Rock You Like A Hurricane...The 10,000 Challenge!

The rains could not stop us! Michael and I worked out in the rain today (it got real messy), and at one point "Rock You Like A Hurricane" popped up on my iPod. Thought that was funny! Rain or Shine, Hurricane or Drought...gotta' keep going. If you are living any where near Central Florida you know the rain has not stopped for two days straight.

It was cold at first working out outside. Kinda reminded me of when I raced triathlon/biathlons in Northern Georgia one winter. Got through the run portion and my teammates said I had something hanging off of my face. Icicles had frozen on my face and hair while running. CHI-LLY!

Can't stop for the weather though. Too little time, too much to do. The rain can be energizing though, especially when you love water like I do. Twas a little scary at one point as my front tire started hydroplaning during the bike ride...thought I was a goner for sure.

As for the challenge I was given last night during my date night with Holly...

She has taken over all the logistics of my training. Talking with sponsors, working with schedules, and making all kinds of things happen. We were talking through some training options and concerns and I mentioned how I was working through 1000 run-throughs of my kata (form) between now and the U.S. Open. She looked at me and said, "That's nothing! I want you to up it to 10,000!" At first, I thought she was joking...she wasn't. Then I told her she was out of her mind...she isn't. Then she leveled with me and said she knew I could push further than 1000 and she expected me to give everything I've got to the end...win or lose...nothing left on the table here!

We talked about it some more, and I began to think through it, remaining silent. When I got home I did some calculating. I would be doing kata 12.5 hours a day to accomplish 10,000. I showed it to her and we began to talk about what level was the minimum level I would have to train at in order to really be a contender.

We agreed that 10,000 was a goal to shoot for, but considering the time left we wanted to be realistic. She said she would accept anything over 5,000 prior to the U.S. Open, but to go as far past it as possible. We are still talking over 4 hours a day JUST ON A SINGLE FORM!!!
To be sure, this is not an unacceptable request in the scope of achieving Mastery. Regardless of what number I hit before the U.S. Open, I will continue afterward until reaching 10,000.

Before that, I've some real work to do. To boot, I must complete 10,000 repetitions in something else that is related to my training. Grrrr...

This is in addition to preparing for the other events I will compete in AND continuing my physical workouts for weight loss and general well-being AND my time committed to mental work AND working AND being a father and a husband AND sleeping AND brushing my teeth AND the time it is going to take to remind myself of how crazy I am for even attempting all this...you get the point!

I think it definitely worth it and necessary though. After all, to be a Champion, one must go farther than anyone else is willing to go, to do more, to study more, to practice more, to risk more, to sacrifice more...

Michael looked at me at the end of the conversation and said, "Well, if you really want it, you've got to do what it takes and this is worth it and it can be done." I was kinda' hoping he would be on my side, but he chose Holly's side in this...guess that's what a good training partner is for!

Wise words from my 17-year old training partner and one of my three closest friends in the world.

Nuff said!

P.S. - No wait, one more thing...HELP!

A New Challenge Has Been Issued...

I received a new challenge from Holly (my wife and now, Manager) tonight during our weekly Monday-night Date Night...

All I can say for now is 10,000 each...!!!

What!? I have to process this challenge before I make any announcement proper.

Can I deliver? That is the real question. This is about as daunting as the U.S. Open itself, but no doubt would put me at a different level of performance.

Sweating...bullets...can't...breathe...somebody...help!

Back in Orlando...Almost Hit By Car (twice)...Into The Final Stretch Here!

Back in Orlando now...Gator Nationals was awesome, and I had a great time meeting some of you there. I have to admit, I relaxed on my eating plan slightly while there, and I didn't do as much as I would have liked in the area of actual training, but I think it was good nonetheless in terms of resetting mentally and giving my body another chance to catch up with itself.

Lauren and I had the opportunity to do some live broadcasting of the main events Saturday night during Kickgen.com's live stream of the event. It was pretty raw (we didn't plan anything, just went with it...) but it was a lot of fun and we have received some great feedback. Looks like there is more of that to come.

