Countdown to Kung Fu Black Sash Test -- Eve of Test

It's 10:13pm and I should have been in bed 13 minutes ago.  Today's plan:  Get a good night's sleep.  But I couldn't go to sleep without checking in with you all.

I spent the day mentally preparing myself for sparring by imagining different scenarios and envisioned myself taking care of it all neatly and calmly.

That's about it.  No working out.  No running -- It was way too hot.

I am really glad I am not nervous at the moment.  I HATE that nervous feeling. It interferes with being able to feel the fun of all this. I know it will come back, but right now I'm pretending like the nervous feeling will not come back.  Even if it does, I'm enjoying every minute of being at peace right now. And every minute of not being in pain.

So, as soon as I finish typing these words to you all, I'm hitting the sack.

Countdown to Kung Fu Black Sash Test -- Day 3

Running out of pictures that have to do with Kung Fu.  Had to dig into files from 4 years ago and find a picture at one of our first belt graduations.  Looks like I just got my yellow belt here (and yes, that is an American Flag you see in the background..)

We didn't wear those white uniforms for too long before we moved to the intermediate level and bought our black pants and cool black T-shirts.

My last workout for the week before the black sash test was tonight and it was at a beginner class where they were wearing the white uniforms.  As part of the black sash training we have to "role model" at a beginner class.  The funny part about that is I am always humbled by those people learning in the white uniforms.  They always seem so much better than I am.

Because the beginner workout is lighter, it was necessary to jack up the intensity and work at a high energy level.  This is not my forte -- deliberately performing an activity at a higher intensity level when it can be done perfectly fine at a lower one -- but if I didn't use this last workout on the agenda to work hard, the black sash test on Friday was going to be harder.

Now I won't do any more working out until the test.  Maybe I'll go for a little barefoot run tomorrow morning but that's it.  I will imagine my muscles gaining just a tad little bit of strength as I sleep tonight, and then that will be it.  That will be the most I could do before the test.

I could have made this easier on myself by training a little better.  I could have made this easier on myself by losing some weight.  I could have made this easier on myself by not missing a single class these past six months.  I could have practiced and worked out more at home on my own. But, in the midst of all the business of life, I did what I could.  I've been through the "I could have ..." stage of this process and have arrived at the acceptance stage that I am what I am at this point and my performance on Friday will reflect that.

All I'll be able to bring to the test will be how much I've achieved thus far.  If it's not good enough, then I will have to wait.  If it's good enough, then I'll pass and move on to some higher training.

Countdown to Kung Fu Black Sash Test -- Day 2

Yesterday was a barefoot run -- about 2 miles.  On the agenda for today was my regular Tuesday night advanced class.

I knew I had to work the intensity for tonight's class.  In the regular class, we do less in our conditioning sets than we do in the Saturday morning cycle training, and than we'll do on the test this coming Friday, so my plan was to push it harder tonight.  Kind of like doing hill work or sprints.

During the black sash test we will have to get through the following conditioning section right off the bat, before moving on to anything else:

Set 1
60 jumping jacks
90 seconds (or is it 120?) push-ups
90 seconds regular crunches
Immediately to Set 2
60 jumping jacks
90 seconds non-stop push-ups
90 seconds side-side-middle crunches
Immediately to Set 3
60 jumping jacks
90 seconds push-ups
90 seconds bicycle crunches

It's that last bit of bicycle crunches that always gets me and that I'm very worried about.  If you stop during these sets, they will tap you on the shoulder and you're out of the test.  I almost always have to put my feet on the floor and rest after about 30 bicycle crunches.  I'm just not there yet.  But one of my instructors told me to just keep moving.  What I was able to do this past Saturday was just switch to regular crunches.  If they accept that, I'll be okay.

