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- Introduction to Logic and Arguments How to develop critical thinking skills. Probably the most important thing you will ever do!
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Monthly Archives: May 2008
Karate 41
A small but interesting class was had today. We pulled out the mats so we could practice kicking and punching with full force. The mats in the school gymnasium are old and worn out and very abrasive. Kind of hard on your knuckles if you aren’t used to the abrasion and I’m not. And a roundhouse kick to the mats really hurts if your partner isn’t holding the mat correctly. The reason is that the mat is flat and the first thing to hit the mat is your toes. Not good. But if your partner holds the mat on a slight diagonal, your foot hits correctly and there is no pain. We then practiced our katas. I did not do them right, forgetting much and adding kicks where there are no kicks. I have to work on that. I am getting better at my Neko Ashi Dachi though! After that … Continue reading
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Run 42, 2008
I did an easy 8 km today at a 7:50 pace, taking 1:02:40 to do it. I started out really slowly this morning at 8 AM. The temperature was just above zero but the sun was rising into a clear blue sky. I was not cold at all in spite of my wearing shorts and a t-shirt. My first one or two km was at a 9 minute pace. I intended to run very slowly today just to recover better from Wednesday, but I sped up quite a bit on the second half. Definitely a negative split on that run. The native rabbits are quite active in the early morning and that sort of added to the ambiance created by the woodpeckers and geese, coyotes, and a whole lot of other wildlife. We apparently have a resident porcupine and at least 6 deer try every morning and evening to eat … Continue reading
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Run 41, 2008
Ran an 8 km in 52:20 for a 6:32 pace on the indoor track. In a nutshell that’s what I did. After that I got interested in one of those fitness tests that come with the lifefitness treadmill machines they have over there at the Tri-Lesuire Fitness Centre in Spruce Grove. The last time I was there I took the simple 5 minute test out of curiosity. You choose your weight, gender, age, and speed and off you go. I chose the same speed I took last time, which was 4.5 MPH. After one minute the incline ramps to 5 degrees then after the test is done your heart rate is taken. It supposedly measures your VO2 max. I scored below average last time at 32 (April 23rd after a 7 km run) and above average today at 41 after an 8 km run. I doubt if it is anything … Continue reading
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Karate 42
Ha ha ha. I know ab-so-lute-ly nothing about karate. I know LESS than nothing, and forgot half of that even. We learned a lot about Bunkai and proper form today from Sensei Kevin Trotman regarding our Pinan Shodan. That is, we learned a lot about what we did not know, and still don’t know. We learned how really awful our technique is. It just dawned on me how awful my Niko Ashi Dachi (cat stance) is, not to mention everything else I think I know. In fact, I don’t really think I’ll ever really get it right. I can’t see grading for my green belt this year. Maybe next spring, but not this year. Yup, it’s going to be a long hard road to get to the point where I begin to learn karate. But I’ll get there one day. Nowhere near as fast as I thought, but one day. … Continue reading
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Testing and adjusting our new bikes…
We went on a short 17 km ride today testing our new bikes, and getting the kinks out of them. They are much faster bikes than our old ones. They are lighter, and so much easier to shift. I installed my old bike computer on mine and calibrated the wheel. I love having the cadence feature on my computer. Had to adjust the seats, and I need to adjust the handlebars on MM’s bike. The brakes need to be adjusted a bit. It’s like going from driving an old clunker (our old bikes) to driving a luxury vehicle (our new bikes). What a difference. The brakes are going to take a bit of getting used to because they are so much more effective than our old ones. It’s really easy to flip the bike, and also really easy to pop a wheelie going up a steep short hill. I jave … Continue reading
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Run 40, 2008
Still trying to shake that damn cold, but I did much better today. I ran 17 km in 2:09:14 for a 7:36 pace. If I had not suddenly stopped and veered off the trail into the bush for no apparent reason, I would have met my 7:30 pace goal. I did not run yesterday due to simply not feeling up to it and the fact that I had to work. So I put off this long run for today. I slept in. I began running around noon and it was a lot hotter than I am used to. I started out pretty fast at a 6:15 or so pace for the first 4 km, then obviously slowed down a bit once I realized I was going too fast for me. I began sipping Gatorade every km or so right from the first km and that seemed to help. No running … Continue reading
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Bike shakedown…
Well, I still feel pretty crappy today what with having to blow my nose every three minutes and being just sort of run down from the lingering flu/cold or whatever the hell I’ve just gone through. I did not go to karate this morning but Marilyn did. All of my bits are sore. My karate bits are sore and bruised from practice (yes, I still practice outside of classes). My running bits are sore from running. My nose bits are sore from blowing. My brain bits are sore from thinking about work and whatever. And my bum bits are sore from today’s shakedown ride. And to top it all off, the first thing that happened to me the first time I jumped on my new bike for the very first shakedown ride was that I fell over sideways flat on my face after coasting maybe three feet down a wee … Continue reading
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