While working out today I was almost hit twice by two numbskull drivers who decided they had no reason to pay attention to the rule of law while on the road. That kind of stuff drives (no pun intended) me nuts... PEOPLE! Obey traffic laws and watch out for bikers and pedestrians!!! One of the guys just smiled at me and waved his fingers around his head like he was admitting he was a dummy...um, YEAH!

Working out today was light, and as soon as I was finished the storms rolled in. I laid down with the little guy to get him to take a nap. Ends up, he stayed awake and ran off to play and I was out for a few hours apparently! I have lost a bunch of sleep this past week with the injury, stuff going on at work, and trying to integrate new schedules, so I hope I'm nearly caught up now.

This weekend gave me an opportunity to relax, enjoy some great competition, meet some really amazing people and look forward to hitting training hard and heavy again. We are almost there friends. The US Open is right around the corner, and what I saw this weekend in terms of competition is no laughing matter. This weekend also helped me see how serious some people around me are about this Quest for the U.S. Open. Lot of open eyes for me over the past few days.

I need nothing short of a miracle to step on the mat with these people (my competition). One thing I realized though...I belong in the U.S. Open. I am meant to stand next to these men and women in competition. I have full belief that I can do this and do it well. I want to be worthy of it, so I will continue to train hard and focus like a crazy-man.

Getting some technology on board to make this blog better is slow-going right now, but I'm ok with it as training and preparing for the Open takes priority. If it takes a few more days or a week in order to train properly, I'm ok with that. Remember, I'm doing this with just me and a couple of other people physically helping me do things, and there will probably be fewer people the closer I get to the Open. It's just the nature of things...in the end, only I can stand on the mat and do what must be done. If there are those who don't take this seriously enough to put in the resources needed, or simply cannot go on further with me on this Quest...so be it, I'm ok with that too.

It's time to cut all excess loose and begin the final race to the finish line, so to speak. The U.S. Open is July 3-4, and there is a lot more work to do to prepare for it.

I thank you for your prayers and support, and I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Open or along the way on this Quest.

Here we go, folks...raise the torch...let's finish this race!!!

Just Arrived In Daytona Beach...Time to Re-Center and Re-Gain Momentum

Holly, Michael, Nathaniel, and I arrived in Daytona Beach, FL a while ago for the Gator Nationals Martial Arts Championships (at the Ocean Center if you are anywhere nearby). This is a big tourney with a lot of very talented people competing. I'm here to observe, soak it in, meet up with Lauren (my coach), and basically re-center mentally.

This week was brutal. The injury...closing the business (nationally all our stores are closing)...having a full plate of other responsibilities...AND still training and trying to be careful so as to not make the injury worse. Two days ago, I thought I was past the worst of it, then yesterday..WHAM! I felt as bad or worse than I did at the beginning of the week. Lost a lot of recuperative sleep this week too, which hasn't helped AT ALL!

I haven't been able to get through a full practice session with my kata this week, which is driving me nuts because time is so very critical right now. For me, I can't simply focus on the kata...but also the physical training to be able to present the kata. It is not easy, but then if it was, it probably wouldn't be worth it. Right?

The best thing I can do is breathe, relax mentally and use this time in Daytona this weekend to get it together, so to speak.

My back feels so-so today, but I am not taking any chances.

I'm going for a light workout with Michael tonight at the hotel just to keep my body "awake" to the fact that we are still in this thing. Won't be going too long as I'm going to hit the sack and sleep in just slightly tomorrow before heading over to the tournament.

We will break away at some point tomorrow and get some beach time in then be back for the live stream of the main events tomorrow night beginning at 7pm on http://www.kickgen.com/. I will be tweeting throughout the day updating on the event. Posting some pics too...probably here and at Kickgen.com.

I really need your thoughts and prayers right now. This has been a hard week, and I desperately need to regain the momentum I had going into this week. We are almost at the midway point, and if I ever needed your prayers and encouragement...it is now.

Talk to you some more tomorrow at some point. Night!

Holy Gnat, Batman! + Injury Update...

It must have been in the thousands...swarms and swarms of gnats tonight while working out. I mean, random, sudden bursts of gag-reflexing gnats out of nowhere like thousands of enemy battleships defending what, apparently, they think is their homeland...against me, on the way to the U.S. Open.

Aaaaahhhhhhh!

