The Three Challenges

Hello Team,

In the spirit of reconnecting us and getting us motivated for the TEAM Tough Mudder (in two months!) I propose to you: The Three Challenges.  The Three Challenges are intended as a package and you cannot pick and choose only one or even two challenges.  You must agree to all three or to none.

Your "all or nothing" decision is to be made immediately after your first full reading of this post.  It doesn't matter if you read this tomorrow or 10 days from now.  What matters most is that the first time you read this post you make a decision immediately.  Do not linger.

Will you participate or will you punk out?  Please note that non-participation is frowned upon and you may be subject to three lashings instead.

How you accept the Three Challenges is described below.

THE THREE CHALLENGES

CHALLENGE #1. WHO CAN RUN FARTHER THAN I?

Below I have posted evidence of my most recent run for a total distance of 3.02 miles.  That is the farthest distance I have run in training for this next event.  The challenge is simple.  Beat my distance.  It does not matter if you run it faster or slower, simply post proof of a run that is farther than 3.02 miles and you have now set the new bar.  Everyone else ... aim for that new bar.  If you can beat your own distance and set a higher bar, by all means please do so.

We need to build up our mileage in a very short time and I think competing with one another, for the title and nothing more, is worthwhile.  Well, maybe we can think of a good prize...the person who has posted proof of the longest distance between now and the event day doesn't pay at the group lunch after the Mudder.

If you agree to this challenge, simply post a pic of a run dated on 2/6/14 or later (this cannot be a run that you did last month).  Even if the run is a 2-mile run, you will be considered to be participating.

Don't forget, there are two more challenges.  Read on.

CHALLENGE #2. POST-UP OR PUSH-UPS

The second challenge is the easiest.  Simply share something on this blog on a daily basis.  It's not hard at all.  While you're taking a shit at work, whip out the phone and type up a quick couple of sentences describing the smell.  Even better, tell us something about your latest workout.  Say SOMETHING.  Say Anything.  Just stay involved every day.  Enforcing a ritual over the next couple of months of daily reflection on what you are or aren't doing from a training perspective is important.  We need to be thinking about this event everyday and we need to stay in touch.

If you fail -- which many of us will do -- and you miss a post on any given day, you need to commit to doing 50 push-ups as a penalty before you can post again.  The 50 push-up penalty is imposed on a daily basis.  So if your last post was on Monday and your next post is on Thursday, then you need to have completed 100 push-ups (50 for not posting on Tuesday and another 50 for missing Wednesday).  You cannot post anything to the blog before completing your push-ups.  

Basically, either you post every day or you do 50 push-ups every day.  You could also decide to do both, but at least one or the other is required.  YOU CANNOT POST IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP ON YOUR PUSH-UPS.  Clearly honor system rules apply here but probably the best strategy is to do your 50 every day to avoid them adding up on you.  If you get lazy you're going to have a shitload of push-ups to do all at once in order to post.  HONOR SYSTEM!

CHALLENGE #3. UNITED MUDDERS RACE

With the exception of a few, many of us on team have at least one Tough Mudder under our belts.  There is no doubt that, albeit challenging, a Touch Mudder is not impossible to complete.  I believe this knowledge has led to perhaps too much relaxing among the more veteran mudders, myself included.  We've lost a little bit of the competitive spirit that drove us through that very first mudder.

In the spirit of trying to find that drive once again, I propose that we agree to a United Mudders race the weekend before the event.  We can agree to a distance that is reasonable but challenging.  Something that is too long to sprint, around 1-3 miles.  Having another goal ahead of the mudder sounds like fun.  If you are scared of a 1-3 mile race the week before the mudder, competing against guys on this team who are trying to prove themselves, then you are in for a rude awakening the weekend after.

Place and time TBD.  We can agree to distance later, but let's do so soon.

Although I am the blog admin, I am participating in all of the above.  I hope you guys do too.

Thanks for reading this and let me know what you think.

-Pompa