My passion in life is to live free and to learn; thus, I approach life living in the moment and enjoying the ride. Not to say I don’t get caught up with goals from time to time as applying a strategy for our future is vital, yet I constantly strive to detach from any expectations as the future is unknown and being built by the present.
I have learned in my life through sport that it is very easy to get caught up on the goal. It wasn’t until recently that I developed sufficient enough wisdom to truly realize the destructive manner in which I approached sports which caused all types of injuries. Having to coach myself many times, I had to learn to temper this and find a balance through my training regimens lest I end up regularly damaged physically, mentally, emotionally and, deep down inside, spiritually. Once I came to terms with my destructive behavior I found the peace and calmness I was always searching for. I still have my ups and downs, as we all do, but instead of fighting the down portions of my life I search for understanding like a soul surfer experiences the troughs of waves - feeling for a way to get back up.
By the time I reached this drill I had already done:
Knee Skips
Step Ups
Squat Jumps
Fast Step Ups
Skaters
Side Jumps ————>
All at 3×30 second reps with 30 second rest in between reps and drills. I followed side jumps with:
Frog Hops
Fast Turn Overs ————->
Bulgarian Squats
Planks
I did the first 3 with the same program as above and the planks are done 1 minute standard, diamond and preacher and then 30 second for each side plank with 1 minute rest in between plank sets. It was a great workout and one that had me fighting to continue after the side jumps. It felt good to push again at this level and I’m starting to really notice how my conditioning has improved with gradual and conscious steps towards higher fitness levels.
Even though I was beat after the above circuit I proceeded to do 10 strides barefoot. I did these as cool down and as feeling runs. I was searching for a smooth ride and soft touch. All in all, this was a great training session on Thursday and I’m stoked to be doing what I love!
Note:
Don’t ever stop doing what you love, if you fall, get back up, dust yourself off and get back on the horse. The only failure in life is the failure to continue the fight towards achieving your dream.
After doing an assortment of chest, triceps and shoulder lifts (core always at the end) I ended my gym work with sprint 8’s on the elliptical. If you don’t know about these then you are missing out. Oh, how I love AND hate them. It’s never a dull workout when you include it. I mentioned them in a previous post and linked to the creator’s, Phil Campbell, demo of how, why and when you should do them. Not to scare anyone, but you should really consult with a doctor before engaging in these. I know, I know, they say that for any workout routine, but sometimes that is just straight ridiculous as walking in a mall could be considered a workout routine and I don’t see anyone needing approval for that. LOL However, these, if done right, will leave you worn out by the eighth one and if you aren’t prepared then….who knows! Just look at me after I finished all eight. Take your time when it comes to building conditioning and don’t jump into things that are way above your fitness level. It’s like the signs at North Shore, Oahu, around pipeline area, “when in doubt, don’t go out”. Pushing past your present fitness level is good and it’s the way to build new and improved physical adaptations, but overdoing it can cause an assortment of issues that are unnecessary if we just learn to listen to our bodies.
Following my training session I take a protein mixture and sometimes (depending upon the intensity and duration of my session) mix it with C2O coconut water. Through research and discovery, sports scientists have determined that for optimum nutrient uptake for cellular repair (i.e. recovery: better and stronger physical adaptations) there is a 30 minute window post training session. I figure most people know this, but in case you don’t – there you have it. Also, please query it online and find the various ratios of protein:carb combos that work best for you and your particular activity. I think it’s pretty standard in a general sense across the board.