(Very weird thing that's happening during my bicycle crunches.  Since I NEVER wear shoes with arch support any more except for those old running shoes in kung fu class, I have been getting this really weird charlie horse cramp in the arch of my foot when I get down to do the crunches.  It just cramps all up in this tight contraction in the middle of my foot and hurts really badly and is out of my control to relax it.  It makes me look weird as I start the bicycle crunches.  It is bizarre and I think it's because of the shoes -- doing the jumping jacks in those old running shoes.)

I also have to stop in the middle of the third set of push-ups, but I can stay in plank position and just do one more, then stay in plank and do one more, etc..., so I can get by.

The test is going to be 3 hours long.  We'll be tested on everything we've learned for the past four years.  Punches, kicks, various drills, Long Fist I and Long Fist II, the defense applications of both Long Fist I and II.  And then we'll have to spar.  Some people will have to fight 3 people, some 5, some -- the second degree black sashes -- 10 people.  And at the end of all those hours -- the famous 5 minute horse stance!

Well, now back to my plan for tonight.  My plan was to do deeper and faster crunches and push-ups.  Since in the regular class we have to do half the amount of jumping jacks and half the time for the crunches and push-ups, I figure it would be like when you run faster because you are running a shorter distance.  More intensity with less time.

Then, when I have to go the "longer distance" on Friday, I will pace myself.  I will do slower push-ups crunches and not do them as deeply into the muscles.  Like when you run slower for your "long run" day.

That's the plan anyway.

Countdown to Kung Fu Black Sash Test -- Day 1

Today's plan was to run.  Run barefoot, of course.

But I got called to sing a funeral in the morning, so was planning to run when I came home from that, a little worried that the pavement would be hot.

But as I was getting ready to go sing I got the horrible aura of a migraine -- shimmery jagged lights in my vision.  My DH, who happened to be home, gave me an osteopathic adjustment to my neck, which often keeps the headache from coming.  I got through the funeral and never got the headache, but still felt pretty crummy and had to lay down for several hours.

I only get these dumb migraines about four times a year but I was upset that it spoiled my training plan for the week.

So, I had to force myself to go out and run in the evening.

I felt really out of it because of the migraine, and I really did not want to go out there.  But I kept thinking of that test on Friday -- a three hour test of endurance that I'm not even sure I'll be able to pass.  I knew that this run was important to get in to at least help maintain my aerobic conditioning.

So, I tricked myself.  I told myself that I was only going out for a walk.

It worked.

It is very tricky running out there in the evenings.  There are tons of joggers out there bouncing up and down in their springy running shoes.  There are also lots of fitness walkers with their sweatshirts tied around their waists and their water bottles swinging at their sides.  There are also lots of people walking dogs and talking on cell phones, and families with kids in all kinds of riding contraptions.

In all that, weaving in and out of the people with my little dog, not one person seemed to notice or even blink an eye about the fact that I was out there running barefoot.  In that way I enjoyed it tremendously because we were all just out there doing our thing, whatever it happened to be.  I have a friend who gets hostile comments in the urban neighborhood where he runs, so I feel very blessed to have this place here.

On the way back, I was blessed also with being able to see the most beautiful sky.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera or phone with me to take a picture for you all, so I'll use one I took from a couple of nights ago.  Stay tuned with me all week as I go through the final workouts before my black sash test on Friday!!

My Love/Hate Affair With Kung Fu Sparring Gear

 

Ummm … That should read my Love/Hate Affair.

From the moment we got this sparring gear, I had an aversion to it.  In fact, I had such an aversion to it that I would often “forget” to bring my gear to class, and while everyone else was practicing sparring, I would be over with the group that forgot their gear and just practicing forms, which I liked better.

No one really looks that great in their sparring gear, but some of the younger girls can look a little cute in theirs.  I am not one to worry too much how I look.  I don’t let that concern stop me from going out and doing stuff, but I have to admit that the sparring gear was a little too much.  I thought it made me look a lot like Kung Fu Panda.

