Wow. How can I describe the closing out of week eight of the Couch-to-5k program? It was... challenging. It's been cooler, cloudy & we've had the occasional sprinkling of rain of late. The last weather report I paid any attention to said that it would be clearing & warmer Thursday through the week end. It actually looked like this was what I would have in store. (You already know where this is going don't you?)
Fast forward... after home, feed the kitty, change into my running clothes, hit the AM\PM for Gatorade & a package of smoked almonds... it's down the road. Traffic is light.
The sun is shining though there are some clouds far off in the distance that look to be carrying significant precipitation. No problem. They’re miles away and the sun is shining. In fact the sun was shining for the entire drive down to McMillin. Out of the car, stretched, prepped the MP3 player. Started walking… the sun is STILL SHINING!
At four minutes into the session, it stops being sunny. The clouds are moving in and it begins to sprinkle. Another minute and I’m now running. It’s not too bad. The rain is actually rather refreshing and should keep me cool for the entire run. IT DID! I’m wearing nylon shorts and a cotton Carhartt T-shirt.
Around 10-minutes into the run the rain begins to come down a bit harder. It’s still not too bad. A cyclist passes me and comments “I’m quitting while I’m ahead.” She was apparently experiencing a premonition. Another 5-minutes and it is… RAINING. No sprinkles… no cooling sensations… it is RAINING.
I’m approaching the turn-around point… a few hundred yards or so… and right now I’m thinking that maybe I should turn around. I know I have enough distance on the return so that I can finish before I hit the intersection. Fifty more yards… and it’s raining even harder. Ah… thunder.
I turned around about 100 yards short of the usual spot. It’s now come down even harder… and I’m seeing lightening flashes. I go another 100-yards back… AND... THE... HEAVENS... OPEN... WIDE!!! Wind is blowing the rain into my right tear at a 90-degree angle. The cord from the ear buds is blowing straight out in the air. There’s so much water on my glasses I’m effectively blind now. I'm running by braille.
Hard to believe that it could get worse… but it does. I thought I was wet before… but that was just my naiveté`. No… I was about to learn the true meaning of TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR! The T-shirt is no longer soaking up water. The stuff is simply using the shirt as a drainage sluice to channel water off of my shoulders and down into my shoes… which are already near capacity.
The T-shirt now weighs around (what feels like) 60-bloody-pounds! The shoes weigh around 12-pounds each. I can feel the shirt stretching (no really) at the shoulders from the weight of the water. It’s okay. I’m close to the finish point. As if all this wasn’t bad enough… there is no place above the water table on the entire trail. I’m basically running up a creek bed.
Luckily, the ordeal ends almost exactly where I estimated… within about 20-feet in fact. This is good because I was about to drop. It kept pounding down upon me all the way back to the parking lot. I stopped under the cover to gather myself… and dig around for my car key. I wasn’t going to be fumbling for that danged thing in the rain for fear of drowning.
I get to the car, unlock the door, toss the MP3 player into the console (I guess that thing is fairly water tight because there was a puddle of water in the T-shirt pocket… but the player never shorted out). Off comes the T-shirt (wring out a gallon or so of water) & I drag on a spare hoody. Grab my towel… mop the head, cover the seat, into the car, door closed, heat ON HIGH, fan ON HIGH, defogger ON HIGH… mop off interior of windshield with paper towel… because it started to fog up as soon as I climbed into the drivers seat… start the engine and off I go.
Ironic that I was looking at Gortex running gear online the other day. Can you guess what I was thinking? Yep! "I should get some of this stuff before the weather gets rotten." Too late idiot! So the Asics Gels are SOAKED. It may take two to three days (or more) for them to dry out. If they're not dry by Sunday I'll need to wear the trial runners which means... running the trial. I won't be going anywhere near the rover if it's raining again like it did today. I don't want to be one of those guys you read about who got washed away by the rising river. Sheesh!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
More On Self-defense...
Below, Kelly McCann demonstrates (his version of) the chin jab. McCann has done away with the "fingers to the eyes" and explains why. That's his opinion... & I am NOT advocating it. I'm simply using the video as a demonstrative in support of the article below it...
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
The Brilliant Chinjab Smash!
VIRTUALLY every style and system of hand-to-hand combat has, someplace in its repertoire, a blow that employs the heel of the hand. We are of course speaking now of combat systems, and we acknowledge that this type of strike has of course been eliminated — quite properly — from all sporting and competitive arts.
The great genius of William Ewart Fairbairn was multifaceted. One of his truly significant achievements in the field of close combat was the innovation of the CHINJAB — ie that blow (illustrated in ALL-IN FIGHTING, GET TOUGH!, and HANDS OFF!) in which the open hand, fingers spread, is driven straight upward and deeply back underneath the jaw with full bodyweight and upward thrusting force behind the action. End result is almost always at least a knockout. Sometimes it‘s a broken neck.
Several things can and should be acquired as bolstering or supplementary tactics, and these enable the blow to be utilized often with enhanced effect: Some of them are . . .
• Whipping the forward hand and arm (when the rearmost is used in delivering the chinjab smash) around the enemy‘s lower back. If you whip your forward left arm, then your left hand impacts sharply with your enemy‘s left kidney. If your right hand is the lead, then the right kidney is smacked. This action is done simultaneous with the chinjab‘s impact
• Grabbing the enemy‘s belt or frontal portion of his trousers with your lead hand, as your rear hand delivers the chinjab smash • Driving the vertical forearm of the chinjabbing hand smartly and sharply into the enemy‘s sternum as the chinjab lands under his jaw
• Following impact of the chinjab smash raising the elbow of the chin- jabbing arm and driving a powerful tiger‘s claw grabbing action to the enemy‘s face and eyes, then smashing him downward — on his head
This particular blow — ie the chinjab smash — did not exist prior to Fairbairn‘s innovation of it. The straight heelpalm thrust (an excellent strike, too) was the mainstay heel-of-the-hand strike, and some of the Chinese ch‘uan fa arts utilized a ―whipping and an ―overhead circular type of heelpalm blow. But Fairbairn created the chinjab!
