I spoke to my coach Lauren Kearney (http://www.laurenkearney.com/) briefly yesterday and we are on track for the next phase of my training. I am switching up my physical workouts this week in order to push past the plateaus I am reaching physically, and then she is leading me into some specific training on my katas and martial arts side of things. I'm looking forward to it, but I have to admit that I am a bit nervous too. I haven't been training hard and heavy in katas for a couple of years, and I know it will all come back to me (as it has in the past few weeks doing to bit that I have) but this is a very different level and I will be blazing into some new territory with what she has to teach me. Above all, I am excited and motivated moving into this new phase.
A few people have asked me about my training routine...stuff like, "When do you train?" "What do you do during your workouts?" "Where do you train?" "What are you eating or not eating?" "Is it easy?" (I always chuckle when I hear that one...) I have answers to all these questions, but I'll be honest and say I don't have a lot of time to fish out that type of info in great detail right now. I am however keeping notes and journals and details of my plans and will compile them for people to see soon. Right now, I have to focus on this singular task: Preparing ME for the U.S. Open.
With that said, I can give you some brief insight into my world. I train 6-days a week, with one rest day, and one "cheat" day mixed in as far as diet/eating is concerned. Even on my "rest" day I do something light, like walking, to keep my body "talking" and on the "cheat" days for eating, I don't go crazy. Maybe one meal is a former favorite, but slimmed down and then I work through the rest of the day wisely. Make sense? My meals are planned out for me and I simply eat what is given me most of the time. It's a very specific mix of foods and nutrition based on what I need and how much I need of everything to meet the demands of what my body is going through.
As far as physical training goes...I do a lot of bodyweight exercises, biking, walking, some weightlifting (but careful with that and not much), various other forms of cardio...things like yoga mixed in, as well as a lot of my basics in martial arts training...oh, and a lot of breathing exercises. That's really a snapshot as it is all scheduled out and strategically evaluated each week.
I play a lot too. That's right...play! I believe big time in the art and benefits of "Play". I will definitely explain that in future posts and when I make available my stuff in organized form, but "playing" is such an important part of life period and really breaks the "stress" of what I am trying to do here. It is strategic though, make no mistake about it.
Mentally I do a lot of training too. As a "Mind Coach" I know full well that what is going on in the coconut up top is a huge key to success and/or failure. I do a lot of visualization, meditation, journaling, reading, filtering, mental stress-management (my wife is a Certified Holistic Stress Management Coach - so I learn from her), and praying...praying not the least of what is on that list I assure you...especially when I start thinking about what a "Crazy" I am for even thinking about taking on this Quest. It is no small mountain that I am climbing here.
Keep in mind, everything changes weekly, and sometimes daily depending on the heights (or valleys) I am reaching in my training, so I am never bored in all of this. The fun part of this is that I see results daily. Little ones most of the time, but those add up over the course of a week or beyond. Some days I see big results, like I talked about in yesterday's post about my legs while biking, so results vary. I don't get discouraged about small results as long as I see consistency, and I don't get worked up too much about the biggies either, because the next day I could be in a whole different category and again, I am concerned about consitency.
Hopefully all this helps for now...more in the future for those that are interested.
On another interesting note, I met a fellow Martial Artist yesterday that said he is just beginning his training for the U.S. Open for next year. We chatted for a moment about it and I tried to encourage him and offered him my contact. I hope to meet all kinds of people like that on this Quest. My bigger goal is that somehow all this becomes an inspiration to others to join me in this Quest or jump into their own dreams all the way and make them happen.
So, to the friend I met yesterday just beginning his Quest and to you, I say "Go for it!" Let nothing hold you back...leave nothing to question in the end...where there is no trail - cut your own trail...where there are scoffers and doubters - smile at them as you pass them by...where there are encouragers - listen to them and let them energize you...and don't do this alone - find coaches, family, friends, mentors, and a support system to assist you and guide you along the way...but in the end (or the beginning)... "Go for it!"
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