A little over 3 months ago I joined the Gracie Barra University to learn jiu-jitsu. It's a martial art, some might call it a combat sport, and it's a whole lotta fun. I'd even call it my new passion in life. I've played soccer almost my whole life. I love the game. The teamwork, the ball skill, the strategy of setting up or defending an attack on goal. It's all good. I've gotten busted up doing both sports so it got me wondering: Which sport is safer?
When I first joined jiu-jitsu I had bruises for over a month straight. They covered my chest and dotted my legs and hips. I was constantly sore and hobbling around but I'd heal. Even the bruises eventually went away, now I just get an occasional one or two. During training I've taken a few kicks to the face and elbows to the jaw but none of those really left a mark and it was always accidental. The worst I got it in jiu-jitsu was during the first, and so far only, competition I entered. My opponent caught me in an americana and cranked it pretty hard before I tapped out. Even though an americana is a shoulder lock my elbow got hurt. It was sore for a couple weeks.
Now onto soccer. Simply put, the worst injuries I've ever had came from soccer. I've taken elbows to the face, had my legs swept out from under me while running full speed, had the wind knocked out of me, taken some mean foot-stomps with cleats, kicks, kness, shoulder tackles, so on and so on. Those are the minor ones. The wear and tear has messed up my knees. Had some physical therapy for that. They don't give me much problems anymore but I know they're not 100% and probably never will be. I got slide-tackled real hard a few years ago and that really jacked up my ankle. That tackle combined with all the wear and tear led to surgery to remove all of the built-up scar tissue and help repair some tendon damage to my right ankle. It also led to several sessions of physical therapy. Today my ankle works well enough to run, but sprinting and cutting is a problem. It's also not as flexible as my left ankle. It'll definitely never be 100% again.
Then there was today. This morning I trained jiu-jitsu. The guy I rolled with was pretty good and when we sparred it was competative. It was exhausting, in a good way though. But during the course of training I took an elbow to the jaw. It hurt for a few seconds and then I was good. We shook hands and went back to training. Afterwards I went to play soccer. Been a while since I've played so I was going to take it easy and only play for about 20 minutes. So naturally I got hurt within 2 minutes on the field. I was making a run down the side, the guy defending me was a few steps in front so I cut to the inside. It looked like I had enough room to get around the guy. Usually, most defenders will stick out a leg or a shoulder to bump you away from the ball. Instead, this guy lead with his forehead and nailed me right in the face. To sum up, my front tooth is chipped and my nose is broken. Another injury - oh wait, those are two injuries - to add to the soccer list...so much for an easy-going game.
Now granted, I've played soccer all my life and I've only trained jiu-jitsu for 3 months. I've had much more opportunity to get injured in soccer. However, given the severity and long-term damage I've suffered from soccer I've decided that jiu-jitsu is definitely safer than soccer. Afterall, in jiu-jitsu it's training, people are there to learn and help each other out, and you can tap-out at any time and save yourself some pain. In soccer, it gets competative, you usually don't know the players on the opposite team, and things tend to hurt more when running full speed.
Go figure yeah...the martial art/combat sport is safer than a soccer game...at least for me. Now I'm questioning again - I had this question after having ankle surgery - if I should give up a sport I love and have played all my life. But hey, if I do that at least I can continue with jiu-jitsu...once my nose heals.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Ford Island Bridge Run
Today started at 3:30am and the only reason I'll wake up that early means it was another event: The Ford Island Bridge Run. It's a 10k run, which is 6.2 miles. Here's how it went.
I woke up way early and even though I went to sleep early the night before it still took half an hour to peel myself out of bed. First thing, I did some stretches to get the blood flowing and wake up. Then a shower and something to eat. Some people may ask, "why take a shower when you're going running and get all sweaty and dirty?" A couple reasons. First it helps me wake up. Second, and more importantly it makes me feel better and ready to go. One of my soccer coaches in high school used to have us wash our uniforms and clean our shoes before every game. His reasoning was simple. You wash and get polished to look good, when you look good you feel good, and when you feel good you perform better. I've carried that with me ever since, so I shower before every event.