But really, the aversion to the sparring gear for me was almost as strong as my aversion to sparring.  I mean, I had joined Kung Fu because my daughter had wanted to do it and my friend and her daughter were doing it and I thought it would be a good way to get some exercise.  I looked at all those Kung Fu forms and thought, “They’re kind of pretty – like dance.  I can go for that!”

About two years into Kung Fu the realization came.  “Oh my gosh, I’m learning to fight!”  I have to tell you that it was the farthest thing from my mind when I had joined – learning to fight.

Needless to say I feared it and did not like it one bit.  Fighting seemed as far off my radar as something could possibly be.  I don’t like violence at all.  I never go to any movies that come anywhere near being violent (Kung Fu Panda being an exception, and also the Lord of the Rings Trilogy).

Well, to pass our black sash test we have to spar.  We have to spar against a number of people.  So, we have been sparring during our black sash training.

When Sifu called me in last January to invite me to black sash training, he told us that he would not invite us if he didn’t think we could do it.  He asked if I had any concerns.  I told him it was the sparring.  “What could we do to help you with that?”  I told him that if I had some technique and strategy I would feel more confident.  “Just show me what to do," I said.

All that time I had “forgot” my sparring gear, I had missed out on some training and I was behind.  I have been trying to catch up the past 6 months.

I don’t think I’ve ever participated in a physical activity that is as intense as this sparring.  My little barefoot 16-minute miles just don’t cut it compared to this level of intensity.  It is during the sparring that my lips have turned blue two times.

There are a lot of already black belts in our class that are training to get their second and third degrees.  Some of them are teenagers who are strong and fast and have been training a lot longer than I have.  It has nothing less than comical as I’ve gone up against some of them.  They just set themselves up on one leg and just start kicking and kicking me like I’m some kind of punching bag.

 

Until this morning.

I have been thinking a lot about strategy and about myself.  I cannot make myself a more advanced person than I am right now.  I have a repertoire of a few moves that I can use, much fewer than the fancy spin kicks and arsenal that some of those girls have.  I’m not speedy, but I do have my brain.

I decided I needed a bit more practice, so a couple of days ago, I attended the sparring class that was just after my regular Kung Fu class.  I didn’t know how I was going to do it because just getting through one 45 minute workout is enough for me.  But I did stay and I learned just a little bit more, and I built my stamina just a little bit more.

So, this morning, I was very calm and I started to do well.  Keeping a cool head helped me.  When the kicks came, I just pushed them out of the way.  I controlled my space and kept far enough away so that I couldn’t be used as a punching bag.  I planned my moves in advance and watched carefully what the other person was doing.  I didn’t swing or kick randomly or wildly, but waited patiently for the opportunity.

And I did much better.

 

 

 

 

 

(the dumb mouthpiece that makes us all look like goons)

The Joy of Warming Up

It's been over two weeks now that I've been thoroughly warming up before I engage in any physical activity such as barefoot running or kung fu.  It has made a big difference in both my ability to perform these activities, and my enjoyment of them as well.

I posted last week that I was using a very simple, non-flashy, beginner routine that is posted by Paul Zaichik on a youtube channel, "Project Elastic Steel."  The video of his I had posted last week was the first part of  "Episode 2."

I have now progressed to Episode 4 of his little series.



There is much to say about this little series of humble videos.

First, some people who checked the video out may wonder why -- if I am already engaged in working out with somewhat advanced activities that are in kung fu and running -- why does Barefoot Fresca think that she has to do such exercises for not only beginners, but a routine recommended for people who might even have very limited mobility at this point and are looking to get back into exercise?

Well, the sad truth is, that Barefoot Fresca jumped into these more advanced activities sooner than might have been recommended had anyone known what was going on.

Sometimes when an inactive person desires to get active, she might choose an activity or sport that looks fun to her.  Not knowing that years of inactivity has most likely affected her joint mobility, flexibility, strength, overall range of motion in many areas of the body, she may not realize that more developed tasks of movement are not going to come easy and it might be unwise or even unsafe to go full out before some basic physical tasks, ones taken for granted while young, are restored to her.

