needed was to do both. So switched my diet to healthy stuff only (fruits, veggies, protein), dropped drinking diet drinks of any kind, drank a lot of water, and…

  • Challenge,  Misc,  On Writing

    Got Up Very Early…

    Halfway Through My Night, Actually… To go with Kris as she ran, biked, and swam in a Reverse Triathlon. She started off with a 5K run, then did 10K on a bike, and then 300 yards of swimming. I was her support staff, to hold her stuff, get her water and such and help her through the transitions. She completed it and did fantastic! She is flat amazing. Read her post on Facebook about how life conspired against her on the training and she still showed up and finished. I often get questions about what it takes to become a long-term, full-time fiction writer. My answer is never quit, and…

  • Challenge,  Fun Stuff,  Kickstarter Campaign,  running,  workshops

    Today Everything Has Started…

    Stunning Amounts of Stuff… Wow, was this a busy start to a new year for new workshops, Kickstarter, diet, and exercise. I signed up for the tracking of trying to run/walk 2023 miles in 2023. For me that is just over 11,000 steps a day without missing for an entire year. Yeah, that’s a streak. Down two pounds on my first weigh-in of the year on Monday, so considering the holidays, a total win. And I am slowly trying to bring up the running a little without damaging my old knees. Mostly just walking the 5.5 miles a day at the moment. The eye is slowly improving but still really…

  • Challenge,  running

    Exercise and Weight Update

    First 5K Run Is In One Month… Yikes, not having the weight-loss success I had hoped. In fact, I suck. I even gained a pound this last week. I have been eating much healthier. And fewer calories. The problem is the exercise. I get started, then get focused on something else and just flat forget. Start a streak, miss, forget. Two months now of that. Some good things are that my muscles and skin are tightening up, and it is getting easier to run, even though I am still heavier than I want to be. But wow, the intense discipline I thought I could bring to this has not arrived…

  • Challenge,  Fun Stuff

    Words Add Up

    Just Got to Let Them… First off, thank you everyone for the kind comments on the streak, both in the comments and privately. That means a lot to me that my blogs have helped in some form or another. A couple things about streaks. You don’t do them for other people or to match anyone else’s streak. You do them for yourself only. That is what gives them power. They drive you to do something that at some point in the past you thought was a good idea or that would help you. But remember with streaks. The idea is to let something build slowly over time. Right now I…

  • 70 Book Challenge,  Cave Creek,  Challenge,  Kickstarter Campaign

    Ramping Back Up Exercise

    Got So Crazy Busy, I Let It Slide… Also had some blood blisters that I kept making worse (wrong shoes, fixed that problem). So finally today I got back up to 4 miles, and will keep that and ramp up a little more to 5 miles plus a day starting Monday. Then in a few weeks after that ramp up to six miles a day minimum. (Starting a streak.) Also starting Monday cutting back to 1,200 to 1,500 calories, with a lot of protein to start dropping a few of the winter and injury pounds. Like a lot of us, I have gained a few pounds since the marathon in…

  • 70 Book Challenge,  Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Time to Look Ahead…

    And We Can!!! Finally, the end of this year is in site, a vaccine is in sight, and here in the States a new government is in site. So it is the 7th of December and time to slowly start making plans for the new year. Writing plans, business plans, exercise plans that were almost impossible to make four months (or even two months) ago. On exercise, since I finished the marathon, I overate and gave my feet time to heal, so gained five pounds. Winter/holiday weight I am sure, but going to drop it back off plus more after the holiday. So I am in the process of setting…

  • Challenge,  running

    Made It Out On the Long Walk…

    I Did Just Fine… Actually a little better than expected. I ended up cutting the walk short by two miles down to 11 miles because it was Friday and part of my mapped path went past the new Circa Casino and Fremont Street downtown and on a Friday, that’s just too stupid and too dangerous Covid-wise. So once I realized I had laid out that path and it was Friday, I just cut off that loop and ended at 11 miles. No issues with the feet and at eight miles I did some running to see how that felt and it was fine. And this course tonight had a ton…

  • Challenge,  running

    First Live Race of the Covid Time

    Really Fun. Same, Yet Different… Small group, all social distanced at the starting line because they had been sending groups off for hours ahead of us. Temp checked when we checked in. It was a run in the dark with great street lamps on the course except for about a block, that part was pitch black. With a pond on one side, so kind of scary as well. And for me it was too warm. I have no idea when this heat wave here is going to break, but got a hunch when I am freezing this winter I am going to wish I hadn’t complained about the heat so…