Looking up

Last weekend, I was given a pair of sneakers, some sort of Nike, black with red symbols. They're flat underneath, with no heel to speak of, and I was itching to try them out, see if they were good to run in. Today I did...

I'm fairly happy with the way my iaido is going, I've been able to train that thing that feels the most important to me right now, which is zanshin, awareness, and fighting spirit. The technical matters are as they are, I need a lighter sword to become quicker, and there's little to change this close to the National Championships, but I've felt really disconnected, going through the motions. I need some more space than I am sometimes given, need to be able to go inside myself and find what I need to bring out.
I happened to be the one to lead both Monday's and Wednesday's training, which actually was quite beneficial as I could then change them to suit my needs. And, consequently, train the kata I needed, and leave the participants to theirs for a few moments now and then, doing my own thing. One needs a little time without supervision, to figure things out properly, or so I have found. They said they appreciated it, anyway.

Because our trainer in Kali Sikaran was at the Mandirigma Boot Camp in the Phillippines this week, Tuesday saw, well, me, sort of leading the training. But I've had training in suddenly having to do that before - iaido, anyone? I simply gauged the participants, figured one can always, always use a return to the basics, and off we went. It was very cooperational. It became a little more troublesome when more people showed up - at first it was me and the Two Brothers, then a guy who's had to be away for most of last and this term dropped in, and lastly a young woman, freshly committed to Kali Sikaran. So our skill levels were... uneven. But it worked out all right! After a creative and fun warmup, I took the two less experienced through some basics in double baston (double stick), showing them then some simple applications of that without weapons, the young guy joined the Brothers in kicking, punching and takedowns, and me and the young woman (whose name I cannot for the life of me remember, much less spell - I'll get there eventually, I'm just not very good with names) continued with some really basic defense against a straight punch, and later, a left jab, right cross, left hook (a hit that comes slightly from the outside-side of your head), and the "revenge" part of simply ducking underneath the hook, slamming one fist into the stomach of the attacker and then, once past them, slam your hand into their face just to push them away and make them flinch. She caught on really well!
We ended it with a nice and exhausting piece of workout, that certainly let me know I have some nice back muscles these days...

I was very happy to see on Thursday that Theo, the guy holding the Open Training on Saturdays, guest-starred as the trainer. We went through the oh so important basics of double baston; how to hold, how to hit, how to hit the very spot you need to hit - and that, dear readers, is something one needs to work on. There is a technique to it, as there is to everything, and by the end we'd started weaving it all together into a nice whole. We turned to empty-handed applications after that, which were very enlightening! There are so many good defences, and it is very nice to learn them, one after another, until they are completely internalised. However, with only one and a half hour, we didn't really get through all of his planned program, so, yesterday's Open Training included some repetition. And oh, was it good. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Those two hours might have been some kind of favourite in a long time. Five enthusiastic participants, one enthusiastic trainer, a lot of good new advice and knowledge, some positively humiliating takedowns, some really good tricks... it was great. My shoulders, and my throat muscles, are sore already (it usually takes a little more than just one day for them to start whining about having been used), despite the precautions I took! I love it, of course.
I had a friend along (let's call him Jax), who's trained karate, kick-boxing and other things, and is a devil at kicking, whether it be standing on the ground or flying through the air. He's dedicated to climbing now, and thus has excellent shoulder and core muscles - gratifying to work with, as there is less danger of hurting him. I've seldom had such a fun and excellent partner to work with for two hours straight. We could help eachother, and thank the powers that be for that! My kicks are absolute rubbish, even if I have the strength, but they are his forte. On the other hand, he's not too used to going in close, whether with attack or defence, but I've become quite familiar with that. So, a lot of fun was had! And I love "fighting" with my friends. Seldom do you see their true nature as then, and seldom can you behave like a young, overenergetic fox pup and still get out of it with a smile, a few bruises and no hard feelings.
It was rounded off with a few minutes of sparring, which was absolutely brilliant. Knife fighting, and finally me and Jax had the chance I've sort of been itching for for years! First round I won decisively, sneaking in under his arm and cutting him across his torso. Second round was quite even, and a lot of fun. No one really won, but no one really lost.
So we're both kind of hoping this'll be a recurring event! We had an after-training cup of tea/coffee, which is always great. When it was time to part, most of my mad energy (that always turns up after training) had begun to dissipate, and even though I was determined at first to take a little run when I got home, I eventually just dove into bed and slept for about ten hours. Not straight, I woke up now and then, but, more or less.

