I still don't know.
All my recent runs have been while wearing barefoot shoes. That's a very stupid name, but it's the only one that fits. They are foot-shaped, and each toe gets its own sleeve. The soles are only a millimetre or so thick. No support at all.
Wearing them, one can never use a heal-strike stride. It's all on the balls of the foot, or as I call it, tippy-toed.
Tonight I ran with regular running shoes on.
I could feel every difference between the two styles. My normal runners felt very heavy. I also was running about 10% faster. My stride went back to heal strike. Over the length of the run, I felt the effect the pounding had on my knees. I have flat feet, and they felt better after the normal-shoe running than they feel after tippy-toeing.
Tippy-toeing is also very hard on my calves. It must be good for them, strength-wise, but it hurts.
Bottom line, they are very different shoes for very different styles.
I am a 68 year old retired teacher living on the west coast of Canada. I spent over 30 years as a student of Karate until my knees stopped liking it. My current passionate activity is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which I've been at for about 13 years.
Friday, 4 May 2012
Do it
How can I possibly tape the hardest segment of my Blue Belt exam tomorrow? The instructor will not be there.
Of course, one or two of the Blue Belts will be there. They will do everything they can to help, but it just isn't the same.
Dan will be there, and he needs to do one of his earlier segments over. That will fill a chunk of our limited time.
What will I have to do to stand any chance?
I have to trust my training. I've been at this since September. Not having final advice and review will be mostly a psychological hit. My confidence has to stay up of its own accord.
I also need to review the test techniques at my leisure tonight. This doesn't mean slamming my wife around, but rather going over the list of material and watching the demonstration video. Doing this with full concentration is almost as valuable as real, in-person drill.
So I need to remain confident, trust in my training, and do final review at home. Any work we do tomorrow will be gravy.
The worst that might happen is that it isn't up to snuff. In this case, the instructor will call for a do-over once he's had a chance to review the recordings.
No problem.
Fear no defeat, and success is a bonus.
Of course, one or two of the Blue Belts will be there. They will do everything they can to help, but it just isn't the same.
Dan will be there, and he needs to do one of his earlier segments over. That will fill a chunk of our limited time.
What will I have to do to stand any chance?
I have to trust my training. I've been at this since September. Not having final advice and review will be mostly a psychological hit. My confidence has to stay up of its own accord.
I also need to review the test techniques at my leisure tonight. This doesn't mean slamming my wife around, but rather going over the list of material and watching the demonstration video. Doing this with full concentration is almost as valuable as real, in-person drill.
So I need to remain confident, trust in my training, and do final review at home. Any work we do tomorrow will be gravy.
The worst that might happen is that it isn't up to snuff. In this case, the instructor will call for a do-over once he's had a chance to review the recordings.
No problem.
Fear no defeat, and success is a bonus.
Stripes
Suppose you came to train at our Jiu-Jitsu class.
You'd see a bunch of people wearing similar white outfits. Maybe you'd notice that a few of the class members are wearing Blue Belts instead of White. You assume that these denote higher rank.
The class starts, and the instructor is also wearing a Blue Belt. You assume that a Blue Belt is a big deal.
Class continues, and one of the Blue Belts is assigned to you to explain the basics. Soon, you are rolling around with the other White Belts. You notice that some of them have black stripes on their belts. Some have more than one.
You assume this also denotes rank. You start looking closely at the instructor's belt, trying to see any difference between it and those of the other Blue Belts. It is exactly the same.
It would be just a tad more elegant if the instructor were somehow off higher rank than his highest students.
I have been a Karate instructor for a very long time, and ran a major club while wearing only a Brown Belt. I got by, but people expect clubs to be taught by Black Belts. If not a Black Belt, then at least somebody higher than the students.
In our Jiu-Jitsu class this has just changed. The most senior of the Blues have been working towards completion of their first stripe curriculum and exam.
The first to receive the new rank is our instructor. He is now qualified to wear a Blue Belt with a single, proud stripe on it.
He is also a certified instructor. As such, he would be qualified to wear a slightly different instructor's stripe once he has produced a certain number of Blue Belts. He has also recently achieved this.
Soon, several others of the Blues will earn their first stripes, too, but the instructor will have two on his belt.
Somehow it just will look better and more structured. Nothing real will have changed, but symbols can be important.
You'd see a bunch of people wearing similar white outfits. Maybe you'd notice that a few of the class members are wearing Blue Belts instead of White. You assume that these denote higher rank.
The class starts, and the instructor is also wearing a Blue Belt. You assume that a Blue Belt is a big deal.
Class continues, and one of the Blue Belts is assigned to you to explain the basics. Soon, you are rolling around with the other White Belts. You notice that some of them have black stripes on their belts. Some have more than one.
You assume this also denotes rank. You start looking closely at the instructor's belt, trying to see any difference between it and those of the other Blue Belts. It is exactly the same.
It would be just a tad more elegant if the instructor were somehow off higher rank than his highest students.
I have been a Karate instructor for a very long time, and ran a major club while wearing only a Brown Belt. I got by, but people expect clubs to be taught by Black Belts. If not a Black Belt, then at least somebody higher than the students.
In our Jiu-Jitsu class this has just changed. The most senior of the Blues have been working towards completion of their first stripe curriculum and exam.
The first to receive the new rank is our instructor. He is now qualified to wear a Blue Belt with a single, proud stripe on it.
He is also a certified instructor. As such, he would be qualified to wear a slightly different instructor's stripe once he has produced a certain number of Blue Belts. He has also recently achieved this.
Soon, several others of the Blues will earn their first stripes, too, but the instructor will have two on his belt.