The great thing about the chinjab blow is that it produces the most amount of destructive trauma for the action rendered. The neck muscles cannot provide protective resistance against this blow when it is properly delivered, and the enemy has no chance of even seeing it coming! It requires little strength, it cannot injure the user‘s hand, and it will cause some degree of injury even if it misses its primary target. In fact, there are numerous targets for the chinjab smash:
• The nose
• Either eye
• The temple
• The jaw hinge
• The mental foramen nerve (two inches down from the corner of the mouth — the boxer‘s ―knockout point)
• The base of the skull
• The sternum/solar plexus
• Either kidney
• The liver
• The spleen
There are some more, but you get the idea! We favor using the chinjab smash with Jack Dempsey‘s falling step — but in any case, whether or not the falling step is used — the entire body should be turned into the blow, and every effort should be given to strike with the totality of one‘s bodyweight.
Where did Fairbairn get the idea for the chinjab smash? Obviously, we can only speculate, because we have no knowledge of his ever explaining the genesis of this technique. Rex Applegate was unable to shed any light on the matter, either. We asked him many years ago.
Our opinion (and it is opinion, please note; not ―fact) is that Fairbairn‘s exposure to the internal boxing system of Pa G‘wa Ch‘uan (―The Eight Trigram Fist school of internal boxing) taught him the value of the open palm as a striking implement. Having the street fighting and ju-jutsu background that he did have, Fairbairn probably understood that the lengthy process necessary for mastering the ―internal methods was simply impractical for most men. He also knew how to hit hard (from his atemi training). He loved the ju-jutsu edge-of-the-hand strike, and probably surmised that the heel of the hand could be utilized similarly, though to different targets — delivered in an upward direction. To the best of our knowledge, Pa G‘wa Ch‘uan teaches the pupil to hold the palms open and up, but does not train them in anything like the chinjab blow. Fairbairn may well have put two and two together, and come up with what is certainly one of the most important blows in unarmed combat.
Anyway . . . that‘s our thought on the matter.
No matter how you look at it though, and you might enjoy trying to figure out what prompted the ―Deacon to create this great move, yourself, you must learn and master the chinjab smash if you aspire to effectiveness in close combat. It should become one of your primary moves — as it was one of Fairbairn‘s. Mastery of the chinjab will not, by itself, make your life secure. However, it will place one helluva dynamite weapon in your personal arsenal, and it will enable you to strike any foe viciously, powerfully, and effectively in any serious predicament.
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Stop The Extreme Stretching
WE have had the pleasure of meeting and training numerous black belts in most styles and systems over the years. Often, those that had been trained in taekwon-do evidenced two conspicuous detrimental attributes (among others): 1. The penchant for high and fancy kicking, and 2. Serious hip and leg strains and problems (due to continual efforts to achieve and maintain the skill to do #1).
We have no comments for those readers who may be in taekwon-do and who love the art, and who have no intention of ever getting out of it. We all must pursue the paths that make the most sense to us. However, for those in taekwon-do or any similar system in which extreme stretching and flexibility is continually emphasized, and who are training because they wish to acquire hand-to-hand combat abilities for the real world, we must point out:—
a) High kicking and any fancy kicking is anathema to practicality and realism. These types of leg and foot maneuvers will almost certainly get you killed or seriously injured in any encounter with a determined and experienced violent felon.
b) Extreme stretching is extremely dangerous and detrimental to many people whose physiological propensities do not permit them much flexibility to begin with.
So, we caution those for whom our message has value: Stop training for acrobatic kicking if you are serious about personal defense and close combat. The resultant capability (assuming that you possess the genetics to achieve it) is irrelevant for self-defense, and the means by which you are struggling to acquire it may cause serious and even permanent injury to you.
Extreme stretching can harm the joints and the ligaments and tendons of the body. True enough: Some individuals appear to be naturally endowed with a greater capacity for flexibility than others, and they might not be damaged by this kind of exercising. But others may be. And we have seen an awful lot of injuries that have been the result of this kind of physical training, over the years. We ourself were once a student of an excellent style of taekwon-do (Chungdokwan), and we were never very flexible, naturally. We were fortunate, as we learned several years after leaving taekwon-do, to have abandoned the stretching and high kick work before being harmed by it. In fact, in the particular School that we attended there was (as taekwon-do schools go) only a mild emphasis on kicking to great heights and to achieving extreme flexibility; but still the effort to achieve and then to sustain the ability to kick to head height with a side thrust kick would certainly have resulted in some very painful injuries had we persisted — given our physical structure — with such practice into our 30‘s and beyond.
If you doubt the truth of that which we are saying here about the potentially detrimental effects of extreme stretching, check with a sports physician. If you doubt what we say about high kicking being dangerous in hand-to-hand combat, do as you please. (You may find out one day in the actual arena of battle — and if you survive you will start training differently from then on, and — doubtless — be less skeptical of that which we have said).
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
The Brilliant Chinjab Smash!
VIRTUALLY every style and system of hand-to-hand combat has, someplace in its repertoire, a blow that employs the heel of the hand. We are of course speaking now of combat systems, and we acknowledge that this type of strike has of course been eliminated — quite properly — from all sporting and competitive arts.
The great genius of William Ewart Fairbairn was multifaceted. One of his truly significant achievements in the field of close combat was the innovation of the CHINJAB — ie that blow (illustrated in ALL-IN FIGHTING, GET TOUGH!, and HANDS OFF!) in which the open hand, fingers spread, is driven straight upward and deeply back underneath the jaw with full bodyweight and upward thrusting force behind the action. End result is almost always at least a knockout. Sometimes it‘s a broken neck.
Several things can and should be acquired as bolstering or supplementary tactics, and these enable the blow to be utilized often with enhanced effect: Some of them are . . .