It might have something to do with being social, being out amongst people for two days in a row (had to get some art supplies on Friday and therefore had to brave the crowds), and training with great enthusiasm for two hours...

Today, the sun was out from early morning, and I felt the familiar itch in my whole body. I needed to run...
The problem was, I'm a bit hesitant to get out twice in a day (social anxiety and all that), and I did need groceries. I also did not want to waste time. Of course, I eventually wound up getting my trousers on, my new jogging shoes, put in a pair of in-soles that, to my great relief, works perfectly, pulled on my long-sleeved training shirt and grabbed my rucksack and went out. I took a detour, of course, running on the fields behind the house, and only a small distance on asphalt. Bought what I needed, stowed it in the bag, and took a longer detour back, on my favourite gravel and dust road. I ran a wee bit longer than strictly needed to get back home, but, turned as soon as I started feeling fatigue in my legs. I need to be careful, as I've said, now that I'm starting up this running thing again!

The first run in the "new" shoes turned out quite fine. They don't sit as snugly around the foot as I am used to, and their opening is wider than usual for me too. However, I can get used to that. It was nice that they were completely flat, and they gave me a little dampening but not the Mega Über New Technology sort that I really, really can do without... just enough that I can run on unpaved roads. So my running outfit is now complete: long-sleeved Nike training shirt that looks as new from a theatre sale, (probably fake) Adidas used trousers bought from an eBay-spinoff (not really worth the money, but that's auctions for you, and it's all made up by the other parts costing next to nothing) and used shoes. Not a new item in sight, except underwear and socks. I like it that way. Why ditch something that's perfectly useful? I wouldn't use the shoes if they'd been well-walked in, I'm aware of the danger in that, but, they aren't, so, I use them. Carefully, of course, but they do work.

My body is responding well, the shoulder is still painful but seems to like the varied training it is getting these days, and I had a long, admiring look at the lovely muscles on my legs the other day. Really, do take that time to look at yourself and admire all those bodyparts that are so strong, so gorgeous, that carry you through everyday life, trainings and pastimes! Not only are they gorgeous in themselves, but they are strong, and healthy, because you use them!

Yah, spring is here, training's looking up, my goal is now set to be at least a small run every day (ten to fifteen minutes will be quite all right for most days, though Fridays and Sundays might see me run longer) before next winter, and the National Championships is in two weeks time...
How are you doing, readers? Any new goals? Any new equipment to be fond of?

A bit on training others and oneself

One more late night writing, for your pleasure! My toe have gone through all manner of shapes and colours these past two days, including a neat blue-black-red streak that seemed to spread down to the space between that toe and the one next to it. I should have taken some sort of time-lapse sequence, with one hour between photos, I suppose. Iai was very little trouble despite this small injury, and we had a visitor who normally lives in New Zeeland, here to visit his parents. It is always fun to meet other iaidoka and discuss their takes in iai, see what and how and why they do things, and so on. This turned out to be no different. And of course, it is a small world, isn't it? This yondan (fourth dan) iaidoka from New Zeeland, whose parents live in Sweden, have met my beloved Ohara-sensei from Japan, and others that I know too besides. He has also practiced at a club where a guy who trains in the same Kali Sikaran group as I, used to practice. "Coincidence", people call it. There is no such thing. There is just a creeping suspicion that something is up. But back to important things! I have become quite adept at mixing together random things into edible and tasty stuff, often with a bit of squash/zucchini as key ingredient. This is good, as cooking is seldom something I do for enjoyment, but I sorely need to keep my every-three-to-four-hour eating habit up. I was the one that held the training for the beginners yesterday (Wednesday), which meant I did exert myself as much as I would otherwise have. But there were of course a proper warmup followed by core strengthening exercises, and so on. I tend to drive iaido beginners quite hard, if not unfairly. I expect them to make an effort, and if they do, it shows right away. You can tell the difference between pure lazyness/indifference and inability/struggling. Some people think this is not so, but I know when someone tries their best but their body or mind does not quite and entirely follow their orders, and, conversely, when people are probably just not interested enough to bother. And I am not nice, I suppose, in that I know the power of mind, and have very little patience with whinging people who constantly convince themselves they have every excuse not to do this or not to be able to do that. Especially when it comes to iai. By no means am I unfair to beginners, but I have sharp eyes. I do very much like to spread encouragment around me, though, and I make certain to tell people when and what they are doing right, which is perhaps less Japanese in mindset than what I described above. But, some beginners need to hear it, and it never hurts to tell someone that what they just did was good. You learn after a while. I am no expert, but I can figure things out. Regardless, I did feel today that I had exerted my leg muscles quite a lot this week. So I was a little relieved today, when during Kali Sikaran training, we not only did Sikaran (kicking) but also quite a bit of Panantukan (boxing, more or less) with and without mitts and gloves. I also wore a pair of new shoes, some kind of Asic wrestling shoe, I think, which after a very short moment's reflection I bought without even mentioning the price. I wanted good shoes, I need good shoes, and they are just what I want: split-sole, about as thin as I can get them and still have them stop my toes from getting bent again. And wide enough, I do not like shoes which squeeze my toes together. It was highly refreshing, but I was not as sharp and focused as I generally am. I think it may be because I took a whole anti-anxiety pill yestereve to be able to sleep, and this probably still had effect today and tonight. I know I was a bit drowsy today, even after I slept almost two hours longer than intended. There was also a bit of strengthening exercises, with some interesting boxing on people's stomachs to make them stiffen their muscles (and get used to getting beaten, even if we did it with gloves and rather softly), and while good, my shoulder doesn't quite permit me to do pushups the way I ought to. It is a delicate balance, for me, to be able to sleep I need help (or the brain simply goes into higher gear and I lie there and the Autobahn that is my thought processes - several lanes at the same time - go on and on and I never fall asleep), but I must be careful with what I use. Herbs are good, but tend to be less effective in chasing away unwanted dreams. Yet sleep I must or I cannot practice! Sleep, eat, hydration and training, I need them all to feel good. I had a period where I slept much too little and practiced, well, what was back then a bit too much. I did not have time or money to eat enough, and I couldn't figure out why I was always bone-weary and had nosebleeds all the time... Take my advice: Sleep enough. Eat enough (do it, damn you, muscles weigh more than fat anyway, if THAT's why you're exercising). Drink enough water (soft-drinks and the like do not, ever, count). And have fun while you're doing whatever it is you are doing. And now I shall drag my tired legs to bed, hope that the endorphines wear off and that my soothing tea will help me sleep. Tomorrow I may actually take a day off from training, or then again, I may simply do some core exercises just to keep it up. Over to you, reader - what have you done this week, and what was your favourite training-related thing that happened?

One more week

As I said before, I get home late, and then have no energy to write anything. But, I have not been lax and lazy! Monday it was again time for iaido practice, though I was senior and the others did not think there was to be any practice - as I am a woman, I change in a different room, and miss out on all the pre- and post-iaido social stuff, and they missed me going into the hall. Well, I did a good warmup with some extra core exercises, and then had a good hour and a half practice. I tried to do many of the basic things, and also did mostly koryu kata, which are more strenuous, which is good. I had a plan to go to Wudang Tai Chi Chuan on Tuesday, but my head wouldn't hear of it, and it ended up being a day for stillness, except for a walk. Wednesday however, I got to iaido practice, and there was nothing special to tell you about that. I had forgotten to bring proper food to eat afterwards, which is never advisable! Always have something to eat after your training session. Your muscles rebuild themselves faster then. On Thursday I went to Kali Sikaran practice after a very quiet day, and it was very good to burn some energy! Kali Sikaran includes much sparring of varying kinds, and I went away sweaty and cheery, and decided to commit. It is pricy, but I believe it may be worth it. The all-round exercise seems to help me even out some of the one-sidedness I have acquired to certain movements and muscles and reflexes, from the iaido, which is by necessity rather "one-sided" when it comes to the sword. You always keep it to the left, for example, when it is in its sheath. So, like every sensei I have met have recommended me to do, I have now got a secondary budo art (well, not budo, strictly speaking, but a martial art, at least). Friday, I had slept lousy, and was very tired, and thus took only a walk and did some core exercises. I noticed when I was going to sleep, that this affected my ability to fall asleep. I sleep marginally better if I have done something physically exerting during the day. Saturday had me dressed to the teeth and going to an event, which made my legs ache - walking, walking, walking; it takes more out of you than you think! Today I also took a few good long walks, and tomorrow I am hoping to go grocery shopping, since I am almost out of things to make good food with. I had to revert to chicken-meat sausages and pasta with some sauce and cheese the other day! Which is nice, once in a while, but I do prefer something more... vegetably to go with it, if that is the case. I would go running today, but I suspect I ought to listen to my knees and not do so. I do have twenty minutes to spare for some easy exercises for my torso and legs and arms however! Tomorrow, I look forward to iaido practice, but not to getting home at around eleven in the night. Remember to always do something, no matter how small! Fifteen minutes a day is the minimum you should do, and after all... fifteen minutes is hardly anything. It really is a very short time, so anyone can fit it into their schedules.

After a pause comes exercise

And it did! Saturday was my "day off" again; Sunday I merely took a walk and did some household work (which to be honest can be quite good as a workout too, depending on what you do and how you do it), Monday I took a brisk and long walk and combined it with grocery shopping. After that, I Carried Heavy Things. I don't mean to, but I seldom manage to pack only what I need. I always add something extra, just in case. Often, I do need it, but not always, and it invariably leads to my bag being, well, heavy.
Tuesday was the time for another long walk, some part of it uphill. But Wednesday, oh, Wednesday brought good things! I had the chance to go for a run with mother, and we ran first for about fifteen minutes, took a very brief stop, and then for five or ten more before I had to concede that maybe I should be careful with my left knee after all. I walked for a while, until mother had turned around and began jogging back, after which we ran for I have no idea how long. All in all we ran for more than thirty minutes, and though my lungs are not on par with my muscles, it still felt very refreshing and good. And I can be fast, too, when I sprint! After this I did just a few crunches, back exercises and some core, nothing much really.

We topped that off with a swim (yes, a swim - an old limestone quarry where once, in a busy summer's day, you might see one or two other families there, and you probably knew them, but now... there's space for three hundred cars (supposedly...), toilets, recycling stations... well, while it's good these facilities do exist, I would gladly smack the blogger over the head who made this place public. Well, that person, and the one who mentioned it in a radio programme, and in a magazine, and there probably was some idiot on tv, too... But, on the twelfth of September, there was only us. A bit chilly, but lovely and refreshing.

Today, Thursday, saw a bit of an interesting event. Mother and I decided to go kayaking. We decided on a good route that would take about two hours altogether, maybe a little more, and then set out. We went out on the east coast of Gotland, and had wind blowing from land, out to sea. It was, at times, fairly hard and steady. This made for some interesting waves and, in places, some very interesting currents. Nothing too tricky or especially scary, though, but still, it was rather harder going than expected, and even I was glad for the tailwind when we paddled back after a sandwich on land. It turned out the outgoing journey took a bit more time than expected, a delightful detour some short distance up a small brook took some time too, and when we returned, it was clear I was not going to be able to go to the shooting range, where I had been offered to have a go at a rifle and moving targets. But, it was a great day nevertheless and I feel most pleasantly tired. I hope this means I shall sleep better tonight than I have lately!
I prefer long lazy swells to the smaller cocky waves we had most of the time today. It just feels so nice to speed across them. The smaller waves make balancing harder, which of course gives you more work for your muscles, but still.

Kayaking is a very nice thing to do, but one is a fool if one believes it is all about arm strengt. Yes, arm strength does play a part, but if you use only your arms, you will tire in no time at all! You should endeavour to use your shoulders (always roll them back, don't hunch!) and even your torso! Tighten your stomach, straighten your back and don't forget to use your legs for balance - but don't stiffen up too much, or you'll lose your balance that much easier. Having some kind of strength in your fingers is recommended, too, and if you didn't think one has muscles in the hand, then I strongly advice you on taking a wee look on a schematic over the muscles in the human body. Which, by the way, should give anyone an excellent view of how everything is connected, and everything affects something else!


This little post should also point out that doing something else now and then is nothing bad. Deviate from your usual training regime. Take a day with looong walks, or let moving house count as strengthening training. I didn't just let go, I picked it up again despite taking it easy for a few days. And I took the chance of doing something completely different (kayaking) from what I can normally do, which puts everything in perspective - I practice other things, therefore I have muscles that allow me to do this other thing as well! Try something new now and then, either for finding a whole new thing, or just for a detour into unknown lands. It gives new energy to continue with what you're already doing, or, it may spur you on to keep going.

Exercises for efficient recovery

I had to remind myself that I am still working on building strength today, or I would have gone on a run. But I felt a bit stiff from yesterday's iaido, and decided to let my body rest from that kind of exertion. Instead, I went through a thirty (or a little more, possibly, timekeeping isn't one of my strong points) minute program of stretching and strengthening exercises, because I know that is a weak point with me. I tend to describe myself as being "as limber as a fridge". This is not a very good thing.

One should strive to balance strength, stamina and flexibility. Without the last, you are in a very real danger to hurt yourself. I am aware that the last is my weak point, and therefore, working on for today's excercises felt like a very good idea, no matter how unwilling I may be to sit still in various positions and count my breaths.

It loosened stiff muscles, had me feel a lot more limber afterwards, and did, actually, work to make me feel refreshed. Thus, very good.

Nothing exciting regarding eating today, except that I had fresh berries from the brambles outside for my morning yoghurt. Dinner was leftovers after lunch, that is, lots of white thick rice (sushi rice, without the fancy name, more or less) with wakame spicing and some sesame seeds, and an omelette with leek, mozzarella cheese, tomato and some sweet pepper. Wicked tasty.

I have a bit of trouble sleeping well. I may wake up and get up, but I inevitably feel lethargic and sleepy until afternoon, evening-time, no matter what I do (Well, I haven't had two cups of tea in the morning yet, maybe that might help). Come nightfall, though, I manage to perk up and have the energy to read and do things. I'm going to experiment with vitamin B-pills, and have soothing tea in the evening time, but honestly, it could be anything.
It does seem, however, that a movie or an episode of "Doctor Who" (or "Torchwood, for that matter) wakes me up, so perhaps I'll have to - oh woe! - watch one every morning for breakfast accompaniment. Worth a try, certainly.

Film accompaniment

I was in half a mind to run today, but at the last moment decided against it. I've been sitting still for most of the day; such is the life of studying. I'd forgotten.

Regardless, I put on "The Chronicles of Riddick" and let that rather well-muscled main character inspire me. Why not, after all?
I had the timer on 20 minutes, but I think I will change that to 30 the next time. I kept going until I got lazy after 35 minutes. I focused mainly on my arms, my stomach and my back, but threw in a few exercises for the legs too. I think I will start again with the old habit of doing easy ups and downs while I am brushing my teeth. It's such an annoyance to be able to do only one thing at such times, anyway.

I felt a bit of after-exercise muscle pains after yesterday's session, though nothing in the legs. That felt good, so for my back exercises I did every exercise with more than twenty repetitions, and for crunches, 15+15 three times. I also carefully cut two times ten cuts with a bokuto (wooden sword), and while my grip is good, I believe I shall have to do that a lot more. I feel I really need to change the way I cut - I want my shoulder to heal one day, and for that, I need to be able to cut without it "falling" forward while I do so. It's an easy mistake to make when you have a heavy sword, and if you're not careful it will be the natural way of cutting, which isn't very good at all (trust me and my injured right shoulder on that).

Eating today was a yoghurt bowl, the bulgur and sauce mix, pasta with crême fraiche, and fried mushrooms, squash (mmm, tasty!), pepper and bacon, some (unfried) salad, and after my little session I had a small bowl of yoghurt with just a few seeds and nuts in it. I also had quite a few pieces of dark chocolate, and drank the last of the unsweetened juice.
I seem to drink more water than I am used to, which is always good. Water cleanses the body!

I have not been sleeping well, but my herbal tea didn't make any change yesterday. I suppose it's got to do with external troubles then, for otherwise, I tend to sleep very well when I practice regularily.