This is kind of what happened to Barefoot Fresca.  As she learned this awesome kung fu stuff and went out to run, she didn't realize what time and inactivity had done to stiffen her up and rob her of the ability to participate in movement activities.

Okay, enough talking in the third person, I'm going to switch back to talking about myself directly again because it's hard to keep that up.

There are a few limitations that have been hampering my ability to progress with my chosen activities.  Here are some limitations:

• spinal rotation (unable to perform the simple task of putting my hand on the back of the passenger seat and twisting around to look behind me while backing up while driving)
• limited overhead reach (having trouble putting heavy frying pan away in the cabinet above the refrigerator)
• weak knees (unable to do squats and do the back-saving and protective action of bending at the knees to pick stuff up off the floor)
• lack of strength to get up from the floor (if someone knocked me over in a fight, it would be won because I cannot spring back up off the floor.  I'm the last one up in the kung fu class when we finish our crunches and have to stand back up)
• deficient strength with kung fu stances that are done with most or all of the weight on one leg -- crane stance, empty stance, etc...
• difficulty balancing on one leg

 and the list goes on and on.

What I should do, is go back to the beginning and start all over again and perform the routines on Project Elastic Steel -- or something similar -- which contain the seed form of more advanced movements.  But I'm not going to go all the way back to the beginning.  I'm going to continue to enjoy and work on the more advanced stuff I've been learning, while humbly working on these elementary routines.  After all, doing the advanced stuff has gradually strengthened me, improved my flexibility and range of motion.  I modified the advanced stuff to my abilities as I went along and these movements have served to develop me.  It's just that I feel the need to fill in the gaps. By using this routine as the warmup for my other stuff, I believe I can do that -- progressing along with the warmup as I continue to maintain the gains I have made in running and kung fu.

In addition, because I am heavier, I need to build extra strength to manage my body weight.  If I'm not ready to reduce the amount of food I'm eating and lose weight -- which I'm not, for a number of reasons -- then it would be smart develop the strength to bear the weight I do have.  One or the other (or both) is advisable if one desires to experience freedom of movement.

In this beginner routine -- which also makes an excellent warmup for non-beginners -- the task of standing on one leg will build strength in my standing leg that will later form a foundation for better kung fu kicks.

What I like about the Project Elastic Steel videos:

1. Mr. Zaichik explains the physiology of each movement very thoroughly.  The way he works it is that he goes through the routine the long way first, with detailed explanation -- such as in episodes 1 and 3 -- and then once you know what you are doing, he gives the fast version
2. His workouts contain all the elements of what they recommend for warmups now -- joint mobility warmup (fantastic!), cardiovascular warmup, muscle action warmup (lower and upper body), dynamic stretches, and -- lastly, when the body is completely warmed -- static stretches.
3. All the movements in the videos are kind of a seed form that develops over a period of weeks throughout the episodes and become more challenging and more advanced.  This gradually develops a person for more advanced physical tasks.
4. He is very organized and methodical (something I like).  I even like the way you can keep track of each Episode because he has thought to wear a different color T-shirt for each one.
5. The videos and routines are very simple and humble, produced at a low cost, apparently -- maybe even right in his home -- and yet containing way more valuable knowledge, information and insight into human movement than a lot more flashily produced videos.
6. The routines use one's own body weight with a minimum of equipment.
7. The routines take up very little space (I've been doing them right in the kitchen in front of my computer)
8. Mr. Zaichik patiently explains what one should do if one has trouble or difficulty with even this basic level of stretching or movement.  He is very reassuring in the way he lets a beginner know that it is okay not be be able to perform a movement or to perform it on a lesser level.  He makes it very clear.
9. As I said before, I admire the humility and patience of a very advanced athlete to count through these simple movements and exercises with a beginning kind of student.  He has stated in the comment section on his channel that he has an interest in helping people who have been cut off from movement find their way into the wonderful world of physical activity again.
10. The routines are constructed so that if they are followed faithfully, they will improve a person's physical abilities and enjoyment of body and movement.

