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Monthly Archives: October 2007
5 out of 11?
I wanted to run 11 km today but my hamstrings were too sore from my last karate lesson. I ended up doing a painful 5 km instead, with lots of walk breaks. I thought I was in good shape before I started karate but now I see I was not. It was the kind of soreness you get when you first start something (like weight training) and you overdo it. I think the soreness came from over-stretching my hamstrings. I think that because I remember stretching just a little too far, then backing off for the rest of the stretching session. I did not perceive that I did any more work with my hamstrings muscles than usual. I can’t wait to get past this initial “breaking in” period with my new sport. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow. If the soreness has gone then I will do my 11 km. … Continue reading
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Karate 6
Today’s lesson was quite an intense workout. The first hour was spent on flexibility, stances and kicks. We learned the back kick and went over the front push kick, the front groin kick, the side thrust kick. We did not do the roundhouse kick yet. The second hour was spent mostly on Katas. We learned our first Kihon Kata today. Fortunately, I looked it up on line and was able to continue and finish learning the first Kata that we started last Tuesday. We got the footwork down pat; it is an H pattern. We actually learned that the footwork is identical in the first Katas so we quickly learned the low block Kata, the middle block Kata, and the high block Kata. Going through them is quite a workout in itself so I was pretty exhausted by the end. Before I get my yellow belt I have to perfect … Continue reading
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Karate 5
The fifth lesson went really well. I was really quite sore not only from running the half marathon yesterday, but from my previous karate lesson. Some peripheral ab muscles were still sore and also some muscles (I don’t know their name yet, but I’ll find out) that seem to cross the front of my thigh from the shall we say “upper quads” position, across the hip joint and into the abdominal region. I’m sure some of you know the name of that group of muscles. They seem really weak, but maybe that’s only because I feel them. So I wrapped my calf muscle, not because the calf is very sore, but just to prevent further injury and to stabilize the area. As usual I also taped my big toe. I found a new device ( a gel material) shaped to fit in between my big toe and the next toe … Continue reading
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Devon Turkey Chase
Ok, here is what the weather was like: I finished and got some hardware but it was not an easy race for me. I was actually surprised that Amber, a local Fire Captain handed me a finisher’s medal. I was not expecting one. Here is a 5 km walker, my friend Hilary who is doing her very first walk! And she finished and we have a ribbon for her so if she is reading this she can expect us to get it to her soon! I did the half in about 3:05 I think. I had no issues with the race, but I think some people did have some issues with being misdirected and so on. But the aid stations were plentiful and well-stocked with my favorite orange Gatorade, as well as other flavors. I ran so slowly I did not even touch the 500 ml I was carrying with … Continue reading
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I was lying…
on the deck on my back, arms outstretched. It was a warm and wonderful day. The sky was blue, the leaves on the trees were a brilliant fall golden color. This was my view, with my eyes looking skyward, half closed, lazily watching a blue circle of sky surrounded by the golden treetops. The leaves were noisily jostling each other in the breeze; the sun was low in the sky, just outside my field of view. I delighted in watching the leaves detach themselves and dance downwards toward the ground. I suddenly desperately wanted some leaves to fall on me. You were swept away by an impulse without thinking about it. How long were you lying on the deck? An hour or so. Did a leaf fall on you? Only one. You were not patient. Did you catch it? No, it blew away. You did not seize the opportunity. Did … Continue reading
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Karate 4
Today’s Karate lesson went well. I am taping my right MTP toe joint in an effort to stabilize my problem. Taping helps but I have just discovered a better way to tape to allow my other toes more freedom to grip the floor. I had also Tensor bandaged my left calf muscle to try to keep further damage to a minimum so I could still run the half marathon on Monday. I took it easy; the Sensei knows about the problem. As much as a beginner can say this, I am starting to at least remember the basic moves we have been taught so far. When I say taught, I mean we were shown the moves. Being shown them and actually doing them are totally different. Like one of my instructors said, now it’s time to walk and chew gum at the same time. Or maybe pat the top of … Continue reading
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The ART of bruising…
I went for my 4th ART session today and he went a lot deeper. Over the course of my treatments, he had checked the surface layers of my leg muscles, then the secondary layers, and today he was able to go a lot deeper. The pain of treatment was considerable today and my calf is now grossly swollen in comparison to my right calf, and there are bruises in the shape of thumb prints. All in the name of getting rid of those last few adhesions and scar tissues. I have been and am now as I write this, icing it and have a Tensor bandage on it to compress and reduce the swelling. I think most of the swelling is from the treatment and partly from the aggravation I gave my calf yesterday. He said I could do the half marathon on Monday as long as I took it … Continue reading
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