Week 54 - It's Just Sooo Close...

The Numbers (as of 12/13):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		50,150	50,150	809	888	6	1,250	1,188	1,029	53	9
						2,443
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	56	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		100.30%	100.30%	80.90%	88.80%	101.81%			102.90%	94.64%	75.00%

Love those 100s! I just love them. I want to hug them. It was a pretty painfully slow week for sparring. As the holiday approaches there are less people in class and more on vacation! As it should be. Kata was sort of up and down which left it lower than it should be but it's still good to pass the 80% mark. I'll get there. Still have 18 days! 


The Training: 

Well, sparring... vacations are a good thing. Just means that I will be in the dojo as often as possible this week. I'll spar with anyone at this point. I'm not too proud to spar with a 6-year old. :) And of course there will be plans to get some time in over the holiday weeks also. 

I got a one-on-one class with Sensei last week and had the opportunity to run each kata by him. I know what I need to work on. I'm focused on getting the numbers met and getting some details fixed.

Still loving the strength training. I feel like being forced to spend some real time stretching is also doing my body good. Healthy eating is pretty consistent if you don't count the wedding cake I had last weekend. You don't say no to carrot cake, you just don't. 

I've got my scuba lesson scheduled, that'll be the third personal fear I wanted to conquer. And I've got my empathy training: blind day planned out. Gotta get some more videos up, too. Feel good. There's obviously some cramming in my future, but I'm ready for it.


The Challenges:

Now it's just a matter of nerves. 



The Levels:
Motivation: Still there, still with the nervousness
Next Event: January 9th - Black Belt Test


Lesson Learned:

I'm realizing as this test gets closer and closer to completion, that it's not so much the fact that I did this many push ups and that many miles... It's more that I didn't stop doing them even when I REALLY wanted to. There's peace of mind in that, and motivation. 

Video 9 - My Dog Likes Yoga

Week 53 - 25 Days to Goooooo!

The Numbers (as of 12/6):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		49,970	49,970	760	881	6	1,250	1,172	1,013	52	8
						2,427
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	56	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		99.94%	99.94%	76.00%	88.10%	101.15%			101.30%	92.86%	66.67%

The key take-away today is that I have 30 push-ups left (Insert Happy Dance). Sit-ups, too, but that's not as exciting because they don't hurt as bad. Finished the 1000 acts of kindness also. Closing that sparring gap. It will feel good to work into the 900s this week. 25 Days to go! Time to start counting DOWN.


The Training: 

It feels really good to be closing in on the end of this thing. I've been working on strength lately and that feels good. Moved away from plain weight-lifting to a tactical body-weight training routine that is absolutely kicking my butt and it feels great. Not surprising at all... sometimes the yoga cool-down is the hardest part. 

Trying to add a few new things to my sparring but really, what I've got is what I've got. At this point, what's going to get me thru the test is heart. Just keep standing up, no matter how many times they knock me down. This next four weeks is a brain game. Have to work on staying positive and feeling calm. I've accepted that I'm going to be nervous, just can't let it psych me out. I think that's mostly what the weight training is for now, to make me feel confident. 


The Challenges:

Managing the time with the holidays. 25 days left, but the holidays can be a distraction. I have to work my final requirements around that because the rest and relaxation are a part of the training and I want to enjoy the downtime.


The Levels:
Motivation: In there with the nervousness
Next Event: December 7th - CIM Relay; January 9th - Black Belt Test


Motivation:

I want to be able to get this mug for my parents :)

Hanshi Marilyn Fierro

Hanshi Marilyn Fierro

9th Dan Isshinryu Karate

I met Hanshi Ferro briefly at the 2011 KIAI Grand Nationals tournament in Orlando, Florida. She stood out for obvious reasons, she was the woman with red on her belt. I asked Sensei if he knew who she was and he was able to introduce me. We were only able to speak for a few minutes before she was called away for tournament duties. But she made a very strong impression on me. She told me about being a woman training in the 70s and how when she got her black belt it was a powerful moment. So, when it came time for my belt test to start, I knew exactly who to chose when seeking out a master.

          __________________________________________________________________________

         

Hanshi Fierro has been studying Isshinryu karate with since 1972. That was the yearshe had her second child. She was “doing the things you’re supposed to do. It was what everyone else wanted me to be,” she says. After that second child, she hit the gym, she just wanted to lose weight. It was at that gym that she stumbled upon a self-defense class. And it was that self-defense class that led her to the martial arts. The self-defense class was tae-kwon-do based and when that program ended at the gym, the instructor continued to teach her at her home. Eventually, however, he couldn’t teach anymore.

