|
Topic says it all. Now that I'm finally done with classes and stuff I can focus on some of my personal pursuits, a.k.a. BroodWar and running.
As far as broodwar goes I hope to play at least 10+ games a day, maybe more, and see what I can do towards progress to C-. My goal is to get to C- by the end of break (Jan 18); though that may be quite a stretch since I'm like high D or super low D+ at absolute best.
Nonetheless, that’s what I'm aiming for. I feel like my biggest problems right now are somewhat weak scouting, occasional macro slip ups (when I'm playing well my macro can be super tight), having no idea how to keep money low once I max, and probably more than anything I don't really know what I'm doing. I tend to make stuff and then just go poke around and see where I can attack and/or try to deny expansions.
One question I have is would it be best to break this up and focus on one part individually for a week or just try to work on it all at once. I'm also at a loss for how to work on game knowledge, I know that watching VOD's/Replays is one of the best ways, however, most of the time while I can see what players are doing, I don't have any idea why; so I don't feel like I get as much out of them as I could/should.
Second goal is the running. I really want to ramp up my training and try to get to 100 mpw or so for some great winter basework. Goal is pretty reasonable as I run around 60-70 mpw right now, so given for or five it weeks I should be able to get up towards at least 90 mpw if not 100. My biggest concern here is general overuse injuries. I feel like if I can avoid those I should do fine.
Why run so much? First, I have really grown to love running so its fun for me, and second is that I want to see how fast I can get. I can currently do a 5k in a little under 20:00, which I feel isn't too terrible for someone who is 5'9" 170. It'll be really interesting to see what happens to my time as I get closer to a 140-150lb ideal weight, especially if the alleged 2 or so seconds per mile/per pound speed increase is anywhere near correct. Finally while 14 miles of running a day may sound pretty crazy it is still less then 2 hours a day of actual running.
Why blog this? No real reason other than to get some advice and feedback, and while I tend to be able to motivate myself well it’s nice to publicly state my goals and get some feedback and opinions from others.
Also, since people are always asking for more BW streams I will of course be streaming all of my games, I may not be too good but there are precious few streams as it is. If you want to play me just msg Lucid[Dreamer] on iccup when I’m online or streaming, I’d love to play! Probably won’t stream my running though, it would be inconvenient and I’m not fast enough (and probably not sexy enough) for anyone to want to watch me run. 
Some replays of recent games so you guys can see where I am at:
PvP:
PvP 1
PvP 2
PvP 3
PvT:
PvT 1
PvT 2
PvT 3
PvZ:
PvZ 1
PvZ 2
PvZ 3
A couple of the more amusing games I have played recently:
Manner Pylon
+ Show Spoiler +After the game he accuses me of hacking to trap all his SCV's
Cannon Rush - With a Twist
+ Show Spoiler +apparentley cannon rushing a T's natural expo isn't a good idea, would have been even better if I siege expoed
Also, and most importantly: WOONGJIN STARS HWAITING!!! - Just because we had a rough few rounds doesn't mean we aren't winning proleague.
|
I, too, am trying to run more BUT I hate running. I feel great after a good shower after a run BUT I simply hate the act of running for no apparent reason.
Good luck with your goals. Don't give up and you'll do it!
|
|
|
Are you doing one 14 mile run or multiple smaller ones?
|
Good luck with the running. I've only ever gotten up to 30 miles/week, so 100 miles/week is something out of this world. Try not to get injured during your pursuit!
|
I'm 5'10" and 170 lbs. To drop from 170 to 145ish sounds like a fairly hefty weight drop (my own goal running/exercise-wise is to get down to 160 lbs). Make sure you eat enough to fuel the amount of running you're doing!
LSDs are incredibly relaxing =).
|
First, your immediate goals are very similar to mine 
I'm about 165lbs, but I'm also 6'1"
I'm running about a 22min 5k right now. My first goal is to get under 20 and then, under 18. I'm not running nearly as many miles as you are right now, but I don't feel I have the time to. Instead, I'm running shorter distances as hard as I can. I am ramping up the mileage a little bit though, lately.
