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Monthly Archives: January 2009
Karate 81 Goodbye Orange Hello Green…
Today’s karate class was a grading and MM and I both graded to green. We began with basic punches and blocks, then added walking into the mix. After that we did kata. Then kumite. Finally we sparred. In my opinion, everyone sucked big time, including me of course. We all screwed up the kumite and some kata too. But that’s not the point. I’m not an instructor, and I can’t pretend to know what they are thinking but I’m not stupid either so I can make some pretty good guesses. I think we were graded long before we showed up for this grading. The grading was a mere formality, and an opportunity for the Sensei to evaluate our progress and point out where we need to improve the most. So they mark everything, but I don’t think they really care if we were a bit confused about which moves belong … Continue reading
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Run 7, 2009
Here we go again! What a great day. It was sunny +2 and no wind. I ran 16 km in 1:59:16 for a 7:27 pace, which is a 12 minute mile. I tried using iTrail again and I am sad to say that it doesn’t work. I don’t know if it is a problem with the GPS receiver on the iPhone, or with the iTrail program, or with both. It doesn’t matter. I am not going to waste any more time trying to tweak applications that don’t work “out of the box”. The interface is great though, I have to give iTrails a good mark there. But the nicest GUI in the world means nothing if it doesn’t work. So I will be removing the application from my phone and hopefully help others not to waste their time or money buying this application by writing a review on it. It’s … Continue reading
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Karate 80
I’m not proud of the lack of effort I put into class today. I even sat out the second half. Spoke with the Sensei about grading on Tuesday and he assured me that there would be no need for me to tape anything over my cracked rib as there would be no contact for the grading. Really, I loathed even mentioning it, but I had to say something because (a), MM insisted on it, and (b), I had to have a valid excuse for not making an effort, (c), I needed to know if I could still grade, and (d) Rick had to be aware so he could improve next time. Really there is no serious injury here at all and no danger of further damage (unless I get whacked there again before it’s healed). The problem is that I can’t breathe and I can’t move my left arm properly … Continue reading
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I found a temporary solution to my body “armor” problem…
I won’t use it for tomorrow’s class, but for grading on Tuesday I will tape a towel-covered flexible hard plastic patch about 6 inches by 9 inches over my cracked rib. That way, I can still spar with little danger of totally breaking that weakened, cracked rib if I get hit in that area. The plate should distribute any accidental hit over a much larger area, minimizing the risk of breakage. After I grade I can dispense with the armor since I won’t be sparring again until after it is totally healed in about 4 weeks. That’s a relief! You see, it isn’t the pain that will keep me from sparring (since the pain will have almost totally disappeared in a few more days). It’s the risk of total rib failure if I get hit again and I can’t afford that because it would almost certainly trash any chances of … Continue reading
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Run 6, 2009 – It went surprisingly well considering the injury…
I ran the 12 km in 1:35:24 for a 7:57 pace which is a lot slower than the training pace I want to use. But I am pleasantly surprised that I could manage to run at all. I tried to run at my training pace of 7 minutes per km but I just could not get enough oxygen in because of the pain. So I would have to slow down to just below the pain threshold. I also took some ibuprofen and that really helped. I’m really glad that I found out the cracked rib will definitely not interfere with my marathon training which begins January the 25th. Now all I have to worry about is whether my Sensei will let me grade on Tuesday. They have seen me spar so they already know my skill level. I know I can do the katas and kumites, and I can even … Continue reading
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Karate and running update…
I got all packed up and ready to go to my weekly indoor track run but had to detour to the hospital just to check things out to make really sure I would not be causing any further damage. It looks like Rick’s punch to my ribs cracked one of them. We were sparring and I took one from him. The doctor insisted on an ECG which showed I have a perfectly undamaged heart, but the x-ray showed a cracked rib. I guess that’s why I have a little difficulty in moving my arm around and breathing. By the time that was over it was too late for my run, besides which I could not do the planned speed run anyway because I can’t breathe. I should be able to continue doing long slow runs though, assuming the pain isn’t too intense and I keep the speed down a bit. … Continue reading
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Karate 79
I wasn’t sure I’d make it to today’s class but I am glad I did. We practiced hard for the upcoming grading next Tuesday. We went through all our required kumite, and our katas except for the pinan katas which we will do Saturday. After that I sparred with Rick, who gave me a good one in the ribs and I just know I’ll have a nice purple colored fist mark along with my sore rib. Ouch! I hope I will be good enough to rank to green Tuesday. But if not, it doesn’t matter since I’m taking karate for the rest of my life anyway. I like it.
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