We just couldn't get away from the little things. Every once in a while I would take a chance to take in a deep breath (before I passed out from holding my breath) and SCHWOOOOZZZZSH! Mouth full of gnats. I was coughing up gnats, blowing them out of my nose, wiping them out of my eyes, and even digging them out from under my headphones! I wear board shorts to workout in and at one point I thought they were flying up my shorts...almost ran off the flippin' road at that point...terrifying!

They lie in wait, I tell you. Strategically picking off their prey... I can't stand 'em...enough of them.

On to more critical items...

Injury update: I did a full workout today/tonight, but only about 80% intensity (better than Monday and yesterday). Still small traces of the pain that set in earlier this week, but nothing like it was. It has caused some trouble sleeping a few nights this week, but I think I am catching up there. I have been receiving treatments each day and using hydrotherapy, stretching, massage, and other light therapies to help.

It was a bit scary, not knowing what was happening. But I think I am on the mend fully and should be back to full capacity following Gator Nationals this weekend. (btw...my friends over at www.Kickgen.com will be streaming live part of this event this weekend. Check out their website for some more info and tune in to some amazing martial arts action! My coach Lauren Kearney www.LaurenKearney.com will be there too.)

The worst thing for me this week is that I have missed a lot of time working my kata (martial arts form), and self-defense techniques. I am going to try and make up some time the next couple of days in that area, but without pushing too hard.

I had also felt like I hit a transition just before this happened where I was really beginning to burn a lot more bodyfat each day and was beginning to see some significant results. I don't think I lost my ground there, but the momentum has shifted and it will take a few days to build that back up again.

The important thing is that I am still going forward and overcoming this. This is part of what this Quest is about...overcoming those things that have kept me back for so many years, and doing things that other "experts" said I would never do again.

I am learning so much about me, my art, my body, and my relationships through all of this and these things are definitely worth it. I can honestly say I have already won, and we are still just under two months out (that is scary all to itself!).

Thank you so much for the support, encouragement, and prayers. Keep them coming and I hope we can all show the world what living a life of a Champion is really about together. You, after all, are a HUGE part of the Quest team and I love that we are accomplishing this together.

I spoke with the guy/company who is designing our shirts, and he says he will have something soon, so I hope to unveil the official "Quest for the U.S. Open" shirt mucho fast!

Do me a favor and pass the word along to your friends about this Quest and the U.S. Open. I would love to make some more friends along the way and hopefully inspire even more people to live the extraordinary life!

Updates...

Still working on some new tech stuff with this site...should be up and running or at least where I can share some good stuff in a couple of days.

Update on Injury:
I am working out lightly. Very light right now. Taking advice from trainers, family, and my coach to take it easy. Really listening to the body right now. Feeling much better, but can still tell I need to be careful with it. Thanks for the support from everyone so far.

Gator Nationals This Weekend! I will be there hanging out with my friends from www.Kickgen.com and watching all the amazing martial arts action!

www.Kickgen.com will actually be doing some live feeds of the event. Be sure to check out www.Kickgen.com for more info and to tune in to one of the strongest tournaments in the nation. If you are near Daytona by any stretch, you definitely will want to try and stop in for this event.

One-count, Possibly Two-count, Injury...Frustration!

I wasn't planning on posting anything today, but I felt I needed to keep you in the loop...

Woke up this a.m. with some serious pain...mid back left side...muscular. Not sure what I did or when but this thing knocked me around today (still knocking me around) even after massage treatment, some hydrotherapy, planned rest, stretching, and generally taking it easy.

I mean, I'm not down for the count or anything crazy like that, but at least a one-count or a two-count. I'm hurting folks and I can't afford this at this point in the game...ever, to be sure.

Doing some more therapy tonight on my way to sleep and re-assessing in the a.m. This is not good, and has put me a day and a half behind in training plans. I have to be wise here though so I don't screw it up even more. My mind wants to go way ahead of my body right now though, and that is my greatest battle this weekend.

Holly said it reminds her of previous injury...complications from one of the accidents that I have had to deal with...not what I wanted to hear, but she has been in my corner all these years and is very keen on what is happening with me.

Gotta' get this under control and take care of it. Gonna' have some training to catch up with this week, especially getting ready to travel to Gator Nationals on Friday.

Frustrated...