Ok, went on a tangent there. Anyway, I headed toward Aloha stadium to find the parking area and, of course, not knowing exactly where it is I went to the wrong place. Instead of going into the overflow parking lot I ended up circling around Aloha Stadium. So with that little detour out of the way I got to right place and met up with my friends. It was pre-dawn. The sky was dim but the eastern horizon was glowing with the approaching sun. We made our way to the staging area and I got massacred by mosquitos. We walked less than 50 feet and I already got bit 6 times by those wretched insects.
Race time approached and I got warmed up, stretched out and made my way to the start line. The goal was to finish under 50 minutes. Like the Great Aloha Run, I'd be doing this race on my own (my friends weren't running for time) so I'd have to pace myself, which is kind of hard to do without a watch. I figure if I could run each mile at 8 minutes I'd make my time goal. I know what an 8 minute mile feels like so I felt I'd be okay without a watch. People were cluttered at the starting line, they were looking eager to go, and a woman came by dressed like Wonder Woman. It was going to be a good run. The gun fired to start the race and we didn't move at all. The road was a bit narrow for the crowd of people (over 3000 runners) so it took a couple minutes to thin out and get moving.
I spent the first mile weaving through the crowd searching for running lanes and taking in the view. The Arizona Memorial was off to the left, some military ships were docked in Pearl Harbor. Nice stuff. I got across the bridge and passed the first mile marker...damn that's a long bridge. I wasn't paying much attention to my form and I noticed my ankles were sore. I settled into a steady stride and soon my legs loosened up and the sore ankles went away.
Usually I'm really good and feeling what pace I'm running at but this morning it was a bit difficult. I felt sluggish and my legs felt heavy. It wasn't even two miles yet. I just told myself to keep going and stay with the people around me. They were military and looked like they held a good pace. Hey, if you're gonna pace with anybody might as well go with military. Those guys are fit and they don't quit.
A little after 3 miles I heard the time was somewhere around 26 minutes. I tried to calculate what my pace was but my brain wasn't functioning like that at the time. It was too busy keeping my legs moving. But I figured I was in range to finish under 50 minutes...I didn't know this, I just figured it because it made me feel better. And I kept on running.
My legs were heating up, my breath was speeding up, and I was running back onto the bridge heading toward the finish line. One mile left. The bridge is like a camel hump. Steady incline to a steady decline. But heading back in this direction onto the main island leads to another incline before rounding to the finish line. The last mile was tough. Once across the bridge and over the last incline the finish line was in sight. About a quarter mile left. I opened my stride and pushed to the finish. In the final stretch I let loose into a sprint...or at least as fast as I could go at the time, I don't know if you would call it a sprint. The best part was I was gaining on the guy in front of me and just as I was about to pass him he stopped to strike a pose for a camera. I nearly plowed into the guy and had to juke and stumble around him. Threw off my sprint but I bet that picture looks great.
I crossed the finish sometime after 46 minutes. I don't know my official time yet but I made the goal for sure. If I finished under 45 minutes I'll be stoked. I'll admit, parts of that run was brutal and tested my will to keep pushing, but I'm happy I made it and I'm really happy with my performance. My friends finished the race a few minutes later. They made it the whole way non-stop and did really well.
After the run I had to go into work (overtime). I felt pretty good for the first hour or so but after that the pain started to kick in. My legs ached and felt like they'd cramp up if I moved the wrong way. Then my stomach felt queasy. Hadn't pushed that hard in a run for a while. But it's all good. The stomach will settle and the legs will recover.
No idea what the next event will be. I heard about the Xterra run, or something like that, it's a trail run through the hills. That sounds like it could be fun. No idea when it is but I'll keep that one in mind.