My 2nd goal is a little different. Although I'm trying to get in a lot of games of sc, it's no longer broodwar I'm practicing. I started off in Silver, but after about 300 games or so of 1v1, I'm around the top 1000-2000 in the NA region so I hope to be in Master League when they launch it.
Good luck on your running and C- !
|
I'm doing hour runs and hill sprints every other day to suplement my boxing. It was horrible at first, but it really does become extremely pleasant to go for a long one.
|
Good luck on C-! I can try to help out in the next week or two if you're Protoss (watch replays, provide feedback, etc), but then I'll be without internet for a bit, so it would only be temporary.
|
On December 18 2010 07:16 EdSlyB wrote:
I, too, am trying to run more BUT I hate running. I feel great after a good shower after a run BUT I simply hate the act of running for no apparent reason.
Good luck with your goals. Don't give up and you'll do it!
Thats how I started out. Had to do a mile run senior year for P.E. and couldn't break nine minutes. Not to mention I had gotten up to 200 pounds (my diet in HS was UNBELIEAVEBLY bad). At first I just despised it, i mean I hated running. But I stuck to it and 2 things that really helped me were getting of the treadmill and outside, and also realizing that most of my runs should be at a relatively easy effort (approx 2-3 minutes per mile slower than your one mile race time). These two things really helped turn my runs from a nightmare to something I could tolerate and from there as I kept doing it I came to really enjoy it.
On December 18 2010 07:48 Najda wrote:
Are you doing one 14 mile run or multiple smaller ones?
I'll be doing singles up until I get to around 70+ mpw and then I'll start adding milage by switching over to doubles, adding one more run each day or something of the like until I get around 100.
On December 18 2010 08:15 lac29 wrote:
I'm 5'10" and 170 lbs. To drop from 170 to 145ish sounds like a fairly hefty weight drop (my own goal running/exercise-wise is to get down to 160 lbs). Make sure you eat enough to fuel the amount of running you're doing!
LSDs are incredibly relaxing =).
Yeah, it is a hefty weight drop, but I want to get to a really great running weight. And yeah its can be tricky when you're trying to lose weight because if you eat too little your metabolism goes way down AND you don't have the energy for the workouts at all which just makes them miserable.
I usually have the opposite problem though, I tend to have some hard binges, or snack throughout the day. Eating is the one thing I struggle with hard with my discipline. I love to eat and really have a hard time holding back. If I control that I lose weight. The good news is that once I lose the weight I don't gain it back because of the excerise. I just get stuck in big ruts where I don't lose anything.
On December 18 2010 08:29 danl9rm wrote:First, your immediate goals are very similar to mine I'm about 165lbs, but I'm also 6'1" I'm running about a 22min 5k right now. My first goal is to get under 20 and then, under 18. I'm not running nearly as many miles as you are right now, but I don't feel I have the time to. Instead, I'm running shorter distances as hard as I can. I am ramping up the mileage a little bit though, lately. My 2nd goal is a little different. Although I'm trying to get in a lot of games of sc, it's no longer broodwar I'm practicing. I started off in Silver, but after about 300 games or so of 1v1, I'm around the top 1000-2000 in the NA region so I hope to be in Master League when they launch it. Good luck on your running and C- !
Be careful with the hard running, it can do alot of good for race preparation but too much hard running makes it easy to get injured or get symptoms of overtraining. I'd really recommend a large portion of your running be nice easy mileage. That really builds up the aerobic capacity, and helps you build a good base for lots of speedwork in the month or two leading up to a goal race.
What does it take for master league, is it top 5%? I need to play a little more sc2, i like the game; even if I don't find it quite as entertaining as BW its still alot of fun. I get frustrated though because often I don't know what I did to lose or how to respond to builds I haven't seen before, that and it feels way harder to retreat in sc2.
GL with the master's league goal!
On December 18 2010 08:45 Grobyc wrote:
Good luck on C-! I can try to help out in the next week or two if you're Protoss (watch replays, provide feedback, etc), but then I'll be without internet for a bit, so it would only be temporary.