I felt so refreshed after that recovery drink that instead of driving to the post office I decided to walk. It’s about a mile and a half away, so a total of 3 miles of steady walking was extemporaneously added to my daily training log. Though I had this recovery drink and then followed it by a sandwich and popcorn for lunch, I felt like I needed another snack after I returned to maintain a caloric balance. I had a homemade yogurt parfait. So easy to make and enjoy I wonder why people even buy these pre-made to begin with. Once you mix the different parts of the parfait you have to either add unhealthy preservatives or eat it quickly. This makes making it the preferred choice for health conscious individuals. A fresh pineapple was cut, organic raisins were used in addition to shelled walnuts, raw honey and, of course, organic plain unsweetened yogurt. Its unfortunate that all they had was the low-fat variety at the time I purchased it. I prefer whole fat for all my dairy products and now science is vindicating all those who didn’t fall for the low/no fat health fad.
As I write this post I am enjoying some yerba mate. Something, believe it or not, I learned from a Turkish Canadian while living in Oahu, Hawaii. LOL!!! He’s actually a good friend of mine and an avid holistic tea maker and organic farmer living on Maui. He is really knowledgeable in organic farming practices as he has gotten his hands dirty over the past few years learning – practically – and discovering how communities can thrive via local sustainable growing techniques.
Today is an active rest day for me. Earlier, I did two Chen Family tai chi forms (Old Frame First Routine) and silk reeling exercises. I started doing tai chi when I was 21, so I am going on 13 years of keeping the mindset of the beginner.
Stillness in movement…movement in stillness
I’ve found incorporating tai chi into my routine has been invaluable in maintaining fluidity of movements with its spiraling motions. Tai chi is especially helpful for runners mainly working on linear progression. Please don’t try and learn tai chi from a video. Contact a qualified professional who can work with you in person during the first stages of your learning. Not to mention, if you want something then practice practice practice…
Before doing the form I did stake standing barefoot for some earthing/grounding. Not only do I get enhanced connectivity, while barefoot, with the earth in this way, but I also, during the form and silk reeling practice, get a more natural spiral motion off the soles of my feet along with better joint and muscle alignment.
After my tai chi practice, I had a good lunch consisted of: organic romaine, walnuts, hemp seeds, organic carrots, tuna in olive oil (Tonno Genova), red onions, tomatoes and organic popcorn – for crunch – with organic coconut oil and Himalayan sea salt. ‘Twas good and fulfilling. As you can see my coMra coaster there, on the side, is energizing the molecular structure of my water as well as increasing the dissolved oxygen count to a more natural, lively, spring like state. You can learn more about these products here.
Well, that’s enough for now. Enjoy the moment, live for a higher purpose and find contentment.
The weather was lovely today, a bit hot for my liking. It seems like winter has fled Southern Florida and we skipped spring for summer. LOL I’m crossing my fingers for a few more “winter” like days here.
My training program this day consisted of strength and conditioning for my legs and then after lunch I returned to do some swimming, sprint eights via 50yrd freestyle sprints and 50yrd breaststroke for recovery. This is a tremendous anaerobic workout and each time I do it the intensity is rough, to say the least. And that’s why I love it! Considering that each 30 second exertion must be done at 95-100% intensity level, one can understand that by number 4 the remaining speed efforts are will and belief alone. With only 1:30 for recovery between sets, this is a great engine building exercise without putting stress on the legs as a running workout would. I also enjoy sprint 8’s on the elliptical and do it this way once or twice a week depending on my need to swim more or not.
After my sprint 8 work, and for cool-down, I did kicking with my fins to loosen my leg muscles, in particular my lower leg muscles. It feels really good to cross train in this way. I think this type of kicking and the breaststroke kick would assist runners dealing with runner’s knee. The fluid movements in the water help greatly relax the knee and allow it to open up to a more natural position we all had when we were young children.
Relaxed and ready, this is next…
Round and round we go…
I remember these times. So much energy and vibrancy. I’ve seen my boys slide directly onto their knees while in play. Oh the pain! I feel we need a balance as adults. Returning to this type of life outlook with the wisdom that comes with aged experiences. These young beings are so free and open to life with gusto while we stomp around pompously and self-importantly. At playgrounds alone kids show us how to live and connect. They’ll find a peer and simply ask, “will you be my friend or lets play?” Its wonderful! Where, as adults, did we lose this aspect of ourselves?