I woke up way early and even though I went to sleep early the night before it still took half an hour to peel myself out of bed. First thing, I did some stretches to get the blood flowing and wake up. Then a shower and something to eat. Some people may ask, "why take a shower when you're going running and get all sweaty and dirty?" A couple reasons. First it helps me wake up. Second, and more importantly it makes me feel better and ready to go. One of my soccer coaches in high school used to have us wash our uniforms and clean our shoes before every game. His reasoning was simple. You wash and get polished to look good, when you look good you feel good, and when you feel good you perform better. I've carried that with me ever since, so I shower before every event.
Ok, went on a tangent there. Anyway, I headed toward Aloha stadium to find the parking area and, of course, not knowing exactly where it is I went to the wrong place. Instead of going into the overflow parking lot I ended up circling around Aloha Stadium. So with that little detour out of the way I got to right place and met up with my friends. It was pre-dawn. The sky was dim but the eastern horizon was glowing with the approaching sun. We made our way to the staging area and I got massacred by mosquitos. We walked less than 50 feet and I already got bit 6 times by those wretched insects.
Race time approached and I got warmed up, stretched out and made my way to the start line. The goal was to finish under 50 minutes. Like the Great Aloha Run, I'd be doing this race on my own (my friends weren't running for time) so I'd have to pace myself, which is kind of hard to do without a watch. I figure if I could run each mile at 8 minutes I'd make my time goal. I know what an 8 minute mile feels like so I felt I'd be okay without a watch. People were cluttered at the starting line, they were looking eager to go, and a woman came by dressed like Wonder Woman. It was going to be a good run. The gun fired to start the race and we didn't move at all. The road was a bit narrow for the crowd of people (over 3000 runners) so it took a couple minutes to thin out and get moving.
I spent the first mile weaving through the crowd searching for running lanes and taking in the view. The Arizona Memorial was off to the left, some military ships were docked in Pearl Harbor. Nice stuff. I got across the bridge and passed the first mile marker...damn that's a long bridge. I wasn't paying much attention to my form and I noticed my ankles were sore. I settled into a steady stride and soon my legs loosened up and the sore ankles went away.
Usually I'm really good and feeling what pace I'm running at but this morning it was a bit difficult. I felt sluggish and my legs felt heavy. It wasn't even two miles yet. I just told myself to keep going and stay with the people around me. They were military and looked like they held a good pace. Hey, if you're gonna pace with anybody might as well go with military. Those guys are fit and they don't quit.
A little after 3 miles I heard the time was somewhere around 26 minutes. I tried to calculate what my pace was but my brain wasn't functioning like that at the time. It was too busy keeping my legs moving. But I figured I was in range to finish under 50 minutes...I didn't know this, I just figured it because it made me feel better. And I kept on running.
My legs were heating up, my breath was speeding up, and I was running back onto the bridge heading toward the finish line. One mile left. The bridge is like a camel hump. Steady incline to a steady decline. But heading back in this direction onto the main island leads to another incline before rounding to the finish line. The last mile was tough. Once across the bridge and over the last incline the finish line was in sight. About a quarter mile left. I opened my stride and pushed to the finish. In the final stretch I let loose into a sprint...or at least as fast as I could go at the time, I don't know if you would call it a sprint. The best part was I was gaining on the guy in front of me and just as I was about to pass him he stopped to strike a pose for a camera. I nearly plowed into the guy and had to juke and stumble around him. Threw off my sprint but I bet that picture looks great.
I crossed the finish sometime after 46 minutes. I don't know my official time yet but I made the goal for sure. If I finished under 45 minutes I'll be stoked. I'll admit, parts of that run was brutal and tested my will to keep pushing, but I'm happy I made it and I'm really happy with my performance. My friends finished the race a few minutes later. They made it the whole way non-stop and did really well.
After the run I had to go into work (overtime). I felt pretty good for the first hour or so but after that the pain started to kick in. My legs ached and felt like they'd cramp up if I moved the wrong way. Then my stomach felt queasy. Hadn't pushed that hard in a run for a while. But it's all good. The stomach will settle and the legs will recover.
