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fitness

health and habits of raven

updated 2025-10-19

table of contents

rainbow over water with an island on the right

goals

pathway

one of the big steps to getting to the athletic goals is my MPFL surgery that should be happening in January 2026

i have accountability partners (some of whom are partner partners :3) who can see what im up to in chat

gonna have to work really hard at rehabbing my knee after surgery,,, like, i wanna get back to sports y’all

routine

  1. daily calisthenics training with progressions/variations:
  1. for running, use “Just Run” app to build up and then increase mileage over time, starts at 3x weekly
  2. swim 1x weekly
  3. BJJ 3x weekly
  4. bike places often and go on long rides on the weekends
  5. climbing 2x weekly
  6. limit food spending at restauraunts/take-out etc. to $200/month
  7. calculate bedtime to get 7+hrs each night of sleep
  8. journal daily
  9. meditate daily

what to do during injured times

obviously, at the time of writing this initial page, i cannot run/do-BJJ/climb/etc. rn, but i have exercises i can do!! including all the calisthenics exercises!

also, a daily walk is important (walkies are always important lmao)

if i can’t walk, i can hobble around on crutches and do my physical therapy exercises

okay, why/how?

regarding the 3-exercise calisthenics, from KBoges on YT:

Want to set up your own beginner calisthenics routine that takes only a few minutes per day to perform?

  1. Pick a push up variation, a pull up variation and a squat variation
  2. Perform a set of push ups at or close to failure
  3. rest 1-3 minutes and perform a set of pull ups at or close to failure
  4. rest 1-3 minutes and perform a set of squats at or close to failure

Feel free to stick with the same moves day to day or for extra muscle building and injury prevention, cycle through a variations. Take easy days when you need them and push it hard to set personal records when you are feeling strong and energized. As time goes on, feel free to add sets to this simple structure to increase your gains. Effective training can be incredibly simple. Just push it hard, keep your form good, and stay consistent over the long term. These are the “secrets” to fitness.

regarding running, here is advice from someone i know who does ultra-distance running:

Running vests: You need to go to a running store or REI to try these on. They fit so differently based on body shape/size. The main thing you need is two 500ml soft flasks in front, a space for a bladder in back (rarely used but you may want it in hot weather.) You also want pockets in front for all of your goodies (ie snacks, chapstick). My running vest is like a running purse. I like to have all of the things with me. Extra snacks ALWAYS live in the back pocket in case I get a bit lost or a friend needs some calories.

Any run over 8 miles, I wear my vest so I can bring hydration and food. I eat every 4 miles (sometimes more often if I am looking at my watch wondering when I get to eat again). Trails take longer to run due to terrain/elevation changes so that may be too often for road running. You will have to experiment with what works for you.

There is a lot of evidence now that taking in 70+ grams of carbs an hour during runs over 90 minutes improves performance, speed, and recovery. You can work up to this slowly. You will be amazed at how good you feel when you eat enough food.

I alternate between “real food” (PayDay candy bars, rice krispie treats, Justin’s Almond Butter packets, kid’s Cliff Bars, chocolate covered pretzels when it’s cold, etc) and gels/gummies. If I eat too many gels/gummies, I get nauseated. I also carry two water bottles on long runs. I fill one side with water and one side with TailWind Endurance Fuel. This is a liquid energy form, not simply electrolytes.

After any run longer than 12 miles or any run that is short but particularly challenging, I immediately have a serving of Tailwind Nutrition Recovery Mix. I feel less hungry and tired later when I refuel right away, and this gives me time to drive home/shower before making a real meal.

I buy most of my fueling from TheFeed.com. You can try different types of products before committing to buying them in bulk. Here are a few of my favorite items.

Outside of running, treat your body well. It is something to be celebrated, not punished. I once heard an elite ultra runner say “Sometimes eat too much. Always eat enough. Never eat too little.” I am a huge believer in this. You can’t expect great things out of a machine that you don’t fuel. Never run on an empty stomach. Always eat carbs after a run. Don’t go to bed hungry.

I think that the key to preventing injury is to build a solid running base. Many coaches say that most of your running (80-90%) should consist of easy, conversational miles. You shouldn’t be out of breath or pushing yourself. Think of these miles as bricks in your wall of training. Every brick you add strengthens your muscles, ligaments, etc, as well as developing your cardiovascular system endurance. Faster runs, intervals, and threshold work can come later, but shouldn’t be a major part of your running right now. Even elite runners do a limited amount of high zone running because it increases your chance of injury.

Any run will put bricks in this wall. Runs don’t have to be epic or noteworthy. A few miles here and there when you have 30-45 minutes is great. Longer runs are good too, as long as you are running the miles slowly.

Also, keep in mind that trail running isn’t all running. If the grade is steep, hike up the hill. NO ONE runs up every hill on a “trail run.”

Also, remember that every ache and pain isn’t an injury. Things are going to be sore and you will have some twinges, especially when you are building up miles. Being sore and being injured/hurt are different things. Don’t let some growing pains discourage you.

standards

personal tests/standards i want to be able to regularly meet (not intended to be done all at once, obvs):