I must say, tonight’s dinner was fantastic, thanks love!
Chicken with sauteed onions and tomatoes, fried rice, kidney beans and a Florida avocado.
I am not a calorie counter and for someone who trains as much as I do one would expect an eight pack, etc. Nah, I’m au naturale and I enjoy eating so much I don’t see the point on counting calories. I don’t plan on being a super ripped body builder and I am happy with how I look. Using the word diet for a weight loss program is silly. Diet just consists of our eating habits primarily based on our cultural experience. One person’s diet may be right for them and wrong for another person (e.g. imagine eating like the Inuit people). Find what’s right for you and enjoy it. Denial and avoidance is the path to indulgence.
Now I’m not sure I should follow that last sentence with what I ate for dessert. LOL
Homemade oatmeal bites with organic milk
There were four of them to begin with, but one of my challenges in life is to NOT eat food once put in front of me. Oh I SOOO want to dig in asap. LOL I’ve found myself literally reaching for a succulent morsel and snatching my hand back in dismay – discreetly of course – as it would have been an inappropriate thing to do at the time. I’m getting better and learning to be stronger in this respect of my life. Hey, no body is perfect and each and every one of us has a shortcoming needing to be explored and used constructively. More on that later. 😉
Today I find myself searching within and finding what I am doing wrong. I understand at the mental level we create the world we live in based upon our beliefs on what we are perceiving within life. A good video to watch concerning this is Dr. Bruce Lipton’s presentation on the “Biology of Belief”. Yet, I am still struggling with the practice of this aspect of will power.
As a young athlete growing up I would watch many of my peers deal with pain, discomfort, and injuries and I would wonder why I didn’t encounter such issues. I went even as far as to want to experience those things also. Maybe because of some sort of attention seeking behavior. Now in my folly, I wish I could have been wiser and not even considered such ludicrous thoughts. I’ve been struggling with one injury after the other and I fully believe it has to do with my mindset. With coMra-Therapy I heal rapidly and really haven’t stopped training in general – been doing lots of cross training in the form of swimming and the elliptical, but every time I get back on the track or do some run training my mind picks up on the worry that an injury could happen again in the areas already weakened by previous conditions. And knowing that physically this is possible, I nonetheless should think more positively and just LET IT GO.
I came across another blog here from Run to the Finish, which is by Amanda Brooks. Reading through it and coming across the concept of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), a condition coined by Dr. John Sarno, I reaffirmed what I already knew: I am creating these conditions with my mind since I am not in a place of balance. Now I haven’t read his books, but I have read an assortment of other related topics and basically understand the negative approach I am taking by preconditioning myself to getting injured.
Six days a week my wife and I spend about an hour doing Tai chi joint loosening exercises, partner stretches, and yoga. Last night we spoke about this and since lately she’s been working with affirmations she shared I should consider finding a few of my own and apply them in my life. Personally speaking, I’ve been reluctant to try this. Not because I don’t see the value in the technique, mainly since I prefer quietness of mind and a state where one opens them self up to nature and the sounds of life. However, I’ve let the negative creep back in again and in this state-of-mind been caught up in a trap of my own making. Hearing my wife share her perspective on what has worked for her and taking into account my laziness in actually applying my self to pay attention to life in the moment, I feel a bit more invigorated today. Knowing that no goal is an end in itself as once achieved one feels just as empty as before and another crutch (read: goal) is placed in front to deny life of its merit, I will take these steps as another leg in my journey and be as impeccable as I presently am to embrace life right now.
That being said, today I woke up to this lovely breakfast made by Diana (my wife). She made banana pancakes – made with an organic banana, its important to purchase organic for bananas as this fruit utilizes heavy pesticide use in its conventional form – with bacon and a fried egg. We haven’t fully collected all the more sustainable forms of food we love and support, but we are working towards that level. We used organic coconut oil, raw honey and pink Himalayan sea salt. Just a few ways to improve the quality of your food without having to dig too deep into your pocket books. Here is the result:
Raw honey and organic coconut oil on organic banana pancakes, egg and bacon. Himalayan sea salt for seasoning.
