Day one. Of many.

I haven't decided how I am going to approach this blog, but I think of it as a sort of diary.  Somewhere  I can come and vent my frustrations, state my goals, share my struggles and triumphs, and maybe most importantly, document my journey.  Over the last 8 months  I've been thinking about 'testing for Black',  but I keep focussing on my weaknesses.  That might seem negative, but I don't see this as a bad thing, because it draws my attention to where I need to practice.  Some of the things I want to focus on right away are flexibility, balance, and push-ups.  This is where I am going to put the bulk of my energy over the next couple of months, or until I'm ready to move forward.  I have a stretching and balance routine that I will try to do a minimum of 5 times a week, but will aim for daily (they are not that difficult, nor do they take a lot of time, so really, laziness is my only barrier).  For push-ups, well, anyone that knows me knows I abhor (never use the word hate) these, along with the plank and burpees.  But I've decided to take a step toward strengthening the muscles that fuel the push-up. The pecs, deltoids, serratus anterior, glutes, abs, and triceps are going to meet me, and they will weep.  I haven't decided what that is going to look like, but today I discovered where the serratus anterior is, and tried to activate it.  Well, that was fun.  It's a tad lazy, so I'm going to need to work on that one for a while.  Having said that, I really like finding new muscles and activating them. I'm not going to kid myself into believing that I will be able to do the required 50 push-ups, but damn, I'm going to give it my all.

Today my workout included stair repeats, practicing poomsaes, and an online exercise class. Yup. day one, go all out.  I went to Kitsilano beach showboat area where there are three staircases, lots of other people doing fitness programs, and a stage where Annette and I could practice our poomsaes.

 It was a lot of fun to have other people around, each with their own goal, nodding and smiling at these 'familiar strangers'.  Annette's daughter took lots of photos of us, well, when she wasn't chasing crows away from her lunch.

 For poomsae practice I need to get right back to the basics, so I am going back to poomsae one (Taeguek Il Jang). I think it is important to start from the beginning to ensure I have a proper foundation and allow me to focus on the finer aspects of these moves. Like getting that hip motion in.

This week the goal is to work on these three aspects - flexibility, balance, and push-ups.  By making these the basis of my program, I can gradually build on them to create opportunities for growth in other areas.  I think flexibility and balance are key to training and need to be the foundation of my program. Push-ups, and the muscles involved in their execution, offer a strength program I need right now.  Hopefully I can stick with it, and not get discouraged or frustrated, or worse yet lazy.

How did I get here and what am I doing?

On December 18, 2015, at 55 years old,  I decided I wanted to get a black belt in Taekwondo.  It was a 'now or never' moment, one of several I have had over the last three decades.  When I was in my twenties, I was training for my first (and only) marathon, with my good friend Lori.  She was (and still is, 35 years later), one of the strongest, toughest women I know.  Over the next few years I watched as she trained hard and achieved her black belt goal.  It was something I always admired in her but never thought I had it in me to be tough enough to be "a black belt".  I don't question my level of commitment or tenacity, as over the years I have done several long-distance events including Oliver Half-Iron,  STP,  Whistler Gran Fondo twice, and countless 10k races.  It wasn't until my DNF in  l'etape de Tour that I hung everything up.  A DNF (did not finish), is demoralizing, yes, but for me it told me that I was done.  I was burnt out from sports that I had loved for over 30 years.  Every training day had become a chore.  I did not put the necessary hours in for l'etape, so it should not have been a surprise that I couldn't make the cut-off.  I moped for more than a year.  I tried to get my runners back on, to get back in the pool and on the bike, but the drive was gone.  I was always a 'middle of the pack' athlete, but now I was nothing, laying on the couch getting depressed.

Then I remember Lori and her journey in Taekwondo.  I am goal focussed, so the thought of getting coloured belts to mark my success appealed to me.  I liked that it was something completely different from anything I had done before, and hoped  it would get me off the couch and challenge me differently.   I found a local dojang at Third Eye Taekwondo in Vancouver, and was hooked within the first week.  

Aside from the belt colour, all the dobocks are the same.  There is no bike envy, no fast or slow swimming lane, no running shoes to wear through at an expensive pace.  It is just bare feet, a soft floor and a wicked, sometimes cruel, work-out.  Despite the hard workouts, the support from the Masters and instructors is phenomenal.  My peers, while many are still in high school, are supportive, encouraging, and fun to be around. Now, after four and a half years, I have my black stripe.  In the 8 months since I achieved that goal,  I have been trying to learn Koryo  and practicing my kicks.  As the black belt test looms 6 months ahead, I am beginning to realize I need a stricter fitness program if I am going to meet the standards required to pass this test.  This blog is my commitment to that process.