Week 38 - Need for Speed

The Numbers (as of 08/23):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		36,610	36,580	738	420	3	964	858	749	36	4
						1,825
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	52	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		73.22%	73.16%	73.80%	42.00%	76.04%			74.90%	69.23%	33.33%

Moving right along. The sparring number is creeping up and that feels good. Just gotta keep it climbing. Video count is slowing adding up as well. Everything else is still on track so it's all in good shape for now.

The Training: 

Wanna try this workout?

I need to focus on sparring, and I know it. Not just getting the required rounds in, but I need to feel improvement. The extra sparring is helping, and I'm identifying some weaknesses. That's not always encouraging, but it's necessary. My concern is that the weaknesses are sort of made worse by all the other "stuff" that I do. I'm a distance athlete, always have been. The burst strength needed to move quickly is something I've never really worked on specifically. I need to figure out how to work on speed and strength while training for distance races in a way that they won't work against each other. My guess is more circuit training. Argh!

On a brighter side I got back to the pool and it felt great. Getting adjusted to the triathlon fit of a bike is proving painful. And I'm realizing that getting hit doesn't scare me as much or hurt as much as it used to. Body conditioning... :)

Keeping up with the healthy eating. SO MUCH FRUIT IN THIS BELLY! Found a seemingly great protein powder: It's plant based, no genetically modified ingredients, yada yada. My plan is to start drinking a shake a day to see if I feel any different or recover any faster. I tend to think we are an over-protein-ed nation but am willing to be proven wrong.

The Challenges:

Well, that time management thing jumped out at me this weekend. Didn't get my long run in, but made a lot of progress on the back yard renovation. I'm okay with that and I'm glad I didn't cram a run into an already busy weekend. I'm just recognizing that there it is, time management, forcing me to make choices. 

The Levels:
Motivation: Nice and steady...
Next Event: Sept. 7th - Giant's 1/2 Marathon 

Determination:

Video 4 - Kata on the Beach

Week 37 - Thank You Notes

The Numbers (as of 08/16):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		35,560	35,505	716	386	2	909	837	729	35	3
						1,748
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	52	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		71.12%	71.01%	71.60%	38.60%	72.82%			72.90%	67.31%	25.00%

I know the sparring number is still pretty small but the last couple weeks have started a good trend for closing that gap. I just have to keep it up for another 19 weeks. And hope that my VERY helpful classmates can as well. Will get a couple of videos up this week, too. So far so good and feeling great.


The Training:

I'm feeling good about my training lately. Coming to the peace with the fact that I will be under-trained in terms of swimming for the triathlon. But... I'm okay with it. I'm okay with it because the triathlon is one piece of my test and if I look at the testing as a whole, I'm happy with how it's progressing.

I'm feeling challenged by the details of Chinto and Kusanku. They're newer to me, I haven't had as much time with them, and so they don't feel nearly as familiar as Seizan and Seiuchin. I hope some of the nervousness will go away over the next few months, so for now I'm going to focus on repetition. 


Thank You Notes:

I have to say that the last few weeks of the test has felt a lot lighter than the few months prior. And I know exactly why that is: Mr. Emil Ramos. This test is SO much easier when someone is doing it with you. And Mr. Ramos' energy has given me a boost I didn't even know I needed. Sharing the experience with family, friends and dojo through the blog is helpful, it keeps me encouraged and accountable. But... having someone who is doing the test with me has made a huge difference. I am re-energized by his energy. So... Thank you Mr. Ramos.

And I'm also reminded, by his parents, how awesome parents are. My Mum and Dad were equally involved in all my adventures growing up. So partly I reminisce and wish my folks were here to wake me up and count my sit-ups. Not because I need them to, but because they want to. And partly it reminds me that I probably wouldn't have the discipline or even know how to have the desire for this, if I didn't have parents who told me I could do anything. So... Thank you Kate and Manny and thank you Mum and Dad.

The Levels:

Motivation: Feeling good

Next Event: August 23rd - Race For the Arts, September 7 - Giants' 1/2 Marathon

Just a Good Quote:

Week 36 - I Need to Hydrate... Seriously

The Numbers (as of 08/09):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		34,460	34,380	693	350	2	879	804	710	34	3
						1,685
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	52	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		68.92%	68.76%	69.30%	35.00%	70.22%			71.00%	65.38%	25.00%

On the right track with the numbers and got some very interesting news, too. Turns out I have 31 days longer than I thought I had. I thought I had until December 1st but I get until the 31st. That won't really change much of what I do day-to-day but it does give me some cushion. Phew.


The Training:

It was a good week for sparring. Some willing classmates get there early to get some sparring in before class. That will have to be my routine for the rest of the test in order to get my 1000 rounds. Kata is going well, it continues to be my happy place.