Somehow it just will look better and more structured. Nothing real will have changed, but symbols can be important.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
May+June
I need to complete three more sections of the test. Might be able to do one per Saturday class.
So maybe May 5th, May 12th and May 19th.
There is a problem. The instructor can't be there on May 5th or May 19th. Other people will take us through practise run throughs, and then help us record the exams but it isn't the same.
Let's assume we don't complete anything successfully without the boss. That changes my dates to May 12th, May 26th and June 2nd.
No big deal, except I can't be there May 26th. That extends my testing to June 9th.
I'd really like to finish before that, but will live if I don't. I would still have three Saturdays left before my summer vacation kicks in and my training effectively goes into hibernation.
I am glad I've been training as hard as I have. I started testing only seven months after beginning my training. That is likely a club record.
Of course, failing will throw my timetable all wonky.
So maybe May 5th, May 12th and May 19th.
There is a problem. The instructor can't be there on May 5th or May 19th. Other people will take us through practise run throughs, and then help us record the exams but it isn't the same.
Let's assume we don't complete anything successfully without the boss. That changes my dates to May 12th, May 26th and June 2nd.
No big deal, except I can't be there May 26th. That extends my testing to June 9th.
I'd really like to finish before that, but will live if I don't. I would still have three Saturdays left before my summer vacation kicks in and my training effectively goes into hibernation.
I am glad I've been training as hard as I have. I started testing only seven months after beginning my training. That is likely a club record.
Of course, failing will throw my timetable all wonky.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Three Days
This Friday is one of those teacher days. The kids stay home, and we go to class. It is going to be one controlled by the school district.
When this happens, all the teachers end up meeting at one of our two high schools.
If it's held in the other school, I can't ride my bike and there is a half-hour drive each way. Thank goodness it's at my school this time.
My fitness calendar for the rest of the week is pretty sweet.
I bike to work tomorrow, and in the evening go to Jiu-Jitsu. Up bright and early for the teacher day, and I get to ride again. That evening I run.
Saturday morning it's Jiu-Jitsu, and in the later afternoon it's Karate. In between I'll run again.
In those 3 days I get two bike rides back-and-forth to town, about 15km of running, a Karate class, and two Jiu-Jitsu classes.
...and I bet there is a sushi meal in there someplace.
When this happens, all the teachers end up meeting at one of our two high schools.
If it's held in the other school, I can't ride my bike and there is a half-hour drive each way. Thank goodness it's at my school this time.
My fitness calendar for the rest of the week is pretty sweet.
I bike to work tomorrow, and in the evening go to Jiu-Jitsu. Up bright and early for the teacher day, and I get to ride again. That evening I run.
Saturday morning it's Jiu-Jitsu, and in the later afternoon it's Karate. In between I'll run again.
In those 3 days I get two bike rides back-and-forth to town, about 15km of running, a Karate class, and two Jiu-Jitsu classes.
...and I bet there is a sushi meal in there someplace.
Racing me
So far in 2012, I've ridden 720 bike kilometres and run 116.
That might seem a lot, but last year at the same time I'd completed 908 on wheels and 258 on foot.
There are several reasons I'm so far behind. One is that this year I have a car, and am able to choose not to ride to work sometimes.
Another is that last year my only other physical activity was two Karate classes a week. This year I'm going to five martial arts sessions each week. Two of these are on Saturday, which used to be my top running day.
So I have reasons I am doing less, but it still sticks in my craw. I'd like to be at least closer.
As my records are by week, I actually have until bedtime Saturday to catch up a little. No car to work for me. That should add a few kms to the total. I will also squeeze a run into Saturday.
What else can I do? There are no martial arts tonight or Friday. I will run on both of these days as well.
So I'll sneak up a bit on the 2011 version of me.
To actually catch up, I'll have to up the pace week after week.
Don't know if I can do that.
That might seem a lot, but last year at the same time I'd completed 908 on wheels and 258 on foot.
There are several reasons I'm so far behind. One is that this year I have a car, and am able to choose not to ride to work sometimes.
Another is that last year my only other physical activity was two Karate classes a week. This year I'm going to five martial arts sessions each week. Two of these are on Saturday, which used to be my top running day.
So I have reasons I am doing less, but it still sticks in my craw. I'd like to be at least closer.
As my records are by week, I actually have until bedtime Saturday to catch up a little. No car to work for me. That should add a few kms to the total. I will also squeeze a run into Saturday.
What else can I do? There are no martial arts tonight or Friday. I will run on both of these days as well.
So I'll sneak up a bit on the 2011 version of me.
To actually catch up, I'll have to up the pace week after week.
Don't know if I can do that.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Slogging
It turns out I didn't do well enough on the test segment I recorded on Saturday. It needed to be redone.
Not a problem. The instructor just said that during all the practises tonight I should not do the class's technique. I was supposed to grab a Blue Belt and go over the test sequence instead.
This way I went through the test sequence about four or five times.
Right after class, we did the video over. It felt really good. I bet it's a keeper.
The hard test parts are yet to come. Unfortunately, the instructor will be away again this Saturday. We'll try hard, and record a test sequence anyhow, but it will be much harder without him.
If that works out then the end will almost be in sight.
Not a problem. The instructor just said that during all the practises tonight I should not do the class's technique. I was supposed to grab a Blue Belt and go over the test sequence instead.
This way I went through the test sequence about four or five times.
Right after class, we did the video over. It felt really good. I bet it's a keeper.
The hard test parts are yet to come. Unfortunately, the instructor will be away again this Saturday. We'll try hard, and record a test sequence anyhow, but it will be much harder without him.
If that works out then the end will almost be in sight.
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