On December 18 2010 07:17 krndandaman wrote:
if you ever want practice games or replay analysis, hit me up on iccup or here
in terms of playing im probably worse than i was before, seeing how i play bw significantly less than before and now use shitty mouse/laptop.
i should be around mid c- all 3 races right now so yeah
edit: i play karra[ggee] atm
Yeah, I would absolutely LOVE to play some games/discuss games. Help is really appreciated, especially when it comes to improving my understanding and decision making, I obviously have some really basic understanding, and a vague sense of timings in PvT; but other than that I feel like I'm usually walking my army around and hoping I can kill shit/expos/defend expos.
Sucks on your internet situation Grobyc  . Hopefully you won't be without it for too long or some neighbor will have unsecured network. I couldn't even imagine 8 months without SC and TL.
|
Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely take those into consideration. My aerobic capacity, or max vo2, could use some work. When running, I have 2 constant obstacles that plague me. One, it's hard for me to develop a nice, consistent breathing pattern because my allergies cause me to have a disgusting build up of flim in my system. I spend .8 out of every mile trying to get rid of it.
And two, my muscles, even with rigorous stretching, are tighter than anyone's I've ever seen. I've gotten to where I hate stretching because it's so hard for me. It's a real battle.
I'm going to try and ramp up my mileage over the holidays since I'll have the time off work to do it. Hopefully it will help. The problem I'm running into is it being dark when I get home from work, and getting up in the morning isn't an option for me!
Oh ya, and the hardships you find with sc2 are pretty much the same ones everyone is running into as a community. Even the pros exude your sympathies.
I think, at last announcement, they said Master League would be top 5% of diamond, even though at blizzcon they said it'd be top 1-2%. I believe they changed it because top 1-2% just wouldn't be large enough since they plan on a Grand Master League as well.
Let us know how your running goes. I want to know about those 5k times.
|
Good luck with the C- goal. Generally speaking it was always a little easier for lower level Protoss on iccup and it always seemed to catch up with them around mid-D+ to low-C- level. Hopefully with some practice you'll hit it!
|
I admire you for playing BW and running (:
I've been working during winter break to get back into shape for club track in the spring semester. I basically stopped running once I got to college and now I'm trying to work back up to 30 mile weeks (probably around 20 - 25 now) after 4-5 months of not training. Basically I'm just trying to put a bit of mileage on my legs before the season starts in mid January.
The most difficult aspect of running for me has always been staying motivated, and going out and doing the runs when there isn't a mandatory practice. I find it's far too easy to wake up and think "my legs are pretty sore, I've been doing pretty well lately, it's OK to not run today." Do you ever have this problem, and if so, how do you deal with it? I find thinking about my running goals and watching videos helps (as does running with other people), but I'd like to know what you think. Granted I have been pretty consistent lately but I'm starting to feel it creep up.
Also out of curiousity, what's your pace on your distance runs? I can't even imagine doing 60-70 mile weeks. Good luck to you on iccup and with running ^^
|
good luck with ur goals man
as somebody whos run cross country and track for 5 years (not saying that makes me an expert but i have my bit of experience), id be careful about suddenly ramping up your mpw by like 50 percent. personally if i were you, id start at 80 mpw since you say you already do 70 normally, and build it up by 5-10 miles weekly to prevent injury... i was lucky in high school that id do potentially harmful stuff like double training (running the school workout planned/prescribed by my coach, and then going home and doing another workout) and not get hurt.... but my belief of my own body's seeming invulnerability was shattered when i got hurt over something much less drastic than that (from running hill repeats) and was out for a few weeks... my point is that you getting yourself injured is going to set you back, so you should build up to a 100mpw instead of jumping straight into it. and if you still want to jump straight into 90-100 mpw, just be very conscious of how your body feels and get lots of rest, stretch/warmup well, and ice when you can.
best of luck to you man!
|
A fellow runner! I know there's not too many here on TL, as it's more of a mature sport. At 100mpw, I'm surprised to read that your a 5k'er, or small distance runner. During summers, I train to run 2-3 marathons and numerous half mara's. Winter is tough to train through in Canada, but weights, soccer, and some treadmill work keep it fun. Someone should definitely make a running thread for 2011... sort of like a collective ongoing blog that us runner's could hit up on to keep us motivated. Have fun, and reach your goals!
|
Sorry for the slow replies, didn't check TL much over those days and missed the new wave of posts.