I am not a fan of using any kind of equipment for fitness.  I am not saying that anyone who does like equipment is wrong or anything. I am merely speaking that my personal preference has always been for natural ways to improve one's physical capabilities using one's own body weight.  I think this part of my personality and preference and philosophical outlook is part of what gets so tickled about barefoot running and the way I get to ditch that piece of equipment that seemed so essential -- the modern running shoe.

However, there is one piece of equipment I've decided to invest in.  I think it's really important to add some pullup action to my routines, and these videos from Project Elastic Steel include some pullup action.  I've been doing pushups for a while now in kung fu, and I've read and heard that it is wise to train the antagonistic motion of pulling up as well.

In the videos, Mr. Zaichik mentions at the beginning that one could use two chairs and a broom stick for the pull ups.  That's what I've been doing so far.  But my chairs were so low that it was hard to get in the proper position for the pullups.

Then I saw another Paul Zaichik video where he mentioned that you would have to use books on the chair to get the broomstick to the height that is needed. So, I did that, and it was better, but the broomstick kind of bows (guess I don't have a very strong broom) and I really like the contraption he is using in the videos. It is a simple stand and it is very portable and just looks so useful for a variety of things.

I went over to the Elastic Steel web site and found that this piece of equipment is not sold there.  I also read through all the forums and found that this piece of equipment is not mentioned or discussed anywhere.

I searched all over the internet and I found this:



I showed it to my husband and he said to go ahead and get it (even though it cost a pretty penny).  However, based on the way I like to work out, I have a feeling this is a good investment.  I will let you know how I like it once it gets here.

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Disclaimer:  I solely have pointed to these videos and products to discuss them from the point of view of sharing what is interesting and useful to me.  I have no connection whatsoever with the people who produce or sell any of these things and get nothing for writing about it.  These people don't even know I exist. Just sharing my personal journey -- discoveries, thoughts, and explorations -- with all of you, dear blog-reading friends..

Sunny Sidewalks

How many times can you look at a photo of these same sidewalks that I run on every day?

Yup, here they are again! I must be breaking all the blog rules about keeping my readers interested by variety.  And yet, dear friends, you keep coming back!

An uncle of mine, who is a pastry artist, once told me that when he was little my grandmother didn’t want to bring a whole box of crayons along when she brought him with her to her appointments, so she just brought one crayon (I wrote about this on my other blog in the post “One Crayon”).  He told me he developed his art talent by the fact that he had to make that one crayon look so many different ways.

Well, something similar is the case with my barefoot running and this blog.  I have to make my one sidewalk look so many different ways and see it from so many different angles because I never go anywhere else.  But, being kind of “stuck” here for the time being in my barefoot running life, I have been forced to see that there is so much to learn right on this one little path and that I do not necessarily need to leave for trails along oceans and up mountain tops in order to discover new things about barefoot running.

Yesterday I wrote about getting myself out there too late and the pavement was too hot.  I told you I would try to go out later in the day.

I kind of chickened out going out later in the evening.  It was Memorial Day, and I had forgotten that this boulevard is crammed with people strolling along looking at the boats on The River.  There would be dogs, and children and crowds of people.  Although Barefoot Fresca is brave and doesn’t care if people see her running barefoot, that was a little too much to go out there with her little dog and weave in and out of that scene.  So, I decided to go out this morning instead even though I have Kung Fu tonight.  I hope I will be able to handle Kung Fu class.