No idea what the next event will be. I heard about the Xterra run, or something like that, it's a trail run through the hills. That sounds like it could be fun. No idea when it is but I'll keep that one in mind.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Smile!
I was at dinner the other night celebrating a friend's birthday and included in our group was our friends' newborn baby boy. Naturally, the baby drew lots of attention but when the baby smiled he really had us captivated. Throughout the night whenever somebody went up to the baby it was all about making him smile. Every time I saw the baby smile I couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness and hint of fascination. And it got me wondering: Why is a baby's smile so awesome?
When an adult smiles people don't react with such excitement. Sometimes people react with suspicion. Similar reactions are given when a kid smiles. When a teenager smiles...well come on, who believes anything a teenager does anyway?
I read a book on body language and it had a whole chapter about identiying fake smiles and genuine smiles. In my experience, fake smiles seem to run rampant among adults and teenagers. Gossip, lies, powerplays, persuasion all utilize fake smiles. A smile turns from an expression of joy to a useful tool to get somebody on the same page as you. I think this is why a smile could lose some of its value, if you will, as we age. We've learned that they may be fake or accompanied with ulterior motives. Even a genuine smile may be blurred by the currents of emotions and stresses that linger in our heads. And this could have affect the way a smile is given and perceived. The stresses mask the happiness that a smile is meant to project.
So this brings me back to my original question: Why is a baby's smile so awesome? The way I figure it, babies don't have that added baggage. They haven't learned about lies, about persuasion, about fake smiles and ulterior motives. A baby's smile is straight up happiness. And that's why it's so awesome! It's a portrait of pure joy, which is rarely seen in the adult world with all its added stress and complexity that comes over the years. A baby's smile is a simple glimpse of something pure and a perfect reminder of how great hapiness is. It's refreshing - even touching...whoa I think I just had an emotional moment...scary.
When an adult smiles people don't react with such excitement. Sometimes people react with suspicion. Similar reactions are given when a kid smiles. When a teenager smiles...well come on, who believes anything a teenager does anyway?
I read a book on body language and it had a whole chapter about identiying fake smiles and genuine smiles. In my experience, fake smiles seem to run rampant among adults and teenagers. Gossip, lies, powerplays, persuasion all utilize fake smiles. A smile turns from an expression of joy to a useful tool to get somebody on the same page as you. I think this is why a smile could lose some of its value, if you will, as we age. We've learned that they may be fake or accompanied with ulterior motives. Even a genuine smile may be blurred by the currents of emotions and stresses that linger in our heads. And this could have affect the way a smile is given and perceived. The stresses mask the happiness that a smile is meant to project.
So this brings me back to my original question: Why is a baby's smile so awesome? The way I figure it, babies don't have that added baggage. They haven't learned about lies, about persuasion, about fake smiles and ulterior motives. A baby's smile is straight up happiness. And that's why it's so awesome! It's a portrait of pure joy, which is rarely seen in the adult world with all its added stress and complexity that comes over the years. A baby's smile is a simple glimpse of something pure and a perfect reminder of how great hapiness is. It's refreshing - even touching...whoa I think I just had an emotional moment...scary.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Gas Tank on Empty
As far as fitness goes, one of the things I pride myself on is having endurance. I think my cardio is pretty good. That is until I hit the wall three times this past week. And I don't mean I got tired and winded. I'm talking gas tank completely empty. Lying on the ground sprawled out realizing that I don't feel sore because I'm too numb to feel anything but knowing all too well that I'll be feeling it later.
This all happened during jiu-jitsu training this past week. It started last week Sunday. I rolled with a guy bigger and much stronger than me. Now granted jiu-jitsu is designed to let the smaller person take on the bigger, stronger person but my technique isn't there yet. Having this guy's weight on me while trying to defend myself was really draining. I gassed out bad. So what did I do after training? I caught my breath and then ran 4 miles. When I finally got home and sat down, I didn't move...at all...for the rest of the day.
