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I took the above selfie sometime in Sunday's pre-dawn hours of my new LED headlamp. The thing has been a rockstar for me in my walks these past two days.

I've almost hammered out the 5.1-mile walking route I've been taking. While it doesn't feature Starbucks, there's plenty of neighborhood travel, though it does incorporate some collector/arterial roads. That said, those 4:15 AM walks have limited traffic.

Speaking of which, I broke the 20:00 min mark for walking (19:39/mi). I got stronger as the walk progressed, beating the time of every mile that proceeded it:

1. 20:28
2. 20:09
3. 19:42
4. 19:35
5. 18:26 (!)

It was kicked off at 32℉; the sweat through my thermal would turn into frost.

And yes, today was a back day! Deadlifts, shrugs, and incline rows!

Last week, Jan 1-7:

• Workouts: 35.92 miles
• Daily Steps Average: 24,366

I have hit my daily goal of 10,944 for 17 days in a row since 12/23/23's "Step by Step, Ooh, Baby"

While I'm delighted with the pace improvements, I know it's not good enough; I need to get better. To some extent, it is a function of just hauling too much weight around. While 4 weeks ago, I was at 255, I suspect by now I am in the lower 240's. I've got my weigh-in and measurements coming up in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday, I applied a fat fast—I'm thinking of doing a Fat Fast & Bone Broth Sundays. Or maybe fat fast, chicken broth, and just straight-up bone consumption like I did yesterday (3.3 oz of bones). Nothing puts hair on my chest quite like munching on a chicken thigh bone. Good luck running down the nutritional data on that!

I've got a brand new treadmill that's gonna be delivered soon—I'm not trying to resurrect my gym; it wasn't even my idea! My wife has caught fire and wants it! As for me, it'll be nice to offload my indoor steps from my $130 walking pad (great for barefoot walking) to something with emergency grips!

And I'll be getting in this thing to make me less prone to getting run over. Honestly, it just reminds me of being a kid again in Bartlett going trick-or-treating with a glow stick.

I've been getting in my belt buckles this week. Today, I am wearing my World of Warcraft Horde belt buckle. I know the hanging tiny skull won't last, but it's cool for now! While I played plenty on the Alliance side (my first character was a Night Elf back in 2005), I truly found a home in the Horde, with my Orc hunter, Makyah, on the roleplaying server of Earthen Ring. I am drawn toward the tribal aesthetics. Collectively, it was a more tight-knit group than the Ally side, and our PVP success reflected that.

While it has been 9 years since I've played, I appreciated how that space had its own subculture, complete with shibboleths. When I did play, as the years went by, I joined a guild with folks in the 30s and 40s. What we did during our offline hours didn't matter; we strove for our individual/collective aspirations in this fantasy realm. While I don't know what it's like, I suspect a CrossFit gym has similar characteristics. You're not alone in leveling up your life.

However, there were times when I wasn't a member of any guild for one reason or another; I had to adventure alone. It's why I was drawn to the hunter, a class that is a one-man party with his beast fighting alongside him.

So it can be with fitness.

My wife has joined her own guild of sorts, a group coached by none other than my favorite carnivore, Kelly Hogan. Along with adventuring that meaty cohort, she also has a new Garmin watch, a Vivoactive 5! For me, it's GREAT to no longer have a post-apocalyptic newsfeed on Garmin. We've also competed on steps challenges.

Circling back to this Horde belt buckle, as I wear it, I am encircled by the idea of community, both of the past and future, a community—a guild, that strives toward leveling up our lives.

I'm getting somewhere in my training regimen 'cause afterward, I gotta wring out this pain during recovery! I kicked off another Friday arms day at 3:20 AM. After I checked that off, I geared up for my cardio.

See, last night, Amazon delivered a brand new pair of shoes, an Under Armour Charged Rogue 3. I had read this older review and had hoped that the trend had continued for subsequent releases. OK, I was banking BIG that it was! My recent pair from UA...eh...sawed that nasty kerf to my ankle while it jumbled my toes into a mishmash. Hey, I followed the rules: I measured my feet and chose the "correct" size off the chart.

I learned my lesson. I went up a ½ size and went with a "4E" pair (it's not) and left that popular model behind. With this new rogue for my campaigns, I doubled up on my socks, folded them over at the heel (4x), and ran a hair dryer for a bit.

It's tricky for me. I have what you'd expect for Neanderthal, these Hobbit-wide feet. But, I also have high arches with totally a tendency to roll outward (which is further exacerbated by a worn sole).

All of that aside...

At 28℉, I had an excellent Elmo Meets B.B. King, eats Vension, and Yells at the Park walk this morning. Garmin recorded the following:

It is at a better pace than past walks, although those things were hampered by a cup of Starbucks on the back end. It's oddly motivating for me; I'm on the verge of a sub-20:00 overall walk (today's was 20:05).

What lies at 2024's Journey's End?