• Whipping the forward hand and arm (when the rearmost is used in delivering the chinjab smash) around the enemy‘s lower back. If you whip your forward left arm, then your left hand impacts sharply with your enemy‘s left kidney. If your right hand is the lead, then the right kidney is smacked. This action is done simultaneous with the chinjab‘s impact
• Grabbing the enemy‘s belt or frontal portion of his trousers with your lead hand, as your rear hand delivers the chinjab smash • Driving the vertical forearm of the chinjabbing hand smartly and sharply into the enemy‘s sternum as the chinjab lands under his jaw
• Following impact of the chinjab smash raising the elbow of the chin- jabbing arm and driving a powerful tiger‘s claw grabbing action to the enemy‘s face and eyes, then smashing him downward — on his head
This particular blow — ie the chinjab smash — did not exist prior to Fairbairn‘s innovation of it. The straight heelpalm thrust (an excellent strike, too) was the mainstay heel-of-the-hand strike, and some of the Chinese ch‘uan fa arts utilized a ―whipping and an ―overhead circular type of heelpalm blow. But Fairbairn created the chinjab!
The great thing about the chinjab blow is that it produces the most amount of destructive trauma for the action rendered. The neck muscles cannot provide protective resistance against this blow when it is properly delivered, and the enemy has no chance of even seeing it coming! It requires little strength, it cannot injure the user‘s hand, and it will cause some degree of injury even if it misses its primary target. In fact, there are numerous targets for the chinjab smash:
• The nose
• Either eye
• The temple
• The jaw hinge
• The mental foramen nerve (two inches down from the corner of the mouth — the boxer‘s ―knockout point)
• The base of the skull
• The sternum/solar plexus
• Either kidney
• The liver
• The spleen
There are some more, but you get the idea! We favor using the chinjab smash with Jack Dempsey‘s falling step — but in any case, whether or not the falling step is used — the entire body should be turned into the blow, and every effort should be given to strike with the totality of one‘s bodyweight.
Where did Fairbairn get the idea for the chinjab smash? Obviously, we can only speculate, because we have no knowledge of his ever explaining the genesis of this technique. Rex Applegate was unable to shed any light on the matter, either. We asked him many years ago.
Our opinion (and it is opinion, please note; not ―fact) is that Fairbairn‘s exposure to the internal boxing system of Pa G‘wa Ch‘uan (―The Eight Trigram Fist school of internal boxing) taught him the value of the open palm as a striking implement. Having the street fighting and ju-jutsu background that he did have, Fairbairn probably understood that the lengthy process necessary for mastering the ―internal methods was simply impractical for most men. He also knew how to hit hard (from his atemi training). He loved the ju-jutsu edge-of-the-hand strike, and probably surmised that the heel of the hand could be utilized similarly, though to different targets — delivered in an upward direction. To the best of our knowledge, Pa G‘wa Ch‘uan teaches the pupil to hold the palms open and up, but does not train them in anything like the chinjab blow. Fairbairn may well have put two and two together, and come up with what is certainly one of the most important blows in unarmed combat.
Anyway . . . that‘s our thought on the matter.
No matter how you look at it though, and you might enjoy trying to figure out what prompted the ―Deacon to create this great move, yourself, you must learn and master the chinjab smash if you aspire to effectiveness in close combat. It should become one of your primary moves — as it was one of Fairbairn‘s. Mastery of the chinjab will not, by itself, make your life secure. However, it will place one helluva dynamite weapon in your personal arsenal, and it will enable you to strike any foe viciously, powerfully, and effectively in any serious predicament.
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Stop The Extreme Stretching
WE have had the pleasure of meeting and training numerous black belts in most styles and systems over the years. Often, those that had been trained in taekwon-do evidenced two conspicuous detrimental attributes (among others): 1. The penchant for high and fancy kicking, and 2. Serious hip and leg strains and problems (due to continual efforts to achieve and maintain the skill to do #1).
We have no comments for those readers who may be in taekwon-do and who love the art, and who have no intention of ever getting out of it. We all must pursue the paths that make the most sense to us. However, for those in taekwon-do or any similar system in which extreme stretching and flexibility is continually emphasized, and who are training because they wish to acquire hand-to-hand combat abilities for the real world, we must point out:—
a) High kicking and any fancy kicking is anathema to practicality and realism. These types of leg and foot maneuvers will almost certainly get you killed or seriously injured in any encounter with a determined and experienced violent felon.
b) Extreme stretching is extremely dangerous and detrimental to many people whose physiological propensities do not permit them much flexibility to begin with.
So, we caution those for whom our message has value: Stop training for acrobatic kicking if you are serious about personal defense and close combat. The resultant capability (assuming that you possess the genetics to achieve it) is irrelevant for self-defense, and the means by which you are struggling to acquire it may cause serious and even permanent injury to you.
Extreme stretching can harm the joints and the ligaments and tendons of the body. True enough: Some individuals appear to be naturally endowed with a greater capacity for flexibility than others, and they might not be damaged by this kind of exercising. But others may be. And we have seen an awful lot of injuries that have been the result of this kind of physical training, over the years. We ourself were once a student of an excellent style of taekwon-do (Chungdokwan), and we were never very flexible, naturally. We were fortunate, as we learned several years after leaving taekwon-do, to have abandoned the stretching and high kick work before being harmed by it. In fact, in the particular School that we attended there was (as taekwon-do schools go) only a mild emphasis on kicking to great heights and to achieving extreme flexibility; but still the effort to achieve and then to sustain the ability to kick to head height with a side thrust kick would certainly have resulted in some very painful injuries had we persisted — given our physical structure — with such practice into our 30‘s and beyond.
If you doubt the truth of that which we are saying here about the potentially detrimental effects of extreme stretching, check with a sports physician. If you doubt what we say about high kicking being dangerous in hand-to-hand combat, do as you please. (You may find out one day in the actual arena of battle — and if you survive you will start training differently from then on, and — doubtless — be less skeptical of that which we have said).
Interval Session Twenty-Three
Cooler... but extremely muggy. I haven't decided what's worse, the HOT heat... or the humidity. It certainly seemed like the humidity wore me out faster. It was oppressive.
So yesterday was the second session of week 8... again with a solid 28-minutes running. If I stick it without skipping additional days, week 9 should be fairly easy. It's only an additional two-minutes.
