As always it’s been a while. Busy times I guess. I actually took a step back from running for a bit. I just wasn’t interested in it even with long races planned for the future. I’m still running just no solid plan yet. Next week I may start a more structured training regimen. I’m currently in Scotland visiting family so figured take an easy week and then regroup! Photos are from running there. 

I’d been hitting the strength routine hard though. Every day with no days off. Only 25-45 minutes day. And as expected it paid off. I can once again do full hand stand push ups. I had been doing hand stand push up negatives for nearly 8 weeks twice a week. So only doing the lowering phase, no pressing back up, gradually taking longer to do it eventually lowering my head to the ground in 5-7 seconds. I always doubted focusing on the negative phase of movements, but wow, the day I finally tried a full hspu I did it with full confidence and it was easy. I even did 3 consecutive reps. I’ve also been continuing and progressing my burpees in preparation for my second degree black belt grading in November. I’m currently doing 7 sets of 10 burpees with ten seconds rest between sets 6-7 days per week. I’ve learned to love that movement. My push-ups had become boring and stagnant. I wanted to be able to do full range and fast. I was lacking the fast so started doing plyometric push-ups, sometimes called clapping push ups, that add in a component of explosiveness. It’s helped tremendously and I’m planning to add more plyo movements throughout my body weight routine. Really enjoying the strength work and it’s helping with my running as well. 

Martial arts classes are back in mostly full swing. I’m now training at the academy Monday night, Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai, Wednesday, Escrima, and Thursday another back to back of JKD and Thai. So 5 classes a week. I try my best to train at home too but life always seems to push it to the back burner. I’m just attempting to at least do the bare minimum at home which many times builds into a longer session, and make it an easy technique session so I’m not all sweaty and worked up! Really loving being back and realizing the benefits of not only the arts themselves but the people I train with. Really excited for when all COVID restrictions are lifted and we can be more full contact. The Combat Submission Wrestling portion we currently can’t do but it’s surprisingly peaked my interest. The mechanics behind the movements are fascinating. CSW is a competitive sport using wrestling and grappling where bouts are won by submission. In JKD we use it as one of our ground fighting arts incorporating a lot of locks and takedowns that come from many arts such as jiu jitsu, judo, wrestling, among others. Search on YouTube for it, it’s really cool. 

My plant based eating has proven expectedly difficult in Scotland. Much like Minnesota a lot of options just aren’t available and I’d prefer to not be a burden to people.  So I’ve been treating myself to deep fried haggis among other pub foods! Definitely miss eating foods like that but for sure feel heavy and bloated from that and beer. I need to remind myself it’s alright and my body will repair itself once back to normal. It’s amazing though how different I feel, and not in a good way either!