Now I did train today. I know of only one way to face your fears and that is by putting yourself in the situation that you fear the most. My runs were centered around starts and short distance sprints with some master runner friends of mine.
That’s me on the left with the white compression sleeves
We did work off the starting blocks (haven’t done this since high school) and our distances started at 20 meters to 60. It was raced and done hard. Throughout, my mind didn’t swing towards the calf strain that I’ve been feeling, until the end of the efforts. There was no pain and the only thing holding me back was the cautious thoughts I was having.
One thing I am blessed to have is a coMra device.
I have a Delta pro medical device and knowing that, at least, this handles my physical energetic deficits allowing the strain to repair at that level all the while refocusing my attention to the positive aspects of my life.
And, as usual, we made it a family affair:
Much love to all you runners and adventurers out there…until next time.
Do you remember when you were a kid and you made funny faces just to have your parents tell you that, “if you hold that face too long it’ll stay that way” and you just thought that was the silliest thing you ever heard as all you needed to do was change it at will?
In retrospect, there is truth to what your parents were telling you and there is truth to what you felt was possible in terms of returning to your original, so to speak, facial expression. It’s well known that the more something is practiced and used the more it becomes second nature and, for many people, an autopilot like scenario develops where one doesn’t even really have to focus on it to accomplish the task. This is best described through the example of driving. After you have learned to drive fully you start doing it without involving yourself in the moment. And it’s not uncommon to arrive at a destination to only realize that you don’t remember the trip there. However, even though there is a natural adeptness to this approach and it has its value one must realize that this also applies to other undesirable behaviors that, in effect, create our present reality.
I’m an advocate of taking full responsibility for one’s life and that having a victim mentality predisposes one to being a victim. I know its hard for some people to realize this, but the truth is that we can’t stand aside and play the blame game when we react through our programmed autopilot behaviors thus perpetuating the folly which is our life and continuing the struggle against our self. That’s a mouthful, eh?! LOL On a lighter note, a good movie to watch to get an understanding of the destructive nature of this, in a comedic fashion, is Click with Adam Sandler. Until we become aware of our programmed responses we will continue enacting them each and every time the environmental stimulus is present. Once we see these behaviors for what they are and take a step back, detaching from the situation to view ourselves objectively, then we will begin to notice how we sabotage our relationships in life and, with this new found clarity, begin to dismantle these doings one by one by not-doing them.
Remember as children when we thought how easy it was to return our face back to normal when we were chided for our silly facial expressions, the same willing applies to these behaviors. Having taking the first step in recognizing the times we fall into autopilot and then also believing – a very powerful act – that we do have the power to change them, just like we felt about our facial expressions when we were younger, then all that is left is to not-do each and every one of those behaviors through our daily life experiences.
In a nutshell: first, we need to see that our self and behaviors are not one in the same thing; second, believe we have the power to change them; third, start undoing them by being aware in the moment and SHARP with an edge to our existence allowing us the speed to change those reactions (doings) to true actions (not-doings).
Lift the knee, keep the arm carriage tight and close to the body
Life is dynamic! As runners, we forget sometimes to stop and smell the roses. Here I’ll introduce you to one of the most widely used running drills and touch base with the heart of the matter.
One of the most basic and best ways to improve running performance, no matter if you are a sprinter or distance runner, is to warm up properly with dynamic drills that will not only prepare your body for the following exertions, but also develop proper running form and methods for a competitive edge. In this post, I’ll briefly and concisely cover one of my favorites and the staple of my warm up routine.
Apropos, all of life is interactive, interrelated and interdependent, so one cannot fully separate one part from another. This being said, with physical exercise comes mental, emotional and spiritual one layer overlapping the other seamlessly blending with each other all throughout our life.
