There is now less than a month until level 80 is introduced into Pokemon Go, which means trainers only have a few weeks left to grind the XP Celebration timed research before Oct. 14.

As someone who plays the game consistently every day and knows how to play efficiently, I think it’s worth stating that these tasks are grueling and are probably nearly impossible for most casual trainers to complete.

By Tuesday, I was on step 16 of 50 in the research, which involves tasks like defeating eight Team Go Rocket members, completing 32 field research tasks and exploring 12 kilometers before you can claim a reward of 15,000 experience points.

In total, after completing all 50 steps, trainers can earn over 7 million experience points, which is great, particularly for those players who are currently under level 50. For players, like myself, who are already at the current max level, we still don’t know how many experience points are going to be needed to reach level 80.

It’s definitely worth trying to get as many experience points as possible during this time.

The best strategy is to complete all the tasks of each page, use a lucky egg to double your rewards and then try to hit as many excellent throws within a 30-minute window of time.

If you’re close to becoming great, ultra or best friends with another trainer, it’s wise to open their gifts while you’re using a lucky egg.

Another tip is to have a level three mega Pokemon active at all times because you’ll earn an additional 100 experience points for free and that stacks up quickly, especially if you’re at a lower level.

At this point, it’s safe to say that I will not complete this timed research. There are more than 30 pages left for me to complete and fewer than 30 days left to complete them.

The research includes tasks like “explore 12 kilometers” or “send 54 gifts to friends.” The farther you progress, the more steep and daunting the challenges become. Step 36 of the research, for example, involves tasks like “explore 24 kilometers” and “defeat 15 Team Go Rocket members” and “send 108 gifts to friends.”

For most players, completing any of those challenges within a day is nearly impossible.

In order to send 108 gifts to friends, you need to have 108 friends on your friend’s list who open gifts daily, spin 108 pokestops and then send the gift. The current maximum number of friends a trainer can have in the game is 450.

Defeating 15 Team Go Rocket members is more time-consuming than it is challenging. But, again, trainers need to first find Team Go Rocket members at Pokestops in order to battle them.

Most rural towns are lucky if they have a dozen Pokestops in them. Cities, like Altoona, are loaded with Pokestops, but you likely have to drive around in your car if you want to find 15 of them within a decent timeframe.

Expecting people to walk 24 kilometers, nearly 15 miles, in a day is a bit ridiculous.

It’s not the end of the world if you don’t complete this timed research before it expires. I actually enjoy the difficulty of these tasks, but my frustration is meant to be a voice for the people who aren’t already level 50.

Pokemon Go could have given these trainers a better chance at obtaining their goals. Instead, they dangled a carrot in front of their faces and yanked all hope away about midway through the research.

The challenges should be more realistic.

People can say that Pokemon Go is a game for children, but I would strongly beg to differ.

For one, children don’t have the financial resources to invest in a game that’s designed for exploring the real world. I know plenty of people who are old enough to be parents and grandparents who enjoy playing the game.

Many people who play this game have full-time jobs, families and real-world problems to attend to. They don’t have the time to grind Pokemon Go as much as the developers apparently want them to.

I would encourage other trainers to continue to grind and make as many excellent throws as possible. Until level 80 is introduced on Oct. 15, we will earn two-times experience points for catches, so the time to grind the game is now.

But I tip my hat to those who are feeling frustrated with the game right now. You are not alone.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520 and mchurella@altoonamirror.com