Happy Canada Day!

Nice Work Guys!

 

 

7 km in 45 minutes.
Slow but steady said the tortoise..slow but steady...

Hello I T Band

I have been running but I am a terrible runner.
But I guess that's why I thought I would hit this challenge head on. In the past, I saw no reason to run unless it was a sprint to win or pass a grading.

Long distance runners amaze me. A friend of mine talks about the runners high and how she uses it to start her day.

I think I get bored or have no destination so therefore.. why am I doing this?
Well this year I would like to break through,  but in doing so, I have discovered new challenges and temporary limitations(I hope!).

Enter..the I T Band. I can hardly stand or walk when it flares up.
I went to the Chiropractor for some "active release" and he pretty much said "suck it up" you are not stretching properly so this is the result.
Bottom line ...if I want to run for longer than 20 minutes there is going to have to be some preparation and attention to leg muscles that I took for granted.

Now its the hunt for some good runner stretches!!

Waiting to be Inspired

"Don’t wait for inspiration to strike — you have to meet it halfway. If you want to be hit by lightning, go out in a thunderstorm with a metal rod"...

It’s the Do-ers not the Say-ers that inspire me. They follow thru. They walk the walk.

They don’t just tell me how its done…they show me , and they are good at it.

People who inspire become leaders.  People are not necessarily a leader because they are the boss, received a promotion or because they own the place or they had the great idea. True leaders...they act on their passions. They are the first to pick up the shovel and start to dig, roll up their sleeves and start to work, get on the mats and drill it out. Whatever it is they do, they do it with passion, in front of everyone, at anytime. There is no act. They make sure the job gets done…they are there to make sure it is complete and help those along that they mentor.

I think lately, I have been sitting around waiting to be inspired and the result has been a lack of motivation. 

  I forgot it’s a two way street. You have to be around the potential, look for the opportunities, you cant sit at home and wait for Motivation and Inspiration to call you on the phone, you have to get out there and be there when the moment of inspiration happens. 

 I have noticed the separation from the I ho Chuan these past few months have fed that sluggish feeling. But its made me realize you should not rely on others to drag you along to your goals, at some point you have to contribute and inspire by your own self propulsion.

Individually and Collectively you can inspire...you can effect change.

Just give me an hour

Sometimes all it takes is one hour. One hour of "give it everything you've got'...sweat till you drop, "leg shaking" training to put your head right again.
I have been bummed out a little bit by the amount of time that my job has consumed since I came back from holidays but today I feel like I put myself back on track by simply applying my self to train intensely.

Of course, this doesn't mean I can relax tomorrow!.. but I sure feel like I have my momentum back again.
So, if you are having one of those weeks where you cant train everyday, try cutting out an hour here and there during the week but make every minute count, it could do wonders for the head space!

Feels like a Tidal Wave

Our vacation seems like a distant memory now (sigh).
I came back and hit the ground running at work but that was no surprise.
It seems to be in our nature, when we get busy, to push so much to the side and focus on just one thing that ends up consuming most of our time and perhaps burning us out.
I did just that this week. I neglected my training, physically working out even, did not eat well and probably because of that did not sleep well.

Spent most of the days trying to catch up at work and put out "fires".
So here it is Friday, I'm tired, didn't practice anything martial arts wise and I feel like crap.

A person needs to remind themselves , when we neglect or push to the side the things that act as the foundation to our well being the "work" that we put as a priority suffers as well too. It becomes more quantity than quality, in my opinion.

If we are balanced at the foundation (diet, sleep, physical activity) our mind can only benefit. Our decisions are more clear, we become more productive in what we are trying to accomplish.and there is a sense of balance as opposed to feeling overwhelmed.

I am pretty sure , everyone understands this concept, but today, I needed to put it into words in front of my eyes to remind myself and to adhere to my on advice.

Surfing has been a blast so far, I wish I could do it more but its all about location! The photos are  day One of surfing in Maui. The weather was actually not that great for our first day of surfing . It was overcast, cool and the surf was down, but...since it was our first crack at it....it was still great!
The Instructor for my lesson of surfing was from Mexico and had been surfing for 20 years. She was excellent, all you had to do was listen to what she said, and it worked. She said teaching had its challenges when you are only with someone for 2 hours and they decide they have it figured out in 20 minutes. I could understand that.
We did really well with our first day of surfing, I am quite confident my years of training with center and balance with kung fu played into my success. Of course, for some who are 8 years old , some things just come naturally(I hate 8 year olds!! :))

Once I  was left to my own devices I realized the true challenge of surfing. 

Its the Ocean. Its unpredictable. The experience of reading it, knowing when the right wave is coming, knowing the timing to catch a wave, knowing when the wave is more than you can handle or maybe its just a dud.

Its very addictive, always saying to yourself ...OK ..one more wave and then I am going in. Next thing you know, the morning is gone and your arms are tired of paddling.

Talking to some of the locals, you realize its a hobby to some, its a lifestyle to others and you see how its yet a religion to the dedicated.

It  reminds me of the marital arts. 

Very cool.