The battery in the MP3 player died about 3/4 of the way through the run... so I had to guesstimate the finish distance but I remembered the approximate point from Sunday. I actually went a bit further.. maybe 100-feet or so.
Pushing out at the end of the outbound portion has really made a difference. It pushes me physically... but at the same time seems to make it easier psychologically to resist the urge to quit. It puts me into "just get it over with" mode. Oh... & I got a "Good job!" from one of the regular bicyclists. I see this guy a few times per week & we always exchange greetings (usually nothing more than a head nod). On the return trip he's coming back from Orting... & I am thoroughly drenched & still chugging.
I notied that Podrunner now has 8k & 10k interval training session in addition to the 5k that I just completed. EXCELLENT! This is going to make the next phase a lot easier. I do plan to graduate to running 8k & 10k sessions. I'll likely giev the 5k runs a month or so to really kick in. Once I get conditioned for those then it will be time to begin increasing the time & distance.
I'm still not sure about the mileage that I've been covering. Depending on which map I'm using it's between 2.8 & 3.4 miles total. Ultimately it's not the "distance" but the total time that I'm running that matters. I'd like to extend it from 30-mminutes to 45 then 60 eventually.
Since it's been raining over the last few days I anticipate having to purchase some rain gear. I HATE running on that bloody treadmill. It's too narrow & "we" have managed to damage the drive & belt mechanisms by using it as a storage shelf for too many years. I prefer the fresh air anyhow... & it's an opportunity to get out of the house & aways from certain influences. Ahhh... roadwork!
Lastly, I'd like to recommend Road Runner Sports as an equipment source. They're a dedicatted runners supply source w/ decent prices & an excellent selection.
So yesterday was the second session of week 8... again with a solid 28-minutes running. If I stick it without skipping additional days, week 9 should be fairly easy. It's only an additional two-minutes.
The battery in the MP3 player died about 3/4 of the way through the run... so I had to guesstimate the finish distance but I remembered the approximate point from Sunday. I actually went a bit further.. maybe 100-feet or so.
Pushing out at the end of the outbound portion has really made a difference. It pushes me physically... but at the same time seems to make it easier psychologically to resist the urge to quit. It puts me into "just get it over with" mode. Oh... & I got a "Good job!" from one of the regular bicyclists. I see this guy a few times per week & we always exchange greetings (usually nothing more than a head nod). On the return trip he's coming back from Orting... & I am thoroughly drenched & still chugging.
I notied that Podrunner now has 8k & 10k interval training session in addition to the 5k that I just completed. EXCELLENT! This is going to make the next phase a lot easier. I do plan to graduate to running 8k & 10k sessions. I'll likely giev the 5k runs a month or so to really kick in. Once I get conditioned for those then it will be time to begin increasing the time & distance.
I'm still not sure about the mileage that I've been covering. Depending on which map I'm using it's between 2.8 & 3.4 miles total. Ultimately it's not the "distance" but the total time that I'm running that matters. I'd like to extend it from 30-mminutes to 45 then 60 eventually.
Since it's been raining over the last few days I anticipate having to purchase some rain gear. I HATE running on that bloody treadmill. It's too narrow & "we" have managed to damage the drive & belt mechanisms by using it as a storage shelf for too many years. I prefer the fresh air anyhow... & it's an opportunity to get out of the house & aways from certain influences. Ahhh... roadwork!
Lastly, I'd like to recommend Road Runner Sports as an equipment source. They're a dedicatted runners supply source w/ decent prices & an excellent selection.
Monday, August 10, 2009
More from Bradley J. Steiner
As September approaches... and my (alleged) re-entry into formal self-defense training... I'm once again focusing on cshool selection. As I delve once again into the quagmire that constitues such a choice I keep coming back to the option that for me is a KNOWN QUANITY (and in this case KNOWN QUALITY!)
I've looked at many systems... and studied nearly as many ovr the years. Very few have met the standard that I have developed. They all seem to have the same issue: complexity of technique... & marketing. I am continually confounded by this phenomenon... & I intend to write about it later this month. It's baffling.
I've been guilty of it myself. There's a certain Hollywoodesque flavor about such things; especially when it comes to martial arts. The more complex & flashy the better. It's even better if they have some custom logo'd gear that you can invest in.
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Get Tough For The Tough Times Ahead
2009 does not appear to be a very optimistic year. Socioeconomic conditions are grave — throughout the world. The cities are packed with angry, impulse-dominated, uncivilized, violent savages. The ―system does nothing to eliminate these vermin. It has never been so evident as it is today that the private citizen — the thinking private citizen — is pretty much on his own, insofar as providing for his and his family‘s security and protection is concerned. Government has neither the means nor the apparent desire to offer much help. In Seattle, Washington, for example, word has it that police will not respond to property crime calls unless the cash value of whatever property has been stolen or destroyed exceeds $10,000. Insane? Outrageous? Just plain wrong? Of course it is.
Ask yourself how hard and long you have to work in order to accumulate $10,000. What is the purpose of having well-paid, supremely well taken care of (their overtime and benefits packages — paid by YOU and by ME — are phenomenal; and their basic pay — paid by YOU and by ME — is a hell of a lot greater than my income, and probably than yours, too. So what the f— is this?
The injustice, and the times are, as Thomas Paine wrote, of the kind ―. . . that try men‘s souls.
What to do?
GET TOUGH! And by that we mean become mentally and physically strong, hard, and competent. Disengage from the idiocy around you and hunker down — with you and yours — and establish a tough, no-nonsense policy of independence, self-reliance, and readiness.
Good, tough training in the combat arts, coupled with serious physical training and the cultivation of a no-nonsense realist‘s philosophy — amidst the lunacy that surrounds us — will of course not ―guarantee that some unforeseen, catastrophic circumstance or situation will not overwhelm you. However — tough training in the combat arts, coupled with serious physical training and the cultivation of a no-nonsense realist‘s philosophy . . . will stack the odds in your favor.
So get cracking. It‘s later than you think. Tough times demand that you be tough in order to survive them.
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Are Big Muscles Helpful?
