Week 4 - Another One Down

Spent most of this week in Tucson doing manual labor for my Mum. Wouldn't have it any other way. It might not be runs or weights or kata, but let me tell you , I'm working hard! We built a kitchen island, painted half a house, wired outlets, mounted TVs... Good times. On some days it was way more exhausting than a run and some push-ups. Seriously...

I did take rest days on Christmas Eve and Christmas; just did some walking. I'm starting to feel the rhythm of the day-to-day stuff and that feels good. To just get stuff done without really having to think about it too much. I'm looking forward to when it's all just incorporating into the nooks and crannies of time where they'll fit best. 

Need to get on the reading and start moving forward with seeking out a master. I know, I know... it's only 4 weeks in... plenty of time, right? I don't want to take the time for granted is all. I'm not stressing anything, but I don't want to stay on top of things and make sure nothing slips. I know my mileage for this month was low, but I'm not worried about that because the summer will fill all that in. 

Meditation. Ugh... my brain is so erratic. I'm looking forward to going into to 2014 and using it as a marker to reset my brain.

So... My plan... I'm just gonna keep going...

Week 3 - A Good One

This week was a good one. I got my bike set up for indoor winter trainer rides so that will be really handy for the next couple of months. Although if weather and schedule permit I'd love to go outside. Got a couple walk/hikes in which was nice. Ready to get back into the running this next week. Started the half marathon calendar up for 2014. Already registered for the January run and have March picked out. No half marathon in February but I'll be doing the Getty Owl Run. You guys should come out to that one. Also got registered for the half ironman race on June 8th. Exciting stuff. 

Getting into a better rhythm with the push-ups, sit-ups and kata. It seems kind of funny to be squeezing stuff in on my 15 minute breaks at work, but if there where I can fit it, that's what I'll do. 

The book reading is coming along slowly. It's not that the book isn't an awesome one, it's that I'm not making it enough of a priority. Hopefully the next couple weeks will help me change that. 

It was good to have a better week. This month has been pretty challenging time-wise. And I've definitely felt that things have been testing my resolve and testing my ability to form the habits I need to form in order to get thru all of this successfully. I'm not discouraged, but I'm definitely noticing some struggle from my mind and body. But the habits will form and things will get easier. This week was a good turning point for my brain. I relaxed, took some breaths and recognized that it's okay to feel some struggle.

I'm looking forward to working on it this week and rolling into 2014 with a bit more confidence. I know that I can do this. That's the important thing. And I'm holding on to that thought very tightly.

So, on to the next...

Week 2 - Just Keep Going Anyway

This week... I'm kind of glad it's over. I ran the marathon on Sunday and lived to tell about it. Want to say thanks SO MUCH to those families who came out.  And another thanks for the AWESOME signs! (Be sure to zoom in on the picture if you can)

Monday was work and then lots of food and sleep. Them Tuesday I woke up with a pretty gross version of the common cold. So, I took it easy this week.  I'm learning that to get healthy I have to rest. So I clocked 0 miles this week until today. I'm gonna stay calm about this for the time being based on the knowledge that I have PLENTY of time. 

It's funny how different time seems when you count a year down by the week. It feels like it's going very quickly. I'm looking forward to going into the third week of this feeling way better and, you know, being able to breathe in thru my nose. :) Meditation continues to be a challenge. I find it strange: I'm very capable of focusing. I can get too focused I'm told. And I always thought meditation was just a calm kind of focus. I'm starting to disagree with myself. Haha. It's WAY past that. I haven't figured out what, but that's the train I'm on for the time being. 

I've chosen to re-read Meditations on Violence as my first book for the year. I strongly recommend that book. It offers a really interesting and in some ways humbling perspective on martial arts/self-defense. I think I will have to read it at least five times to do it justice. 

Life has kept me out of the dojo for three weeks now and I'm really eager to be back in. I'm glad I've managed to keep my testing journey a priority. I'm glad that not once have I wondered why I'm doing this. Or decided it was too much. I'm glad I have so much support in so many aspects of my life. Because all of that meters and all of it helps. 

Week 1 - Unexpected Challenges

So, this week... Well, it was not at all what I expected it to be. There were some unexpected challenges. My mum was admitted to the hospital in Tucson in the afternoon on 11/23. I flew out early on 11/24. She's back home now and doing better, but the whole thing was... Well, unexpected. And I now know how to spell a lot of weird medicine names and can tell you what they do.

Right now I'm on the plane on my way back to Sacramento and thinking this is pretty much my best bet for getting an entry written. The fact that I'm even on the plan is a little mini-miracle. My flight out of Tucson was delayed an hour and 20 minutes. My connection in Phoenix was delayed 18 minutes. Can you guys picture me sprinting 1/2 mile across the airport? Oh, it was scene alright. Go ahead, laugh it out. I hugged the pilot. True story.