     Hanshi was not ready to stop training. In the early 70s women were not allowed to train in dojos, martial arts was taught to the military and men only. Hanshi Fierro, however, was persistent. She convinced Hanshi Adler to accept her as a student. She was a yellow belt at the time, but willingly started over as a white belt in order to continue training.

     Her goal was to get her brown belt. She told me: “In all honesty , I wasn’t very good. I was determined.” There is a lot of proof of that in her story. There was no protective gear available so she used her husband’s old socks to make some of her own. And she continued to train. She achieved brown belt but says, “I didn’t think I knew enough,” so she trained some more. 

    

     In 1980 she took over Smithtown Karate Academy. In 1982 the published her first martial arts article, and has published several more since then. She has competed in kata and weapons divisions with great success. In 1996 she became the first woman Isshinryu master recognized on Okinawa when was awarded the rank of Nana Dan by Hanshi Adler and Hanshi Uezu. In 1997 she was inducted into Hanshi Nagle’s Hall of Fame as a Master Instructor. In 1998 she was inducted into the Isshinryu Hall of Fame. And in May 2014, she was promoted to 9th Dan.

Week 52 - 365 Days! 8,766 Hours! 525,949 Minutes! Seriously... It's a long time.

The Numbers (as of 11/29):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		49,070	49,070	712	840	6	1,250	1,159	1,000	51	8
						2,415
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	56	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		98.14%	98.14%	71.20%	84.00%	100.62%			100.00%	91.07%	66.67%

The Numbers make me happy. It was a GREAT week for sparring courtesy of a few classmates. I feel good about the sparring. The kata, however, is going to require quite a push at the end. Finished up my acts of kindness requirement but gotta get one video a week for December. Getting there...


The Training:


What a difference some grappling makes. And by that I mean... it hurts. Haha. It never fails to amaze me the different ways we can work out and the effects it all has. I was so sore for a few days there that sneezing hurt. And grappling makes me feel like I need to put more time into strength training. 


Over the Thanksgiving holiday a small group of us met at the dojo to train. Mrs. Ruch led us in a couple short series of exercises. I kind of fear that woman :) Talking with her reminded me that it's important to diversify my workouts. Karate, should only be one part of my training and cardio shouldn't be the only other thing I put time into. Diversify. Strength. Those will be my goals in the next year, I think. 


The Rest of the Requirements:

With one month to go it seems appropriate to touch base with the other requirements. Here ya' have it:

Other Requirements/Goals
Empathy Training			Blind		Mute	✔	Wheelchair			Complete:
Read 6 books			✔ - 7 Habits	✔ - BABOK	✔ - A Call to Action	✔- Power of Now	✔ - China Study	✔ - Traditions		Complete:	✔
Seek out a Master			In contact with Marilyn Fierro; Drafted							Complete:
1 Personal Goal			Rancho Cordova Challenge - 1/2 Iron Distance (70.3) - Oct 5th							Complete:	✔
Memorize the Black Belt Pledge										Complete:
1 Community Service Project			✔ - Swings for SMA		✔ - Team w/ Robotics Club					Complete:	✔
Conquer 3 Personal Fears			Riding	✔	Scuba		Reptile	✔		Complete:
1/2 Marathon in < 1:46:00			Down to 1:50:01 so far							Complete:	X

I did some empathy training on Friday. One day mute: It was really entertaining sometimes and super frustrating sometimes. At the dojo there was a lot of laughter as we sort of charade-ed our way through a couple of hours. At the store I felt kind of rude. Not just because I couldn't say thank you (signing it wasn't helpful), but because I felt totally disconnected. At home, I just felt really bad for my dog. I think he felt disconnected.

I set a goal to get my 1/2 marathon time down to 1:46:00. Didn't even get close! But... I did shave 4:53 off my personal record. So that get's an "X." Hoping to get a scuba lesson this month but probably won't get a wheelchair day as my friend is recovering from a surgery. Profile of a master will be posted soon. It's coming together. 


The Challenges:

Kata... 


The Levels:
Motivation: Trying to ramp it up.
Next Event: December 7th - CIM Relay; January 9th - Black Belt Test

Motivation: 
This month is about getting excited for testing day. So I will work harder this month than I have in the past 12.