Clearly I haven't figured out how to get myself to the pool, but I have a bit of time yet. Staying steady with cycling and running. 

Eating well but still eating out a bit much. Studying up on nutrition and loving it. Listening to The China Study book now. It is a lot of information and has answered a lot of my questions... And is blowing my mind. While, I lean towards supporting the meat-free diet, I recognize the need to round out my studies with pro-meat theories. However, one thing that has been made abundantly clear: Whether you eat meat or stick to veggies, HYDRATION IS HUGELY IMPORTANT. The two or three cups of water I drink (and that's on a good day), is simply not okay. I think I could study this stuff non-stop and not get bored or ever learn it all.


The Challenges:

Really no change: Time management and keeping my head in the game. I will say, that lately I feel like I'm getting a good amount of me-time (to do other stuff). That might be because I've taken a break from the backyard renovation. It might be because I am out of the house more. Either way, I'm liking it and it keeps me in higher spirits.


The Levels:
Motivation: At a nice steady rate
Next Event: September 7th - Giant's 1/2 Marathon


HYDRATE! 

Week 35 - I Feel Smarter This Week

The Numbers (as of 08/02):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		33,410	33,330	672	321	2	827	782	686	33	3
						1,611
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	52	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		66.82%	66.66%	67.20%	32.10%	67.12%			68.60%	63.46%	25.00%

Well there are the numbers after another week. But I needed to look at them another way this week because: 1. I have to catch up on those sparring rounds. 2. I want to know what's ahead and confirm that I'm on the right track. 3. Crunching numbers is kind of fun to me and offers a lot of information. Here's what I've got:

The Numbers			Daily Averages			Weekly Averages
			So Far	Needed to Complete		So Far	Needed to Complete
Days Complete		Pushups	136.93	137.11		954.57	975.88
244		Crunches	136.60	137.77		952.29	980.59
		Kata	2.75	2.71		19.20	19.29
Days Remaining		Sparring	1.32	5.61		9.17	39.94
121		Journey	6.60	6.52		46.03	46.42
		Kindness	2.81	2.60		19.60	2.60

So the highlights... Yes, I'm panicking about the sparring numbers. I need to average 40 rounds of sparring over the next 17 weeks. Oh boy... The good news is that the rest of the numbers are on the right track. I admit, I was really hoping to see a bit of a cushion. But it looks like consistency is the key here. On we go...


The Training/Some Research:

I want to circle back that the issue of protein for a vegetarian. Compounded with the fact that martial arts is a sport where strength training is beneficial but cardio capacity is really important, too. So, I did some research. There was lots of reading, I liked this article a lot. It was a bit scientific but still understandable for this creative writing major :) If you're interested and don't feel like reading the whole thing, skip to the section called "Protein Requirements for Athletes."

There's the body mass theory that says an endurance athlete should consume 1.0 - 1.6 grams of protein per kg of body weight (for sedentary lifestyles it's 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight). There's also the caloric theory that says athletes (and those who live sedentary lifestyles, alike) should consume 12-15% of their daily calories in proteins. I like the calories concept better because each person's caloric requirements can vary hugely based on activity level, types of foods, and, the one that's often left out, genetics. Based on the research, for me:

• At about 62.1 kg (137 lbs), that's at least 62 grams of protein a day
• At about 2100 calories a day, it's at least 252 calories from protein a day
  1 gram of protein has 4 calories (1 gram of carb has 4 calories, 1 gram of fat has 9)
  So that's 63 grams of protein a day

I'll keep track for a few days to see how much I'm getting but my guess is that it's somewhere around 40 grams a day. 

Of course the research also says that the best protein sources are whole foods. I'll have to do more reading on that because meat isn't a whole food, to the best of my knowledge. I know meats boast that they contain more amino acids, but I'm not sure what the overall benefit of that is. So... more to come...

Anyway... working thru Wansu kata and looking forward to the fine tuning. Sparring will hopefully improve as I start pushing to get the rounds I need. 

Slacked off on swim training and really need to figure out how to get myself motivated to get to the pool. Keeping a consistent bike/run schedule is easy. I can work thru the challenge of making myself run or bike or lift, but getting to that pool... I'm having a hard time working thru that one. 


The Challenges:

Umm... getting to the pool. Haha. Sparring with people who have long arms which keep finding their way to my face. And also sparring with people who are smaller and slip right into that floating rib zone. And even with all of that happening, I just have to stay positive.


The Levels:
Motivation: Is pretty good for everything as long as it has nothing to do with swimming.
Next event: September 7th - Giant's 1/2 Marathon


Positive Thinking: