Co-Main

The UFC is such a strange beast. The desperately want to be considered a “real” sport, but they just don't understand what that means.

Take the event that they put on Fox Sports a couple of weeks ago. As it was on free TV, there were no title matches, which is fine. There was a solid undercard and two co-main events.

In both of the main bouts, there were guys who did not deserve to be there. In the first it was a guy named Travis Browne up against Alistair Overeem. Browne's record was 14-1-1, while Overeem's was 32-12-1. You'd think it would have been billed as the up-and-comer taking on the old, battered veteran.

The way they were talking, Overeem was the guy they wanted to win. Every time he has won a fight over the last few years, they immediately start talking about a title shot after one more win. He then fails to get that win, either due to a loss, a fight cancellation due to injury, or drug suspension. The guy walks around looking like a poster child promoting sports performance through pharmaceuticals. I've seen him fight several times, and he fights that way, too.

Here they were again, talking how Overeem would be getting a title shot after he wins this one. No such talk about Browne. Somehow Overeem was rated 5^th in the world, and Browne only 8^th.

So it started, and out came muscle-boy Overeem; pushing Browne around like a rag doll. He gets Browne down and looks like he's killing him. No technique, just power. Browne weathers it, and gets back to his feet. He starts hitting back with simple, straight striking. Overeem has his hands up, but is so clumsy he is unable to block anything. Overeem is knocked just over 4 minutes into the first round.

In the co-main event it was former champion Mauricio Rua against Chael Sonnen. Going into the bout Rua was rated 8 in the world, but fading fast. His last few fights have shown that his mojo is gone. It's time for him to hang up the gloves.

So he is up against Sonnen. This guy's claim to fame was based on three big losses. Sonnen used to fight in the middleweight division, and was a competent competitor. The champ at that weight was so dominant that he'd beaten everybody better, so Sonnen got a title shot. During that fight, something seemed wrong with the champ, and Sonnen was winning every round, until the last where the champion choked Sonnen out.

Sonnen got a re-match, as he should. This time the champ was on his game and knocked Sonnen out in less than two minutes.

Sonnen's next fight after that loss was a title match in the Light-Heavyweight division. Notice that? A guy is knocked out in under two minutes by the 185 pound champ, so he has somehow earned a shot at the 205 pound title holder.

Sonnen is knocked out in the first round again.

Being one of the UFC's golden boys means he gets a big-name fighter opponent again. Out of the entire top-ten roster of the Light-Heavyweight division, who would he stand a chance against? The only one unable to easily destroy Sonnen would be Mauricio Rua, so that is who he faces.

Sonnen choked poor Mauricio out with 13 seconds left in round one.

Both of these “main-events” were embarrassing.

What Kind?

I retired in April, and my wife followed me at the end of June. We've had two months together to figure out what kind of retired people we're going to be, but it hasn't happened yet.

In July we were only home for only 14 days and 7 days in August. The longest continuous stretch didn't quite reach a week in length.

We just haven't been able to establish any kind of routine at all.

Even when we do, it's going to be complicated.

I get up stupid early, and like to do things in the morning. Helen gets up a couple of hours later, and likes a slower start. I conk out between 9 and 10 at night, and Helen lasts a couple of hours longer.

Helen goes once per week to both her ukelele group and to fiddling. She often has at least one weekend gig, and is under pressure to get involved in other music groups as well. I go to martial arts almost every evening for a couple of hours, and also on Saturday morning. I also want to get out on my bike and to run daily.

Try slotting that all into some kind of schedule.

Maybe I've already explained the type of retired people we will be.

...and then there's travel.

Teeth and Knees

The last of our summer out of town vacations is over.

I like travel, but it is hard on my Jiu-Jitsu training schedule. In July, we went for 10 days to the island, and then 12 days in the interior. August put us back on the island for another week, and then a week-long cruise to Alaska.

Not to worry. I had figured out a plan on how to cover the missed material with self-training and private lessons. As of today I only have 6 units left to cover. Three were to be done on the solo route, while the rest would get covered in the regular class.

What could go wrong?

Well, for one thing, I returned from the cruise with an abscess that will require a root canal. Not only that, but it's bad enough that I'll have to go into the city to get it done.

I guess I can train with a funny mouth even if I might lose some more training time getting it fixed.

Last night I contacted our instructor to set up some private lessons. He had some interesting news. He's on crutches, and the school is down for at least a week.

The injury is in his knee. Those can be tricky things, especially with something like Jiu-Jitsu.

I had self imposed a deadline set about a month from now for the completion of my last six units.

That seems very unlikely right now.

Behind

I live two lives; my real one and my martial arts one.

Real life includes my wife, our families, travel, and everything else. My martial arts life is much more limited.

My real life summers are great, but they play havoc with my other side.

It is my goal to finish my current Jiu-Jitsu level as soon as possible. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is wonderful in that progress is easy to calculate in minute detail.

If I were to never miss a single class, my level would have finished 233 days from today, after a start 414 days ago.

I found this an unacceptably long time period, so I have been pushing myself along at an accelerated pace. Instead of 233, at this moment I now have 114 days left.

Continuing my accelerated progress to the end will mean I'll continue to creep ahead. My projected finish date should come 44 days from today.

The problem is, my real life summer fun has played havoc with my overloaded training schedule. I've managed to repair some of the holes created by our fabulous Long Beach camping trip, our two weeks in Vernon, and our Victoria visit in August, but not all of them.

In that time my stay-at-home peers have completed 3 technique units, and 2 solid weeks of review. I've been present for none of the technique units, and for only 2 days of review. I was able to squeeze in a private lesson, which helped. I also attended only one open-mat session instead of my usual 11.

Clearly I have some catching up to do. Perhaps I can bum a key and get some extra solo time on the mat.

More and Less

Is there such a thing as running boredom?

My routes in Vernon are all somewhat fresh and I was cranking out 10-15k per day. Back to equally nice, but more familiar runs and I'm managing about half the distance.

The only other obvious variable was temperature. Vernon is about 5 degrees hotter than the coast during the early-morning hours I run in. That could be a factor, but I doubt it. The weather is very pleasant in both locales; the kind of temperature that doesn't register on the skin at all.

It doesn't really matter as I am kicking my mileage goal's butt either way, just more so in Vernon.

Most of the remaining summer runs will maintain a coastal average. The only exception will be during an upcoming Alaska cruise.

The days of loading and unloading contain only one type of workout activity. This is the dreaded luggage clean-and-jerk.

There are 3 port days, and 3 shipboard days.

On port days Helen and I bike ride like maniacs over hither and yon. Plenty of cardio there. On ship days I run as much as I can stand round the deck and on the treadmills. Neither is very satisfactory but it's something. I can't comprehend how anyone can run on a treadmills as part of a regular routine.

Ships used to have heaps of free aerobics classes, but they've gone the way of the dodo. There are fancier sessions now with names like ki-bo, yoga, and pilates that come with matching fancy fees. I'm a cheap bastard.

Luckily, I never overeat on a cruise.

Last Run

We are about to head from the Okanagan to the ferry. I am therefore declaring my runs for this part of the summer to be done.

We've been here for a week and a half, including two weekends. My normal running for two weekends would be 30k. I've managed to do 95k. Rather proud of that.

No biking; no Karate; no Jiu-Jitsu. My only other physical activity has been eating. I'm sure I've burned a lot of calories doing that. It's been a yummy holiday.

I don't even care if my weight has crept up, for I have discovered the secret to weight loss.

I'll keep track of calories and eat enough for somebody my size to perfectly maintain weight. No hardship there. 2200 calories a day.

At the same time my activity level stays high. On my busier days I'll easily burn every single one of the calories I've consumed. Some days it won't be quite so much.

It takes 3500 not-eaten or burned calories to lose a pound, so let's call it a half pound lost per day. Half a pound per day, or 3.5 per week, or 15 per month, or 180 per year.

Wait. Scratch that last one. I weigh less than 180 now.