Getting back into top shape....Too fun to not prioritize

My vacation started today and for the first time in months, I made it to class with enough time to properly loosen up and stretch before class. In my case, this takes a full 30 minutes.

WOW, what a difference. I had almost forgotten the difference it makes to come to class stretched and ready to go. Now, I'm no slouch: I always make it about ten minutes early but ten minutes just isn't enough for me to get warmed up. Tonight, with a fully thirty minute warm up made a world difference. I could actually kick and move full speed without that nagging sense that I was on the verge of injury.

It reminded me also that it was just six months ago when I was coming to each class stretched and in great shape so that instead of having a tough time keeping up, I could be fully intense.

Also tonight, I watched the next promotion of black belts warm up and get started on their big sparing check. They were so vigorous and intense. I'm totally inspired. Time for me, after my two week vacation, to work my way back into full training shape. It's just so fun to be in top form and with a month or so of systematic workouts (daily stretching 2x, 4 runs/ week, 3 sets of 100 pushups and situps, and kicking), I could be in top shape again. Too fun to resist.

Of course, there's the matter of the other two week trip this summer. And the move. And my job. OK, it might have to wait until the September, but I will get back in top form this year.

Oh, did I mention that I'm not the only one at my school who blogs...Check out RunBlondieRun. She does a great job especially on tracking her training, her photos, and including her family. And speaking of being in top shape....


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Measuring Fitness - Me

You might want to skip this post since it was written really for me. A friend of mine looked at this blog and commented; You've always been narcassistic. Since I've known this guy (DJ) for 30 years and he knows me well, it caused me to think. Why (again) do I blog?
- Do I write for self aggrandizement (ie self-promotion)?
- Do I write to amuse the audience?
- Do I write just as a way of processing (ie thinking through) my ideas?

I believe that I blog to clarify my own thoughts, partially to share thoughts with others, partially as a way to hone my skills for my day job (online education), and not at all, for promotion.

So, this post in particular, is written for me. It's for me to figure out and track how I measure my fitness. It's maybe useful to others as an example of how to think about such things. Maybe not. Maybe this one is just for me.

1. Run times. Before karate, I use to do 5K runs. My best times were at a `6:30 pace. Now, my standard measure is 2 miles. If I'm not under 16 minutes, I'm out of shape. When I am at 15, I'm in good shape. For my black belt, I got to 14:08 but never hit the 14 minute mark. In working back in shape, today I ran 2.8 miles in 23:15. It's surprisingly hard to translate those two numbers into a pace. I think my pace was 8:18 miles (8 minutes, 18 seconds per mile). Since three weeks ago, I was having trouble staying at a jog for two miles, I'm pleased.

2. Waist size (and weight). Now that I'm 50 (actually, for the last two decades), fitness can be measured by my waist size. Starting at 32, my waist size went up an inch a year until at 39, I saw it was becoming a vast problem. I held at 36-38 until the divorce started at the start of 2002. I was 47 then and weighing just over two bills (208). Then, I joined a gym and trained and trained and ran and ran and really watched what I ate. At one point, I was wearing a 32 inch waist and weighing only 180. That was great. I'm now back ~197 and wearing a 34.

3. Pushups (and situps). As I prepared for the black belt, I was regularly doing four sets of 25 pushups and situps. Sometimes, six sets of each. Now, I'm training at three sets of 20. This is maintenance mode.

4. Sparring. On sparring days, we have from four to seven matches each lasting 90 or 120 seconds. At my best, I made it through. Recently, on my first day back, I was useless on matches four and five.

My targets for this year:
- Run under 15 minutes for 2 miles for the entire 2nd half of the year
- Get back to 100 pushups, 10 pullups, 200 situps as maintenance mode
- Weight: no more than 190 (this is hard because it also means strict dieting :-<) but it's important - Stretching. Get my elbows on the ground bending down with legs wide - Sparing: Be in the game every match. Running Progress:
5/17 2.8 miles, 23:15 time, 8:18 pace
5/18 2.8 miles, 22:59 time, 8:12 pace
5/21 2.3 miles, 19:19 time, 8:24 pace (weird, I thought I went faster today)



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Staying alive....

I sparred today for the first time in two weeks. What a way to get reminded that I'm not keeping up at the pace I used to. I really was sucking wind today. A few warm-up rounds of no head gear boxing then five 90 second matches. I've been making it to two classes a week with just one additional run. It's not enough. I'm losing cardio. I'm going to try to get to three classes and two runs.

Am I the only one who has trouble keeping up at this pace?