Last post it was snowing. Since then a decent amount of snow has come and gone but I did take advantage of it, though it's sad to see it gone. This morning it was around 47 degrees F, I guess we're back to normal.

skating down the road

I don't know what the actual totals were but I'd guess at least 6 inches fell and stayed around for a few days. Although the ground wasn't frozen it did make for great skiing. With no infrastructure for snow removal everything gets packed down forming a solid base which is good initially but a few days later that base turns into ice. They don't shovel sidewalks and only plow major roads so side streets and anywhere someone would walk is really slippery. I found it humorous they cancel school while it's snowing however the worst conditions are after. It's an utter shit show.

Yep, JKD photos. I'll talk about that in a bit...

my instructor and I

the two guys and I who graded with all the help

Since it snowed for a few days that base got refreshed so one night I was able to ski literally everywhere. I would've been happy skiing dust on grass but I skied down the road, on the sidewalks, through the park, down the canal , even down the high street in town (the main street). I was happy. I forgot how much I miss that sport. I keep kicking around the idea of contacting the British Nordic team here and seeing if they have interest in the West Midlands for a training group. The Wyre Forest has good roller ski terrain and the Stourport Cycle track is a paved loop that is free of cars. I get excited and then remember I'm tied to children.

boxing

single stick drills

My JKD grading has come and gone. I can say I have a black belt in martial arts. It went ok and of course was a lot of fun. I was disappointed in myself though because I know I can do better. I don't feel as if I'm at that level. I passed of course but I don't know how I feel about it. All the JKD photos are from it. When the academy reopens in January I need to talk to my instructors about what's best to do at home other than curriculum.

Thai boxing drills

single stick sparring, I'm in blue

After a rash of sick family members (not me fortunately), lack of sleep, stress from JKD, Christmas stress, among other things I'm trying to get back on track. I'm having a rethink of my calisthenics routine in order to figure out a more efficient program, mainly looking at lower reps and higher difficulty exercises in order to gain strength, not size. I need to figure out the same for JKD as I mentioned above. Running is going alright other than I've been really tired  lately making mornings difficult. I'm excited to start doing speed work once or twice a week but have yet to commit. The Thames Path 100 isn't as inspiring as Western States so in times of injury or being exhausted motivation is tough to find. Not that it's a lesser race it just doesn't have such a personal connection.

muddy Wyre Forest made for slow running but fun

 So this week I've been jotting down notes, doing a little research, trying to set habits again. Re-start old habits such as meditation and stretching, two very beneficial practices. These are so beneficial but I never do it. In the past I've had a good routine with both but it fell to the wayside. Speaking of stretching the academy is starting yoga classes in the new year and they fall immediately after JKD. I'm tempted but I already ride the line as far as taking up personal time. I was kind of hoping they'd be a different night so the wife could go, now she's had a glimpse of the community involved at the academy it's peaked her interest and something like that would be extremely beneficial for her. 

icy and snowy Wyre Forest run

Sorry if the photos don't line up well or are poorly formatted, the kids are driving us fucking nuts today so patience is short. I just read it and yeah it's kind of out of alignment with all the JKD photos sorry.

So into Christmas we go. 

Temporary smiles

And it's been a while once again. As I've mentioned before, photos are usually my catalyst to post and running in the dark isn't all that conducive for good photos! Anyway.....

I dropped my name in the Western States 100 hat again. Didn't get picked which is kind of what I was hoping for. I'd like to do it again and have the family there. Now we chase. The Thames Path 100 I'm signed up for in May is a qualifier so as long as I finish I can enter the lottery next year. Cool.

New Altra Torins and kick ass Stance socks! 

 I had been running consistently again until this past week. The wife was out of town for work three days, then she returned with an ear infection, daughter got an ear infection, and the little guy got croup. No one slept for three - four nights so this week has been horrible for running. I also had been focusing on my JKD black belt test which was suppose to be today, Sunday. But.........

dawn patrol, breaking trail

It's been snowing! The JKD grading has been rescheduled for next Saturday, this place shuts down with any snow. I got out running this morning in three inches of snow too! I wasn't going to but decided to despite everyone being sick. Screw 'em. Only a short run though, 3 miles, but it made me happy. Winter sucks here and I get really down. The realization that I won't get to show my kids the fun of winter that I got to grow up with hurts. It has always been such a huge part of my life until I moved to the UK. 

no one knows how much I miss this culture

I scraped the shitty storage wax off the rock skis the other day and am hoping to nordic ski today. I'm itching to get out but with everyone sick and sleep deprived no one is happy and me wanting to ski would probably be seen as selfish. I'm just sleep deprived, and of course ski deprived, but what does that matter to everyone else? I miss everything about the ski world, the smell of the wax, the people, the cold, it's just such a beautiful thing.  

Hoping to get back on track with running once everyone heals up. I'm still hanging on to a couple odd injuries. Knee plica, which doesn't bother me running, and also right hamstring/glute pain. An odd ache that comes and goes but is tolerable. I'm excited to run more but life has just been getting in the way. One observation, despite everyone being sick the one person everyone judges on his choice of diet is still healthy. A plant based, whole foods diet done correctly creates an insanely strong immune system.