I almost made the same mistake and got out there late again, but not quite as late as yesterday.  The shadow from the wall had already receded and the tiles were exposed to the sun, as you can see in the photo above.  However, it was early enough that the trees along the path were still casting a shadow, which had not been the case yesterday, as yesterday it was past noon and this morning it was enough before noon that there would be some shade from those trees, thus making it possible to run across little hot sections from tree to tree.

There was no way to run in the shadow because it was right up against the wall, and besides, even if one could be that close to the wall and run, one wouldn’t want to because that wall is very famous for being the place all the doggies like to relieve themselves.  As brave and un-squeamish as I’ve become about sidewalk dirt, I don’t have the inclination to run along that strip.

I did find that the section immediately to the left of the shadow that remained was cooler than the section of sidewalk a little to the left of that.  I think it is because that strip of pavement has only been newly exposed to the sun and had less time to soak it in and heat up.

So, my strategy was to run on that strip.  I tested it out several times and it was definitely cooler than the center of the path.

The day before, my feet had become slightly burnt by the 1/4 mile of hot pavement I had walked on.  Last year I would have given them an entire day off to heal up and toughen.  That worked really well.  But my feet seem to adjust more quickly this year – definitely a sign of leaving beginner-hood behind – and it felt right to go out this morning.  If this run was not part of my black sash training, I would have just waited another day, but I am determined to get two runs in at least this week because I believe it will help my stamina during my black sash test.

There were definitely some hot sections, and I felt a little worried about the fact that I had once again forgotten to bring along a pair of flip flops in case I couldn’t handle the heat.  What’s wrong with me?  Have I become over-confident?  I always went out so prepared last summer (and btw, never had to use the flip flops).  But I just kept thinking about what I knew was up ahead – the haven of “The Shady Section.”  Before I knew it, “The Shady Section” was upon me:

Aaah!  The best part!

One worry, though, for the way back.  There would be a long hot section to get through.  It would be a little hotter than on the way there because it will have had at least 20 more minutes to soak up the sun and the wall shadow would have receded even more.  Here is “The Brutal Hot Section”

As you can see, the shady strip along the wall has become very small, and the rest is hot, hot, hot!  In a few weeks, that hot section will not be a problem.  I know that because last summer it was not.  But until I get my thermal resistant soles built up, this is a little tough and needs to be taken a little at a time.

I stayed close to the shady part, where the tiles were slightly cooler, but when runners coming from the other direction came, I had to move out to the middle where it was hot.

You see, in the hierarchy of runners, the slower, less-experienced runner is the one who has to give way to the “professional” runner.  One can feel the hierarchical energy and one knows when one is supposed to yield.  I’m not exactly sure of this, but I sense out there that the barefoot runner must yield to the shod runner.  It is a humiliation for the barefoot runner, for the barefoot runner must accept the position of being “lower” than the “serious” shod runner, even though the reality is that this may not be so.

Perhaps this is all in my own mind.  Perhaps it is just me who always yields, because I think I am truly the smallest and least of all runners.

But while I was yielding I was thinking, “Sheesh!  Don’t these people with shoes on know that it’s hotter out here in the middle?”

No.  They don’t.  There is stuff that barefoot runners know about these here sidewalks that all the world does not know!! Secret barefoot knowledge!

One last little bit of secret barefoot knowledge about this path to share.  You can see in the photo to the left that there are sections of the path that have this decorative stone inlaid (which the dogs also LOVE).

When running along the shadow on the cooler part of the tiles, I had to move out when I got to the stones and it was hotter out beside the stones.

All in all it was a great run, and I had some thoughts about it being like resistance training and I think I solved the question I’ve been having about whether to increase speed (intensity) or distance (endurance) first as an overweight runner.  I was going to share the conclusions with you in this post, but it really doesn’t fit because this post is mostly about handling the hot pavement.  So I’ll save my other strategy for another post.

Right now my feet feel slightly burnt again, but I know that will be gone within a day and my feet will be more tolerant of the hot sections than they were today.

Thanks for reading along!