Week 8 - SO Much Room for Improvement

So, one of the things that I really enjoy about martial arts is how my goal is a moving target. I've always embraced that whether I'm 4 years into my training or 14 years, there will always be room for improvement. 1,000 repetitions of kata, 10,000 repetitions of kata. There will still be room for improvement. What I learned this past week is that there will always be SO much room for improvement. Like, TONS of room! 

What I learned this week is that the saying, "A black belt is a white belt that never gave up," is feeling very true. I feel like a white belt this week. Like a white belt who knows some katas and gets to spar. I'm okay with that, it's not a bad feeling, it's an exhausting feeling. But I'll use it as motivation. 

I say all this, because for the first time in my training, I am experiencing ... Forgetfulness? I've never had to ask for a refresher on kata until now. I'm focusing so much on Seisan that I haven't spent enough time visiting the others the way I'm used to. Well, now I know I can't do that anymore. And sparring... just SO much room for improvement there. Sometimes I feel like a pinball. 

I'm okay knowing that I have a ton of hard work to do. ButI have to admit, I'm intimidated by the fact that I'm feeling it so... in my face... right now, as I test for my black belt. To combat that feeling I tell myself that, "A black belt is a white belt that never gave up," and still has lots of room on the obe for stripes. A black belt won't make me a master of anything. It will make me someone whose determination and hard work can be, in some literal and measurable way, seen. 

Week 7 - I Can Train Harder

Another week down. Team Getty ran our first 1/2 marathon of the year this past Saturday. It was the hardest race I've ever done. Ever. It was in Pacifica, a trail run, 3100 feet of climbing... I hurt. I've been consistent with my workouts, like, for years, and especially these last two weeks. So, I shouldn't be sore, right? But I am, I'm that kind off sore where I'm walking funny and flinching when my dog jumps on my lap. 

Basically what that tells me is that even if I'm training hard, I can train harder. And at the same time I have to pace myself. So...

I'm gonna increase my little weekday trainer rides from 6 to 8 miles. I'm also determined to do 10 squats a day. Just 10, nothing that I'll keep track of or anything, but I've got to work on my muscular endurance and my burst strength. To go with that I want to start focusing on angling more when I'm sparring. I have too much forward and backward movement. I need to angle more, especially defensively. I really feel like my sparring needs something more. 

I'm enjoying the attention to detail that kata brings. I like feeling that I'm improving the details. Kata has always been more my thing than sparring. I like the element of kata that allows for continual improvement. 

Still need to get on the reading thing. Have plans to conquer my scuba fear next month. Almost to the 2 month mark and that feels like a mini-milestone. Feeling good about things. 

Week 6 - Back in the Saddle

And by saddle I mean the one on my bicycle. It's not a comfortable saddle. At all. Nonetheless, I'm glad to be getting my cycling legs back in motion. 

This week felt good. It is really nice to be back in the dojo. Had a good week mileage wise. I got a few short rides in during the week and some short runs/walks. Have a usual Sunday run in the morning. We will start building our Sunday mileage up next month but keeping it to  6 miles for now. I'm also really glad to get some numbers in the sparring column of my tracker. Sensei was more than happy to help with that once I voiced some concern about being behind. I'm still behind, but not stressing it yet.

It's been interesting revisiting Seizan kata and adding another layer of details. Every step, every movement has a purpose. Have to complete one move before you start the next. It's a great way to force yourself to be totally present in what you're doing. That's always been my favorite thing about kata. It's one of the few things I do where it's easy to just focus on what I'm doing and not let any other thoughts sneak in. My brain is calm during kata. 

Another highlight about this week is that the constant soreness in my shoulders from the pushups is going away. Also, got the ball rolling on my community service project idea. Need to be reading more. All-in-all I feel good about this week. Being back in the dojo feels fantastic! 

Week 5 - Time to Focus on... Focus

So 5 weeks behind me now. And a whole lot more in front of me. My numbers are looking okay. They're not great, but they're not absent, and I'm just going to choose to feel good about that for right now. There has been a lot going on in the last 6 weeks, personally, professionally, and in terms of my test. So I think I need to spend the next couple of weeks focusing on focus. 

I've been away from the dojo for various reasons, then tac on time away for the holidays. It would have been really easy to just skip out on my day-to-day activities. And on some days I did, on some days I sort of did, and on some days I refused to. And at this point, like I said, I'm choosing to be okay with all of that. A lot of this past 5 weeks has been a very solo time, martial arts wise. So far my test has been a sort of conversation between me and my martial arts, and some real reminders and/or conversations from my Sensei. 

I feel like I'm in shape. I feel glad to have that as a foundation to stand on while I do this crazy thing. I feel like I'm being pushed even harder. Like... I was a solid brown belt back in November. In December I became a black belt candidate and that changed things. I feel Sensei pushing harder when we spar, calling out all the details when we run kata, calling us in for extra workouts. I feel my own workouts meaning a bit more. 

I'm looking forward to going into January with a goal to work on my focus. I want to take things one at a time, concentrate on each of the things I do in single parts. Like when we do kata, every move comes to completion before the next one starts.