Next year, 2013, I am doing something I am calling my 1kk challenge.
“What’s a 1kk challenge Vaughan?” I hear you ask. Well, as you asked…
Every year I do a mad challenge. A few years back it was cycling the length of NZ solo, this year is going dry for a year, a couple of years back it was starting some startup thingy. I have quit watching all televised sports for a year (now into my 6th year), quit all mainstream news media for a year (into year 3 now). Sometimes it is quitting things, sometimes doing new things. I try and alternate. And so next year I am doing a 1kk.
The idea is simple, you can run, walk, swim, ride, pogo but you have to do it for 1,000k’s (1k-k). Or 1,000,000 meters. Woah, that sounds a lot.
1 million meters
You don’t have to do it all at once, that’s a lot of running or walking and would be MAD, but the aim is that over the course of a year (or a bit longer or shorter) you clock up 1,000k’s.
I am going to run it. The aim is a daily 3km run, or a weekly 20km run. 1,000km is far enough that you would need to keep to a regular commitment to do it, and obviously measure it. Doing something 3km a day is achievable by almost anyone, and get’s you into a good regular fitness pattern. Well that’s what I figure anyway. Ask me again in July if it is a good idea.
You should do it to. If not only so I have someone who can hold me accountable, but more importantly ’cause I think it would be awesome! We can become best buddies on RunKeeper.
You may just walk it, that’s a 3km walk a day (2.74km to be precise). Rollerskate? Might be tough. It is a WHOLE YEAR, and trust me, that’s a long time to do something EVERY DAY. But the rewards from doing something like this are huge, HUGE! How great will you feel at the end? AWESOME, trust me.
I will post how I go here. If anyone is keen to do something similar let me know. Think twice about that xmas ham.
How do you feel after going dry for (almost) a year? I guess after a while it becomes normal and you can’t remember how bad you used to feel?
Parties are WEIRD. Talking to people over the course of an evening while they get progressively drunk is surreal.
I feel pretty good physically, the daily run is to replace the daily glass of wine stress release.
Hey Vaughan
Great challenge! Have you thought of creating a website so we yours (and others) progress?
Have fun!
Kevin
By way of comparison, how much do you currently run per day/week. For some crazy people (ie. people who train for marathons a few times a year), they are probably already doing this, for those that dont do any, it will be a stretch.
For your challenges that last a year (ie. not the cycle) are there any that you have given up once the year has finished? All the ones you mention above you have continued doing after the year. Do you intent to stay alcohol free, save for special occasions, or go to the Friday arvo drinks culture?
I run very infrequently. So infrequently that this will be a BIG stretch for me. A daily commitment for a whole year. It will be tough.
Apart from cycling NZ which had a natural end, although I would do it every year if time permitted, all the others have kinda stuck. The quitting watching TV sport and the not reading the news were actually very easy and just broke bad habits. Going dry is quite challenging as having a drink with friends and colleagues is a big part of our culture. I think I will resume a social beer every now and then.
I nominate swimming. My regular swim is 1 to 1.5 k if I can do that 20 times a month I’m happy. That means it will take a year to reach 3000 k. When I was riding more 80k a week was ok 400 was doable but tough. Your original ride was very inspirational but I love the water so swimming it is 3000 kms it is
Gulp – yeah about those decimal places. Swimming is tough – I’m doing btw 20 and 25k per month so 300k is more doable. I also cycle and my regular ride is 40k but can do the occasional 80k if I’m stretched and have someone to ride with.
That’s awesome, Vaughan!
I’m going to put my thinking cap on (maybe take it on and off 1,000 times) and try and think about whether I could fit this in right now…
I like the idea of Kevin’s above though, a website where people can make and track their commitment online
Interested in the TV examples. You’ve hit a nerve for me on the bad habits. Did you (like me) tend to just be mentally lazy and switch on the box?
Yep, I would consume everything just to zone out. Now the only TV I watch is on my Apple TV, only a few hours a week. Illegally.
i set a goal to surf 52 times this year – i.e. average of once a week; with a surf being at least an hour long (there’s a few 30-45 min surfs over summer holidays)
allowed SUP’ing (min 30 mins hard out effort) and swimming (min 1.5k)as fallback options
hit the target in mid November, with a total of 5 SUPs and swims counted, stoked! Now have 54 actual surfs for the year…
well worth just having the goal, looking to ramp it up next year – 104 surfs perhaps!
(note that I work full time, have 2 young kids, live 45 minutes from the nearest surf beach, and spent 10 weeks out of the water due to surgery)
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Hey Vaughan, thought you’d like to know I now have 16 people signed up for your one million mtr challenge here at Trade Me. 3 of us run after work from the Parnell office if you want to join us. We run 6.5ks on a Monday night. Cheers Mike Millar
You bet. We do a domain circuit on Thursday. What time and from where to where?