The next day I went to jiu-jitsu training and gassed again. I was really sore from the previous day and I was partnered up with another guy larger, stronger, and this time more experienced than me. When we rolled I managed to get a few dominant positions but as training went on I slowed down...a lot. Again I found myself on my back defending submissions and giving up position. At one point I found myself in a really good position to take the guys back and go for a choke. All I had to do was shift myself to the side a little bit and I would've had the position but I was too tired to move (those few inches seemed really far). Instead I flopped over and lost the match. It wasn't long until I was flat on my back gasping for air barely able to move...and that was during the water break.
I went to training again on Wednesday and this time I was partnered up with somebody stronger than me (again) but this time he wasn't bigger and I had a slight edge on experience. I was looking forward to seeing how we'd match up when we rolled. But when it came time to roll the Professor switched up our partners. I was matched with a guy my height but thicker, stronger, and heavier than me. I noticed the rank on his white belt was below mine so I thought I may have an edge in experience and technique but as soon as we got to rolling I could tell he's trained before. He moved and maintained positions very well and defended every attack I went for. He's done this before. It wasn't long until I was on my back defending against a guy that felt 210 lbs...and a muscular 210 lbs at that. Several times I found myself in turtle position (sort of a duck-and-cover position with your knees and elbows on the mat) trying to sweep the guy but he simply put his weight on my back and I was stuck. When our training session was over I was once again flat on my back panting for air, too weak to move.
It's kind of crazy to think I can run no problem for over an hour but 5 competitive minutes on the mat kills me. Just shows how conditioning varies among different things. But on the bright side, I didn't get tapped out and training with those guys should help me improve that much more. Right?? Otherwise, I'm just getting beat up and that'd be a bummer.
This all happened during jiu-jitsu training this past week. It started last week Sunday. I rolled with a guy bigger and much stronger than me. Now granted jiu-jitsu is designed to let the smaller person take on the bigger, stronger person but my technique isn't there yet. Having this guy's weight on me while trying to defend myself was really draining. I gassed out bad. So what did I do after training? I caught my breath and then ran 4 miles. When I finally got home and sat down, I didn't move...at all...for the rest of the day.
The next day I went to jiu-jitsu training and gassed again. I was really sore from the previous day and I was partnered up with another guy larger, stronger, and this time more experienced than me. When we rolled I managed to get a few dominant positions but as training went on I slowed down...a lot. Again I found myself on my back defending submissions and giving up position. At one point I found myself in a really good position to take the guys back and go for a choke. All I had to do was shift myself to the side a little bit and I would've had the position but I was too tired to move (those few inches seemed really far). Instead I flopped over and lost the match. It wasn't long until I was flat on my back gasping for air barely able to move...and that was during the water break.
I went to training again on Wednesday and this time I was partnered up with somebody stronger than me (again) but this time he wasn't bigger and I had a slight edge on experience. I was looking forward to seeing how we'd match up when we rolled. But when it came time to roll the Professor switched up our partners. I was matched with a guy my height but thicker, stronger, and heavier than me. I noticed the rank on his white belt was below mine so I thought I may have an edge in experience and technique but as soon as we got to rolling I could tell he's trained before. He moved and maintained positions very well and defended every attack I went for. He's done this before. It wasn't long until I was on my back defending against a guy that felt 210 lbs...and a muscular 210 lbs at that. Several times I found myself in turtle position (sort of a duck-and-cover position with your knees and elbows on the mat) trying to sweep the guy but he simply put his weight on my back and I was stuck. When our training session was over I was once again flat on my back panting for air, too weak to move.