Anyway, I had visions of how this week would go. I had plans, even. But that all got thrown out of wack for obvious reasons. And that's okay. There was no other place I would rather have been than where I was. Lesson learned: Prioritize and be flexible. And even though my head feels all scrambly... I know that things will work out.

Now the logistics - I only got about 9 miles in this week. It's low, but you're supposed to take it easy the week before a marathon so that was planned. I almost kept up with the push-ups and sit-ups but will make it a point to get those caught up next week. Kata too. Medication is hard. It's had to make my mid go silent. I knew going into this that medication would be a hard part. And it seems the universe had a bit of extra challenge to throw my way in that regard. But it's cool, I got this!

I'm looking forward to being back in the dojo. I'm looking forward to getting this marathon thing done and to getting into a rhythm of running on my lunch breaks (but I think I'll take a couple days off, haha). I'm really looking forward to seeing my dog. And I'm looking forward to attacking week 2.

The Real Preparation

So here's the thing...

A few weeks ago after a class, Sensei sat down with me and handed me a folder of information and some potentially scary requirements. We talked through the contents of the folder. He asked if I had any questions. Then he looked at me, he smiled, and he said... "Any questions?"  

I had none. I just wanted to get started on that list.

But here's the thing I'm realizing: That list of requirements is the easy stuff. I  know it sounds a bit crazy, just go with me on this...

Right now it's a list of things to do. In about a year it will be a list of things that I've done. It will become a list that represents character. Which makes it a really cool list, but... Still just a list. 

And while the list is still a list, I... will hopefully be a Black Belt. But getting a black belt in our dojo is much more than checking off items from a list.

My head has been so full of thoughts about what this all means. I know that for me the mental and emotional part of this process is very consuming. And while I can't say, at this stage, what getting my black belt will mean to me. What I can say is that my journey to black belt is a really big deal to me and I take if very seriously and will approach it with a great deal of heart. 

And even though I can't really nail most of my feelings down with words and sentences, there are three things that I know for sure: 

• Our dojo and my Sensei have given me a platform from which I can strive to be something more. I get to be part of a community with big ideas for positive impact and positive change.
  
  This motivates me.
  
  

• I get to be a part of a movement that is revolutionizing what it means to be a Black Belt, redefining standards of character.
  
  This excites me.
  
  
• I get to be one of the first students to take on this challenge under our Sensei.
  
  And that is an honor.

Now, I hope you're not bored yet because I want to take a minute to say how very glad I am to have such a supportive dojo family to be in this with me. And my friends, family, running and cycling buddies, thanks for embracing the mileage. Figuratively and literally. :) 

And to that end... I've added a link to the spreadsheet I'll be using to track my progress. So if you see me slacking, you better tell me to drop and give you 50 :)

Here it Comes

My Black Belt Test Begins on 12/01/2013 

So I will be starting my Black Belt test on December 1st. I'm getting started with the preparation work now because... Well because I'm really excited and because I want to be ready. So here I'm just going to lay out the requirements. I have to start with that because I'm still getting a handle on what this means to me intellectually; I'm still processing what it means to me to be at this point in my martial arts training.

So... Over the next 12 months (starting on December 1st), I will...



Requirements:

• No quitting (that's not gonna happen!)
• 50,000 push-ups and crunches 
• 1,000 repetitions of kata (I will focus on Kusanku)
• 1,000 rounds of sparring
• 1,000 mile journey (I've decided to bump this up to 2400 miles)
• 1,000 acts of kindness
• 15 minutes of daily meditation
• 6 books completed
• 1 personal goal (1/2 Iron Triathlon - June 8th)
• Weekly journal entries
• 12 video blogs
• Empathy training
• Seek out a Master (Kyoshi Marilyn Fierro)
• Community service project
• Memorize the Black Belt Pledge
• Essay on What a Black Belt Means to Me

And I'm adding a few more for myself:

• The additional 1,400 miles
• Conquer 3 personal fears (ride a horse, scuba dive, _____)
• Break 1:46:00 for 1/2 marathon 

I have a spreadsheet that I'll use to track my progress and I'll be looking into how to share that here. I have a couple of awesome running buddies that will keep my weekend mileage up. We will be running a 1/2 marathon every month and two of us are doing CIM here in a few weeks. I also have a few cycling friends who promise to help keep me motivated and drag me out for some long rides. 

Basically, what I'm saying is, I'm planning. I'm ready to get this thing going. So... let's go!