In the beginning there was…
Running track since the age of 10, I’ve been exposed to many different types of drills and exercises that help warm up the body and condition your system for high level exertion. But, doing dynamic drills with your 8 and 4 year old around really takes the dynamic to a new level. LOL It’s so easy to get caught up with wanting to finish the task one forgets to connect with life that is happening all around them. For a father, this is especially true in respect to his kids and wife.
In the video, I show you the basic movements of the A and B skip, a staple of track/running warm ups everyone should add to their routine. The most important is, for the A skip, to lift your knee high and keeping your arm carriage (your arm swinging motion back and forth) tight and close to your body in a relaxed manner rocking back and forth bringing your fist up to your chin and down to your pocket – think chin, pocket. This is done with a light and easy skip forward. The B skip is similar adding a kick out as the knee lifts to its highest position.
This is just the face value of what you see. The world isn’t what it appears to be. What am I thinking as I do these drills? How am I interacting with my children? Am I rushing to finish to get to my run and hit a new PR or am I living in the moment embracing all that life has to offer me? I can tell you, and you might be able to notice, that in this video my face is a bit scrunched. And honestly speaking, I was a bit frustrated with my boys at the time. And you know what, my boys had nothing to do with it! It was my fixation on finishing! Finishing what? All roads lead to nowhere as the final act of life is death.
I have my moments where I listen with every fiber of my being and in this sense get in touch with such a poignant feeling that I am in a state of utter peace. This is what I call unconditional love in action. Being fully engaged in the moment and connecting with the unseen forces that our mind isn’t able to comprehend primarily because of its computational nature. The mind can and will only work with data it understands and this means it works with known areas. The unknown aspects pertain to the feeling side of life and can only be perceived from being wide awake in life. These moments are fleeting as its a lifestyle and once again the goal mentality creeps back in.
Goal mentality. I do believe its perfectly fine to have a goal, something to work towards, as life would get rather boring if we just moved through day by day with no hopes, dreams or aspirations. However, my qualm, and here I am speaking from personal experience, is the mental expectation that something should be a certain way and when those expectations aren’t met a person feels hard-done-by and misses the gem of learning involved in the experience.
Start where you are at
Your life starts now!
All of us, can do nothing other than start where we are at. This means, at this very moment you are exactly where you need to be in life. Sometimes this fact is hard to deal with considering the challenges we are facing. But life never gives us challenges that one cannot handle. I’ve heard this for a very long time and have used it to spur me past very hard battles. Recently, the shit really hit the fan and I felt hopeless for sometime with even the power inherent within this phrase not doing it for me. I asked my wife what she felt this saying means to her. And she said that if life gave us a challenge we could not handle then, effectively, this means our death. That’s it then! So, if we are still alive then we do have what it takes and will find a way if only we break free from any expectations. Breaking free from expectations boils down to not holding life to any idea that is contrary to our fate. As hard as it is to understand, each of us has a unique expressive purpose that needs to be unfurled through the process of our life. I will cover more of this subject matter in future posts as it is an area many people find difficult primarily due to our social conditioning.
Improvement
So how can we practically improve our running form? Isn’t this the gist of my post? Yes it is! 😉 And the method is learning to feel ones way forward. This is easy if we release all of our expectations and goals detaching from any hold on life and enjoying the ride. By feeling the wind as we move through space and time, feeling our legs hit the ground, focusing our attention on each movement as we perform them, one will begin to get a manner of control of their life simply by being alive. It is so simple yet very powerful. In my experience, one swings back and forth between being fully in the moment to being caught up in goal orientation, but the more I pull myself back towards myself I feel a greater sense of peace and success, and, in the end, this is all that matters.
barefoot. I did these as cool down and as feeling runs. I was searching for a smooth ride and soft touch. All in all, this was a great training session on Thursday and I’m stoked to be doing what I love!