On December 30 2010 13:42 getSome[703] wrote:
I admire you for playing BW and running (:
I've been working during winter break to get back into shape for club track in the spring semester. I basically stopped running once I got to college and now I'm trying to work back up to 30 mile weeks (probably around 20 - 25 now) after 4-5 months of not training. Basically I'm just trying to put a bit of mileage on my legs before the season starts in mid January.
The most difficult aspect of running for me has always been staying motivated, and going out and doing the runs when there isn't a mandatory practice. I find it's far too easy to wake up and think "my legs are pretty sore, I've been doing pretty well lately, it's OK to not run today." Do you ever have this problem, and if so, how do you deal with it? I find thinking about my running goals and watching videos helps (as does running with other people), but I'd like to know what you think. Granted I have been pretty consistent lately but I'm starting to feel it creep up.
Also out of curiousity, what's your pace on your distance runs? I can't even imagine doing 60-70 mile weeks. Good luck to you on iccup and with running ^^
I used to have this problem to some degree, but what prevented me was usually that I knew I would be mad at myself for not doing it, and kinda my running motto which is that I have never regretted heading out the door for a run. The other thing I would do sometimes is load up a video of gebreselassie and watch a couple minuts of that. Insta motivation. Don't really struggle with it any more because now I just really enjoy running. Its something I want to get out the door and do, not something I think I should do for my health or w/e.
As far as pace most of my easy runs are usually around 7:50-8:20 per mile pace.
On December 30 2010 16:48 OMin wrote:
good luck with ur goals man
as somebody whos run cross country and track for 5 years (not saying that makes me an expert but i have my bit of experience), id be careful about suddenly ramping up your mpw by like 50 percent. personally if i were you, id start at 80 mpw since you say you already do 70 normally, and build it up by 5-10 miles weekly to prevent injury... i was lucky in high school that id do potentially harmful stuff like double training (running the school workout planned/prescribed by my coach, and then going home and doing another workout) and not get hurt.... but my belief of my own body's seeming invulnerability was shattered when i got hurt over something much less drastic than that (from running hill repeats) and was out for a few weeks... my point is that you getting yourself injured is going to set you back, so you should build up to a 100mpw instead of jumping straight into it. and if you still want to jump straight into 90-100 mpw, just be very conscious of how your body feels and get lots of rest, stretch/warmup well, and ice when you can.
best of luck to you man!
Couldn't agree more. I usually go by the 10% rule when I increase mileage. I'll do that for 10% each week for a few weeks, and then drop by about 40% for a week and then return to the new mileage and see how it goes. Learned this the hard way when I tried to ramp from 30 to 60 on a dime and ended up pushing really hard through some posterior tibial tendonitis and getting sidelined for well over a month. Injuries are the most frustrating things ever.
On December 30 2010 22:13 Horrde wrote:
A fellow runner! I know there's not too many here on TL, as it's more of a mature sport. At 100mpw, I'm surprised to read that your a 5k'er, or small distance runner. During summers, I train to run 2-3 marathons and numerous half mara's. Winter is tough to train through in Canada, but weights, soccer, and some treadmill work keep it fun. Someone should definitely make a running thread for 2011... sort of like a collective ongoing blog that us runner's could hit up on to keep us motivated. Have fun, and reach your goals!
I wouldn't call myself any particular kind of runner. Its not that I specialize in any particular distance, I just haven't done any actual half marathon or marathon race distances yet, though I almost certainly will this year.
I live in Colorado, so I feel your pain with the winter stuff, though I have to imagine you get even more of the bitter cold than we do. I just can't stand the treadmill thought so I usually just take my screw shoes and go run in the snow. If its truly awful I'll suffer a day on the stationary bike if I must, but usually I just go fight the weather even if it's pretty snowy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