It's kind of crazy to think I can run no problem for over an hour but 5 competitive minutes on the mat kills me. Just shows how conditioning varies among different things. But on the bright side, I didn't get tapped out and training with those guys should help me improve that much more. Right?? Otherwise, I'm just getting beat up and that'd be a bummer.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Get Busy
“Get busy livin or get busy dyin” - Shawshank Redemption
What a great line from a that movie. The genius of this line is that getting busy livin and getting busy dyin is the same thing. We all live, and we all die. The path to doing both is the same. You want to live a fulfilling life don't you?. When on your deathbed you'd like to look back and feel accomplished, right?
The key is to get busy. It appears twice in that line up there, get busy. Go after something and work for it. It can be anything really, but it'd be better if it's something you want. And I mean something you really want. A creative work of art, a relationship, a job, a title, a certain physique, whatever. Just get busy and get after it. Who knows, you might feel like you're living more than you are right now.
Then there's the question of what if I fail? Then keep on getting busy. Just means you haven't gotten there yet...yet. Keep going until you get whatever it is you're after. And when you get it you're still not done. Stay busy to keep it. Kind of sounds like a lot of work but ask yourself this...will it feel “busy” when it's something I truly want? Could be worth it...so why not take a shot?
So this sounds like some great rhetoric. Makes for a great pep-talk doesn't it? So how can the message in this line matter to me? Or you (whoever might be reading this)? Well, I watched The Shawshank Redemption about a week ago on TV and that's what got me thinking all this. Since then I've been thinking of what I really want to do and what I want to be. First on the list: I want to be a writer. Getting a book published that people enjoy reading would be awesome. Second on the list: fitness. Simply put, I'd like to look good. Third: jiu-jitsu. I fell in love with it the first day I went to Gracie Barra and I want to be good at it.
I got a few things that I find are worth getting busy for. What next? I've gotten busy with each. I write something every day and I've started blogging (check out my other blog called Hunters, it's a story I'm working on). I make time to run every week and I make time to go to jiu-jitsu practice 4 to 5 times a week. I'm not a writer yet, I don't have 6-pack abs, and I wouldn't dare call myself good at jiu-jitsu but keeping at it is the only way to ever get there. So that's what I'm getting busy with. What about you?
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Great Aloha Run
After months of training race day had arrived! 8.14 miles along the highway from Aloha Tower Marketplace (the clock-tower that gets blown up in Pearl Harbor) to Aloha Stadium (where the Pro-Bowl is played). My goal was to finish under 1hr and 5min. Let's recap!
My day began at 3:00am, that's when my 1st alarm went off. I turned it off and went back to sleep. At 3:15am my second alarm went off. This time I decided to get up. I drank some water, did some stretches, ate some oatmeal and a banana, drank some more water, took a shower, drank some gatorade...and then drank a little more water. By 4:30 I was on the road headed for Aloha Stadium.
Cars lined the freeway heading into the stadium, over 27,000 people had entered the run. Buses take runners from the stadium to downtown where the starting line is, it's nice to have your car waiting for you at the finish line. I got on one of the charter buses excited for the run and quickly realized that I had to pee really bad...must've been all that water.
The bus unloaded downtown and I made my way to where my friends planned to meet up: The Starbucks on Bishop Street. But first things first...bathroom! After relieving myself I headed to Starbucks and didn't see anybody I knew. Time passed by and still nobody. Apparently I got there moments after my friends had left to make their way ahead of the crowd toward the start line (the lines for the bathrooms were pretty long and that took a while). I was running this race on my own.
The sun had come up and I heard the mortar cannon fire signaling the start of the run. I was quite a ways back in the crowd so it took some time to get to the starting line to actually begin. It's pretty cool how the run is timed. There's a small chip that attaches to your shoelaces and the chip is used to clock your start and finish times. That way everybody gets their own time regardless of where in the crowd they start.
The first three miles went by really quickly. I spent the whole time weaving my way through the crowd dodging walkers, joggers, and casual runners. I wanted to hold a quicker pace to meet my time goal...and I wanted to catch up with the military groups to listen to their sound-offs. Makes a good rhythm to run to. I caught up to them a little after the third mile. I used the military groups to speed up (I didn't have a watch so I had no idea what pace I was running at). I would run alongside one group for a moment, listen to their sound-off, then run up to the next group and so on.
