A dragon on the wing

As I mentioned elsejournal, my guys and I are just about to finish up our 100 Pushup Challenge.

Well... now they want a new one! LOL

I think I'm going to give the a list of options, and ask for their ideas, then let everyone vote on which one(s) they want to do, and the one with the most votes wins.

So I'm asking you, great hive-mind, for ideas!

Some of the ones I've come up with so far are:

• X chinups


• Run X distance


• Walk X distance (time may become a factor on this one, to do as a group for any appreciable distance)


• X "dog kicks" (on all fours, raise one leg like a dog at a hydrant, extend and retract the leg X times, then set down)


• stance training -- hold stances for X time

Other suggestions, anyone?

Okay, so the icon isn't *quite* true -- not YET!

However, if we can maintain the pace we've been keeping since August 2, then by Hallowe'en four of my students and I will be able to say that we can do 100 pushups.

This is something of a GIP, and the badge itself comes from the fine folks at HundredPushups.com. We're not actually following their plan, though. They are of the opinion that you can go from "couch potato" to 100 pushups in 6 weeks. I won't say that you can't, but it's not the road my students and I are taking.

We decided to do this as a group, which meant starting at the level of the lowest person in the group -- 35 pushups -- and adding 5 each week. As of Monday, we'll be doing 65, so we're roughly half-way there! Yes, it will take us longer to get there than the 6-week program mentioned above, but I'm okay with that. I find that physical changes that take longer to occur also tend to last longer, which suits me just fine in this case.

Okay, who else has accomplishments that they want to brag about? Come on, don't be shy -- if you don't toot your horn, who will?

Once a month, my martial arts school has a very intense, heavy conditioning class that we refer to as Iron Body class. It involves both conditioning the muscles and cardiovascular system with exercises, and conditioning the body to be able to absorb a blow to most of the major target areas (head and groin are the two significant exceptions). Normally this class would be held on the last Wednesday of the month, but considering the upcoming holidays, we decided to hold it last night instead.

There were three points at which I was drawing amusing comments from the students.
( Cut for those who don't care about the details )

I've been slowly working on changing over from walking to jogging... jog a short ways, then walk, jog a little more, walk some more, for a total of about 4 miles (6.44km).

I had estimated from my pace count that I was jogging a total of about one mile, with three miles walked.

Well, last night, for the first time in at least 15 years, I jogged one continous mile!

Considering that at one point, I could literally run any distance I wanted to (for example, one day I ran 13 miles because I needed to drop something off at someone's house), this isn't exactly earth-shattering... but it is nevertheless a "milestone" (pardon the pun ::G::) for me.

I seem to have lost one of these... if you see it, could you please send it home?

You see, we've spent most of this week in Memphis, so Monday and Wednesday nights, I went to visit my old dojo and work out with them. No problem... except that Wednesday was this month's Iron Body class, which I haven't done since I left Memphis 4 years ago!

For those not familiar with the term, an Iron Body class is one where you push yourself both in terms of physical conditioning, and for conditioning to be able to absorb a blow. This latter involves repeatedly striking each of the major areas of the body except for the groin and the head. Not hard strikes, you understand, but repetitive ones. Just one will sting a bit. Two dozen or more... ow. Fifty... you get the idea.

Needless to say, today I am somewhat sore -- although not nearly as bad as I'd been afraid I'd be.

The thing that really boggled me was the bruise I found this morning, where I've never had one before -- and that's saying a lot! I'd never even heard of getting bruises on your stomach, but I managed it this time!

In the span of one week, I was promoted to 3rd-degree black belt, had another birthday, and decided to resume one of my old workout routines.

And may I just say... Ouch!

Eponin & Mouseketeer, how are you guys coming with your workouts?

.... or, Oh, am I gonna hurt tomorrow!

I started in today on what I'm planning to make a fairly regular workout. Based on where I'm starting to feel things tighten up already, I have to think it's going to be effective -- if it doesn't kill me!

I started off with a Pilates routine -- which can be demanding enough by itself, but focuses mainly on the abs. So then I also did the stances, flexibility drills, and conditioning drills from my old kung fu school -- also rather demanding. In fact, the best shape I've ever been in at any point in my life was when I was doing those drills three times a night, 3-5 nights a week.

But getting back to those levels is going to mean a lot of sore muscles!

Oh, well... the results are worth it. 8-)

37 trips around the sun so far... and I'm just getting warmed up! 8-)

Or as my great-aunt used to say whenever anyone asked her how she was doing, "Oh, I'm still kickin', just not so high" ::G::

Of course, this is the same great-aunt who chewed plug tobacco, rode a motorcycle, and operated a still in rural Mississippi... all in her 70's. What can I say -- she was a character, but definitely an *interesting* one!

On the other hand, we went to the gym yesterday, and after a 2-hour workout, I'm not nearly as sore today as I was afraid I'd be. 8-)

Still... 216 pounds? Yuck.

I'm hoping that between starting things up at the gym, plus the new diet, I'll be able to drop it back to 185 before Thanksgiving. You guys will help keep me honest, right? ::G::

Actually, I honestly don't care what the scales say. I just want to get back to what I consider to be "in decent shape," and 185 by T-day seems like a reasonable rate of progress.

Ah, well... it was a great evening with my lovely wife. 8-)