By the 6th mile the military groups were gone and I was back to weaving through the crowd. I was hoping to come across some of my friends by this time but I hadn't seen anybody. My legs were starting to get a bit sore so I had to focus on keeping up the pace. I also started to psych myself up for the last mile and the finishing push. When I passed the 7-mile marker I opened my stride a bit to speed up. The stadium came into sight and as the pain in my legs grew I just kept telling myself it'll be over in a few minutes, the faster I go the sooner the pain will go away, and things like that. I neared the ramp that led down onto the stadium field, 100 yards left and I let my legs go and pushed it to the finish. It wasn't a full on sprint, didn't have the juice left for that, but it was a fast run. When I crossed the finish line the timer was at 1:15:32 (give or take a few seconds). Given that I didn't know where timer was at when I crossed the starting line, I had no idea what my finish time actually was. But I knew it was under 1:15:32, which is better than last year so I felt good.
I just checked my time on the Great Aloha Run website and I finished at 1:05:21. I missed my goal by under half a minute...dang! But it was a good run nontheless. I held a good pace of 8:02 per mile and I love the big-event atmosphere. I met up with my friends after the race. All of us improved our times from last year. Good stuff.
Now I'm at home relaxing. My legs are still sore and they'll probably still be sore tomorrow. But hey, sore legs means I ran hard right?
My day began at 3:00am, that's when my 1st alarm went off. I turned it off and went back to sleep. At 3:15am my second alarm went off. This time I decided to get up. I drank some water, did some stretches, ate some oatmeal and a banana, drank some more water, took a shower, drank some gatorade...and then drank a little more water. By 4:30 I was on the road headed for Aloha Stadium.
Cars lined the freeway heading into the stadium, over 27,000 people had entered the run. Buses take runners from the stadium to downtown where the starting line is, it's nice to have your car waiting for you at the finish line. I got on one of the charter buses excited for the run and quickly realized that I had to pee really bad...must've been all that water.
The bus unloaded downtown and I made my way to where my friends planned to meet up: The Starbucks on Bishop Street. But first things first...bathroom! After relieving myself I headed to Starbucks and didn't see anybody I knew. Time passed by and still nobody. Apparently I got there moments after my friends had left to make their way ahead of the crowd toward the start line (the lines for the bathrooms were pretty long and that took a while). I was running this race on my own.
The sun had come up and I heard the mortar cannon fire signaling the start of the run. I was quite a ways back in the crowd so it took some time to get to the starting line to actually begin. It's pretty cool how the run is timed. There's a small chip that attaches to your shoelaces and the chip is used to clock your start and finish times. That way everybody gets their own time regardless of where in the crowd they start.
The first three miles went by really quickly. I spent the whole time weaving my way through the crowd dodging walkers, joggers, and casual runners. I wanted to hold a quicker pace to meet my time goal...and I wanted to catch up with the military groups to listen to their sound-offs. Makes a good rhythm to run to. I caught up to them a little after the third mile. I used the military groups to speed up (I didn't have a watch so I had no idea what pace I was running at). I would run alongside one group for a moment, listen to their sound-off, then run up to the next group and so on.
By the 6th mile the military groups were gone and I was back to weaving through the crowd. I was hoping to come across some of my friends by this time but I hadn't seen anybody. My legs were starting to get a bit sore so I had to focus on keeping up the pace. I also started to psych myself up for the last mile and the finishing push. When I passed the 7-mile marker I opened my stride a bit to speed up. The stadium came into sight and as the pain in my legs grew I just kept telling myself it'll be over in a few minutes, the faster I go the sooner the pain will go away, and things like that. I neared the ramp that led down onto the stadium field, 100 yards left and I let my legs go and pushed it to the finish. It wasn't a full on sprint, didn't have the juice left for that, but it was a fast run. When I crossed the finish line the timer was at 1:15:32 (give or take a few seconds). Given that I didn't know where timer was at when I crossed the starting line, I had no idea what my finish time actually was. But I knew it was under 1:15:32, which is better than last year so I felt good.
I just checked my time on the Great Aloha Run website and I finished at 1:05:21. I missed my goal by under half a minute...dang! But it was a good run nontheless. I held a good pace of 8:02 per mile and I love the big-event atmosphere. I met up with my friends after the race. All of us improved our times from last year. Good stuff.
Now I'm at home relaxing. My legs are still sore and they'll probably still be sore tomorrow. But hey, sore legs means I ran hard right?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Second Stripe
Howdy howdy! Yesterday I earned my second stripe in my jiu-jitsu class. Now I'm a second level noob! That class is so much fun and now I'm starting to catch a few submissions. I'm taking my instructors advice and focusing on two or three moves to go for every time I roll. As of now I'm most comfortable fighting off my back with my opponent in my guard. I'm learning how to move on my back to keep my opponents in my guard as I work for submissions. When on top, my balance isn't very good yet so I get swept to my back easily and I don't know as many submissions from the top position. Hey, just more to improve on!
Yesterday was also the UFC fight between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Sidenote: I've been more stoked for the UFC fight than for the Super Bowl. But damn, that front kick Silva landed to knock out Belfort was awesome! I mean, who does a front kick to the face and scores a knock out?! Front kicks are usually defensive kicks used to control the distance. But a knock out?? Yeah, Anderson Silva is that good. But I know his secret. When he entered the arena I noticed that Steven Segal was part of his crew. At that point it was just over! No chance! I mean, Anderson now had Segal-vision. I swear, Segal was levitating in the audience and when he whispered "front kick" the knockout came. I think the only thing that could possibly counter the Segal-infused power that Anderson Silva was granted would be Chuck Norris.
Anyway, I watched the fight with some friends at Roundtable Pizza. Awesome pizza, beer, UFC fights...good times! After the fights we walked over to Dukes and had a few more drinks. Even better times as chants of "IN THE FACE!!" echoed at our table. And we all agree that we need to practice front kicks because they're deadly.
Right now I'm relaxing at home wathcing the Super Bowl. At the moment it's 17-21, Green Bay but the Steelers have momentum and are mounting a comeback. It's a pretty good game. The commercials aren't all that great. At most they encourage a chuckle. I've also been working on some writing and just updated my Hunters blog. But mostly I've been reflecting about how going to jiu-jitsu training with a hangover isn't a very good idea...
Yesterday was also the UFC fight between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Sidenote: I've been more stoked for the UFC fight than for the Super Bowl. But damn, that front kick Silva landed to knock out Belfort was awesome! I mean, who does a front kick to the face and scores a knock out?! Front kicks are usually defensive kicks used to control the distance. But a knock out?? Yeah, Anderson Silva is that good. But I know his secret. When he entered the arena I noticed that Steven Segal was part of his crew. At that point it was just over! No chance! I mean, Anderson now had Segal-vision. I swear, Segal was levitating in the audience and when he whispered "front kick" the knockout came. I think the only thing that could possibly counter the Segal-infused power that Anderson Silva was granted would be Chuck Norris.
Anyway, I watched the fight with some friends at Roundtable Pizza. Awesome pizza, beer, UFC fights...good times! After the fights we walked over to Dukes and had a few more drinks. Even better times as chants of "IN THE FACE!!" echoed at our table. And we all agree that we need to practice front kicks because they're deadly.
Right now I'm relaxing at home wathcing the Super Bowl. At the moment it's 17-21, Green Bay but the Steelers have momentum and are mounting a comeback. It's a pretty good game. The commercials aren't all that great. At most they encourage a chuckle. I've also been working on some writing and just updated my Hunters blog. But mostly I've been reflecting about how going to jiu-jitsu training with a hangover isn't a very good idea...
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