WHILE we regard anyone who challenges the merits of progressive resistance (ie weight) training being valuable for the combatives student as being seriously misinformed, we do not feel the same way about those who question the purpose and the value of developing a "magazine cover body" — or the oversized, bulging muscles so often (and so unfortunately) automatically linked with the term "bodybuilding" today.
If you are asking "What's the difference?" then you are the victim of the kind of ignorance that those who have ruined the field of mainstream bodybuilding love to capitalize upon.
Anyone who trains correctly with weights will increase the girth (ie the size) of his muscles. However, it is not the sole objective of weight training or of "bodybuilding" to focus almost entirely on the development of huge, bulging muscles. The muscular development is a byproduct of proper training, but strength, condition, agility, and good health coupled with a sense of well being and self-confidence constitute the primary and most important training objectives.
This is even more important to understand when one takes up weight training as a supplementary activity to one's training in close combat and self-defense. The last thing that any combat arts student should hold as his training objective is the acquisition of bloated, bulging muscles. Rather, he should follow a good all round routine, developing every major muscle group, and working on general, overall strength building and physical conditioning.
One thing that many people do not realize is that the incredible outsize proportions and "superman" type physiques can only be developed by those whose hereditary potential allows for such development. Everyone cannot build a "Mr. Universe" body!
Here is what you need to know about "big muscles":—
If you train correctly, and if you follow a reasonably good diet, get enough rest and sleep, and avoid such suicidal activities as smoking, using steroids (or any other unlawful, controlled substance), heavy drinking, etc. then you will, within two to three years, acquire muscles that are as "big" as they need to be. You will have achieved your hereditary and genetic potential for size. Striving to merely bloat the muscles beyond the level of development that they naturally attain after proper all round sensible progressive resistance exercise has brought them to their natural "maximum" is unrealistic, unnecessary, perhaps downright stupid, and — often — dangerous. You (we all!) have been set by nature with our own unique genetic potential for size, strength, and athletic/physical performance abilities. Strive mightily to achieve that. Then, once you have done so, be satisfied and grateful, and keep training regularly to maintain what you worked so hard to build.
What is truly "helpful" is not big muscles, per se, but STRONG muscles, and well conditioned muscles that enable you to utilize their potential for power-output in a fast, coordinated, skilled manner. Strong muscles do tend to be big — at least bigger than when they were weak — but the primary concern when training sensibly should not be on the attainment of mere size. Build powerful muscles. Emphasize the hardest work on the major muscle groups (legs and back) in order to bring about the finest all round gains.
Sensible men do not train solely for appearance. Train the way sensible men do train, and your appearance will be fine. Today, there appear to be very few "sensible men" in the bodybuilding/physical training field. Nevertheless, they are the ones to emulate and to turn to for worthwhile advice.
[...and one more.]
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Stickwork
THE stick is a marvelous weapon. Back in the 80's we wrote an installment of our (then) monthly feature article in a major firearms publication entirely devoted to the stick — the walking stick — as a weapon of self-defense. The article was well received, and in it we were concerned to emphasize all of the great virtues of the walking stick as a self-defense weapon. Among these virtues are —
Legality
The walking stick is, even in such oppressive environments as Red China and Russia, completely legal. It would be difficult to imagine "outlawing" the walking stick, since it is a utilitarian item that many people need and carry for medical reasons.
Handiness
Unlike a firearm or a fighting knife that is carried in a holster, or a folding knife that is carried in a pocket, a walking stick is carried, properly, in the hand at all times. This makes it immediately usable against anyone whose attack is perceived to be in its formative stage.
Effectiveness
While the stick is not normally employed with lethal intent, it certainly can — in trained hands — speedily enable its possessor to drop the most dangerous individual, lethally, in a life or death encounter. The stick allows the user to inflict crippling or/and extremely painful and debilitating injuries, and to do so rather simply, and with only marginal physical strength.
Confidence
"Speak softly and carry a big stick." Teddy Roosevelt's advice, taken literally, makes excellent sense. For with a stout walking stick in hand, and the ability to use it well as a weapon, anyone may be confident of his ability to handle trouble, and may thus "speak softly", indeed.
Deterence
A man who is in possession of a walking stick, and who does not appear to actually need it in order to assist him in locomotion, sends a clear and unmistakable message to any potential physical attacker: "Not this particular individual! This one's got a weapon!"
Tactical Advantages
If you do carry a concealed firearm legally, then you also might give some serious thought to carrying a walking stick. The stick may be the means by which you secure the opportunity to access your pistol, or — it may enable you to stop an assailant without having to access your pistol, at all.
Versatility
The stick can punish, damage, or kill. It extends the reach of its user, and it bolsters all unarmed combatives. It never runs out of ammo, makes noise, jams, or is awkward to keep near at hand — conspicuously. The stick delivers hard, destructive jabs as well as smashing blows. When using certain techniques it can cut and slash, and it does not represent a danger to the user or to innocent people in the vicinity, when it is correctly employed. It would be very unlikely that a normal walking stick would be banned for carrying onto an airline.
Carryover Value
Learn how to use the stick in combat, and you will almost never be in a position where some stick, or stick-like implement, cannot be found, made, or improvised.
Combat Stickwork Vs. Popular "Stickfighting"
in the Martial Arts
Many people are engaged in training in such arts as Filipino "escrima" or "kali", and Japanese "jo jutsu" and "bo jutsu". While all of these classical/traditional stick arts are beautiful and worthwhile studying, they are not necessarily the best choice when it comes to practical combat and personal self-defense needs. As martial arts (emphasis upon the "arts") no one can fault traditional methods. But as martial arts (emphasis upon the "martial") there is a lot of room for improvement.
Get hold of a copy of Fairbairn's GET TOUGH!. Study the description Fairbairn gives of his excellent stick technique. Now THAT'S how we use a stick in combat. Or, pick up COLD STEEL, by John Styers. His well illustrated instruction in the Marine Corps' "Kengla Technique" also provides a glimpse of how — in real, honest-to-goodness hand-to-hand combat — we use a stick against an enemy.
For combat the stick is used with extreme aggression, and it capitalizes upon the element of surprise. There is no twirling, and there is no two-stick style. Nor is there competition. One ATTACKS.
Both the Fairbairn and the Kengla techniques are taught in their complete forms in American Combato (Jen•Do•Tao)™, and we include dozens of other excellent techniques and stick tactics — all combat-worthy. At Black Belt, 1st degree, we teach a syllabus of thirty(30) super-destructive stickwork maneuvers. But you don't need to study with us to acquire all that you might have need for in an emergency. Just remember: Keep it simple. Attack by surprise. Use every ounce of ferocity and determination you can generate. Move in! Keep on attacking! Go for the enemy's most vulnerable, vital points. And, for heaven's sake do not forget to first acquire basic unarmed combat skill. The stick, like any other hand held weapon, should be utilized as an adjunct and an extension of your body's natural weapons, and your combative mindset.
Selecting A Suitable Stick For Personal Defense
Anything that can be done with a baton sized stick (ie approximately 18" to 24-36") can be done, and done better!, with a walking stick. And a walking stick is not classified as a "weapon" per se.
We have always liked the English or the Irish Blackthornes. However, any stout hardwood walking stick (not a hiking stick, but a cane-length walking stick) will do admirably. Skill is demanded, of course, in order to fully exploit the weapon's potential, — but assuming that the reader understands this and is prepared and willing to train and to practice, he should obtain a plain, hardwood walking stick, or a good, stout blackthorne.
Question" "How about a ‘cane'? Wouldn't the crook on the end permit some excellent additional techniques to be employed?"
Answer: We would strongly advise that a cane per se not be chosen. The cute tricks of catching an enemy's wrist or ankle when he kicks or punches, or hooking him behind the neck and throwing, etc. look great in demonstrations and in dramatic photographs that have been carefully taken for martial arts magazines. However, such techniques are nearly impossible to use for real, and the crook-necked cane is much less versatile than the plain walking stick. Locking up with an attacker (when utilizing a cane, just as when utilizing bare hands) is suicide if and when multiple attackers are encountered. The cane is also poorly balanced for speedy combative skills manipulation. Go with a hardwood walking stick, or a good, stout blackthorne.
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[Reprinted with permission.]
I've looked at many systems... and studied nearly as many ovr the years. Very few have met the standard that I have developed. They all seem to have the same issue: complexity of technique... & marketing. I am continually confounded by this phenomenon... & I intend to write about it later this month. It's baffling.
I've been guilty of it myself. There's a certain Hollywoodesque flavor about such things; especially when it comes to martial arts. The more complex & flashy the better. It's even better if they have some custom logo'd gear that you can invest in.
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Get Tough For The Tough Times Ahead
2009 does not appear to be a very optimistic year. Socioeconomic conditions are grave — throughout the world. The cities are packed with angry, impulse-dominated, uncivilized, violent savages. The ―system does nothing to eliminate these vermin. It has never been so evident as it is today that the private citizen — the thinking private citizen — is pretty much on his own, insofar as providing for his and his family‘s security and protection is concerned. Government has neither the means nor the apparent desire to offer much help. In Seattle, Washington, for example, word has it that police will not respond to property crime calls unless the cash value of whatever property has been stolen or destroyed exceeds $10,000. Insane? Outrageous? Just plain wrong? Of course it is.
Ask yourself how hard and long you have to work in order to accumulate $10,000. What is the purpose of having well-paid, supremely well taken care of (their overtime and benefits packages — paid by YOU and by ME — are phenomenal; and their basic pay — paid by YOU and by ME — is a hell of a lot greater than my income, and probably than yours, too. So what the f— is this?
The injustice, and the times are, as Thomas Paine wrote, of the kind ―. . . that try men‘s souls.
What to do?
GET TOUGH! And by that we mean become mentally and physically strong, hard, and competent. Disengage from the idiocy around you and hunker down — with you and yours — and establish a tough, no-nonsense policy of independence, self-reliance, and readiness.
Good, tough training in the combat arts, coupled with serious physical training and the cultivation of a no-nonsense realist‘s philosophy — amidst the lunacy that surrounds us — will of course not ―guarantee that some unforeseen, catastrophic circumstance or situation will not overwhelm you. However — tough training in the combat arts, coupled with serious physical training and the cultivation of a no-nonsense realist‘s philosophy . . . will stack the odds in your favor.
So get cracking. It‘s later than you think. Tough times demand that you be tough in order to survive them.
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Are Big Muscles Helpful?
WHILE we regard anyone who challenges the merits of progressive resistance (ie weight) training being valuable for the combatives student as being seriously misinformed, we do not feel the same way about those who question the purpose and the value of developing a "magazine cover body" — or the oversized, bulging muscles so often (and so unfortunately) automatically linked with the term "bodybuilding" today.
If you are asking "What's the difference?" then you are the victim of the kind of ignorance that those who have ruined the field of mainstream bodybuilding love to capitalize upon.
Anyone who trains correctly with weights will increase the girth (ie the size) of his muscles. However, it is not the sole objective of weight training or of "bodybuilding" to focus almost entirely on the development of huge, bulging muscles. The muscular development is a byproduct of proper training, but strength, condition, agility, and good health coupled with a sense of well being and self-confidence constitute the primary and most important training objectives.
This is even more important to understand when one takes up weight training as a supplementary activity to one's training in close combat and self-defense. The last thing that any combat arts student should hold as his training objective is the acquisition of bloated, bulging muscles. Rather, he should follow a good all round routine, developing every major muscle group, and working on general, overall strength building and physical conditioning.
One thing that many people do not realize is that the incredible outsize proportions and "superman" type physiques can only be developed by those whose hereditary potential allows for such development. Everyone cannot build a "Mr. Universe" body!
Here is what you need to know about "big muscles":—
If you train correctly, and if you follow a reasonably good diet, get enough rest and sleep, and avoid such suicidal activities as smoking, using steroids (or any other unlawful, controlled substance), heavy drinking, etc. then you will, within two to three years, acquire muscles that are as "big" as they need to be. You will have achieved your hereditary and genetic potential for size. Striving to merely bloat the muscles beyond the level of development that they naturally attain after proper all round sensible progressive resistance exercise has brought them to their natural "maximum" is unrealistic, unnecessary, perhaps downright stupid, and — often — dangerous. You (we all!) have been set by nature with our own unique genetic potential for size, strength, and athletic/physical performance abilities. Strive mightily to achieve that. Then, once you have done so, be satisfied and grateful, and keep training regularly to maintain what you worked so hard to build.
What is truly "helpful" is not big muscles, per se, but STRONG muscles, and well conditioned muscles that enable you to utilize their potential for power-output in a fast, coordinated, skilled manner. Strong muscles do tend to be big — at least bigger than when they were weak — but the primary concern when training sensibly should not be on the attainment of mere size. Build powerful muscles. Emphasize the hardest work on the major muscle groups (legs and back) in order to bring about the finest all round gains.
Sensible men do not train solely for appearance. Train the way sensible men do train, and your appearance will be fine. Today, there appear to be very few "sensible men" in the bodybuilding/physical training field. Nevertheless, they are the ones to emulate and to turn to for worthwhile advice.
[...and one more.]
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Stickwork
THE stick is a marvelous weapon. Back in the 80's we wrote an installment of our (then) monthly feature article in a major firearms publication entirely devoted to the stick — the walking stick — as a weapon of self-defense. The article was well received, and in it we were concerned to emphasize all of the great virtues of the walking stick as a self-defense weapon. Among these virtues are —
Legality
The walking stick is, even in such oppressive environments as Red China and Russia, completely legal. It would be difficult to imagine "outlawing" the walking stick, since it is a utilitarian item that many people need and carry for medical reasons.
Handiness
Unlike a firearm or a fighting knife that is carried in a holster, or a folding knife that is carried in a pocket, a walking stick is carried, properly, in the hand at all times. This makes it immediately usable against anyone whose attack is perceived to be in its formative stage.
Effectiveness
While the stick is not normally employed with lethal intent, it certainly can — in trained hands — speedily enable its possessor to drop the most dangerous individual, lethally, in a life or death encounter. The stick allows the user to inflict crippling or/and extremely painful and debilitating injuries, and to do so rather simply, and with only marginal physical strength.
Confidence
"Speak softly and carry a big stick." Teddy Roosevelt's advice, taken literally, makes excellent sense. For with a stout walking stick in hand, and the ability to use it well as a weapon, anyone may be confident of his ability to handle trouble, and may thus "speak softly", indeed.
Deterence
A man who is in possession of a walking stick, and who does not appear to actually need it in order to assist him in locomotion, sends a clear and unmistakable message to any potential physical attacker: "Not this particular individual! This one's got a weapon!"
Tactical Advantages
If you do carry a concealed firearm legally, then you also might give some serious thought to carrying a walking stick. The stick may be the means by which you secure the opportunity to access your pistol, or — it may enable you to stop an assailant without having to access your pistol, at all.
Versatility
The stick can punish, damage, or kill. It extends the reach of its user, and it bolsters all unarmed combatives. It never runs out of ammo, makes noise, jams, or is awkward to keep near at hand — conspicuously. The stick delivers hard, destructive jabs as well as smashing blows. When using certain techniques it can cut and slash, and it does not represent a danger to the user or to innocent people in the vicinity, when it is correctly employed. It would be very unlikely that a normal walking stick would be banned for carrying onto an airline.
Carryover Value
Learn how to use the stick in combat, and you will almost never be in a position where some stick, or stick-like implement, cannot be found, made, or improvised.
Combat Stickwork Vs. Popular "Stickfighting"
in the Martial Arts
Many people are engaged in training in such arts as Filipino "escrima" or "kali", and Japanese "jo jutsu" and "bo jutsu". While all of these classical/traditional stick arts are beautiful and worthwhile studying, they are not necessarily the best choice when it comes to practical combat and personal self-defense needs. As martial arts (emphasis upon the "arts") no one can fault traditional methods. But as martial arts (emphasis upon the "martial") there is a lot of room for improvement.
Get hold of a copy of Fairbairn's GET TOUGH!. Study the description Fairbairn gives of his excellent stick technique. Now THAT'S how we use a stick in combat. Or, pick up COLD STEEL, by John Styers. His well illustrated instruction in the Marine Corps' "Kengla Technique" also provides a glimpse of how — in real, honest-to-goodness hand-to-hand combat — we use a stick against an enemy.
For combat the stick is used with extreme aggression, and it capitalizes upon the element of surprise. There is no twirling, and there is no two-stick style. Nor is there competition. One ATTACKS.
Both the Fairbairn and the Kengla techniques are taught in their complete forms in American Combato (Jen•Do•Tao)™, and we include dozens of other excellent techniques and stick tactics — all combat-worthy. At Black Belt, 1st degree, we teach a syllabus of thirty(30) super-destructive stickwork maneuvers. But you don't need to study with us to acquire all that you might have need for in an emergency. Just remember: Keep it simple. Attack by surprise. Use every ounce of ferocity and determination you can generate. Move in! Keep on attacking! Go for the enemy's most vulnerable, vital points. And, for heaven's sake do not forget to first acquire basic unarmed combat skill. The stick, like any other hand held weapon, should be utilized as an adjunct and an extension of your body's natural weapons, and your combative mindset.
Selecting A Suitable Stick For Personal Defense
Anything that can be done with a baton sized stick (ie approximately 18" to 24-36") can be done, and done better!, with a walking stick. And a walking stick is not classified as a "weapon" per se.
We have always liked the English or the Irish Blackthornes. However, any stout hardwood walking stick (not a hiking stick, but a cane-length walking stick) will do admirably. Skill is demanded, of course, in order to fully exploit the weapon's potential, — but assuming that the reader understands this and is prepared and willing to train and to practice, he should obtain a plain, hardwood walking stick, or a good, stout blackthorne.
Question" "How about a ‘cane'? Wouldn't the crook on the end permit some excellent additional techniques to be employed?"
Answer: We would strongly advise that a cane per se not be chosen. The cute tricks of catching an enemy's wrist or ankle when he kicks or punches, or hooking him behind the neck and throwing, etc. look great in demonstrations and in dramatic photographs that have been carefully taken for martial arts magazines. However, such techniques are nearly impossible to use for real, and the crook-necked cane is much less versatile than the plain walking stick. Locking up with an attacker (when utilizing a cane, just as when utilizing bare hands) is suicide if and when multiple attackers are encountered. The cane is also poorly balanced for speedy combative skills manipulation. Go with a hardwood walking stick, or a good, stout blackthorne.
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[Reprinted with permission.]
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Interval Session Twenty-Two...
Well it was nice & cool this morning... until I got to the trailhead. Once I was past the very last bit of shade... out came the sun & the temperature jumped up into the mid to high 70's. Nice & sweaty. That muggy heat that we in the Pacific Northwest have so come to appreciate. Funny that I'd neglected to do laundry so I was wearing sweats instead of my shorts. I also had on one of my heavier T-shirts... because again... it had been about 65 degrees when I left the house.
A solid 28 minutes. I extended the distance approximately 1/10th of a mile... almost to Military Road. So the cool down came relatively early on the return leg. I estimate that once I hit the full 30-minute sessions next week I should be able to squueeze them into teh area between the two main intersections.
I too the extra two days of rest... but I don't think I'll be doing that again. In the last session, by the time I was on my third longer run I was feeling great, despite having been extremely tired through the day previous to running. Last week I wasn't sleeping well; likely due to the humidity. I should have kept on schedule however. The first run after the longer breaks is always more difficult than simply keeping with the scheduel as it falls. The first 2/3rds of this run went fairly well. By the time I was on the return trip however, my legs really wanted to quit. I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
Please note that delaying (blowing off) scheduled workouts is hardly ever worth it. If you're truly ill, then take the extra day or two... by all means. If it's that you're lazy then get off of your ass & go do it anyhow. Your "brain" & body will most certainly ALWAYS team up to get you to do the minimum. They'd prefer that you set at home & whittle down pizzas in front of the television. Again, your brain & body will ALWAYS try to convince you to do NOTHING. The nice thing is that if you train the brain, the body will willingly follow.
There was a point to day where my legas WANTED TO QUIT. Make no mistake, my feet wanted to stop running & shuffle back to the car to that bottle of Gatorade. They wanted breakfast. In my mind, I had to make the decision to keep them moving... transmit the "No you dont!" message to the brain & allow it to translate things to the legs. Ten minutes later I was done running & "enjoying" my cooldown walk back to the car... 1/2 mile away.
On a final note: Saturday evening I received an e-mail from Prof. Bradley J. Steiner. He had stumbled across my blog while looking elsewhere. Currently the ONLY individual in the entire digital world who has dared to peruse these pages. This brings up the self-defense training issue again. I still haven't managed to make the drive up to review the advanced Krav Maga class while they train at Woodland Park. They're up there for a few more weeks & I will "try" to make it there next Wednesday. He encouraged me to return to study Combato... and once again I am seriously considering this option. I've already written about the advantages both in the system & even in the scheduling. This is going to end up being one of those times when I simply have to "do something".
A solid 28 minutes. I extended the distance approximately 1/10th of a mile... almost to Military Road. So the cool down came relatively early on the return leg. I estimate that once I hit the full 30-minute sessions next week I should be able to squueeze them into teh area between the two main intersections.
I too the extra two days of rest... but I don't think I'll be doing that again. In the last session, by the time I was on my third longer run I was feeling great, despite having been extremely tired through the day previous to running. Last week I wasn't sleeping well; likely due to the humidity. I should have kept on schedule however. The first run after the longer breaks is always more difficult than simply keeping with the scheduel as it falls. The first 2/3rds of this run went fairly well. By the time I was on the return trip however, my legs really wanted to quit. I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
Please note that delaying (blowing off) scheduled workouts is hardly ever worth it. If you're truly ill, then take the extra day or two... by all means. If it's that you're lazy then get off of your ass & go do it anyhow. Your "brain" & body will most certainly ALWAYS team up to get you to do the minimum. They'd prefer that you set at home & whittle down pizzas in front of the television. Again, your brain & body will ALWAYS try to convince you to do NOTHING. The nice thing is that if you train the brain, the body will willingly follow.
There was a point to day where my legas WANTED TO QUIT. Make no mistake, my feet wanted to stop running & shuffle back to the car to that bottle of Gatorade. They wanted breakfast. In my mind, I had to make the decision to keep them moving... transmit the "No you dont!" message to the brain & allow it to translate things to the legs. Ten minutes later I was done running & "enjoying" my cooldown walk back to the car... 1/2 mile away.
On a final note: Saturday evening I received an e-mail from Prof. Bradley J. Steiner. He had stumbled across my blog while looking elsewhere. Currently the ONLY individual in the entire digital world who has dared to peruse these pages. This brings up the self-defense training issue again. I still haven't managed to make the drive up to review the advanced Krav Maga class while they train at Woodland Park. They're up there for a few more weeks & I will "try" to make it there next Wednesday. He encouraged me to return to study Combato... and once again I am seriously considering this option. I've already written about the advantages both in the system & even in the scheduling. This is going to end up being one of those times when I simply have to "do something".
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Cabin fever...
I spent the first half of the day visitng my father & then getting some service work done on the car. Now I'm back home... and I do NOT want to be. I don't feel like setting here for the rest of the evening avoiding the roommates. I just don't want to be around right now but can't think of anywhere to go. This stinks!
I feel like a prisoner. I really need to manufacture some extra-curricular activities to get me out of the house. I was thinking about going shooting but that's expensive & would only kill a few hours. I should go running... but I don't feel like it & will most likely go tomorrow morning anyhow.
I could grab a book, take a drive & park someplace where I could spend a few hours reading... overcast... dusk will be around 7:30 PM tonight. I could go somewhere for dinner... eat alone... that might be better than setting here. I don't feel like surfing. No decent movies at the $2 theater... & I don't feel like dealing with movie morons right now anyhow.
Hmmm... shooting... Maybe a quick trip to the range & then dinner. What to shoot though. The Kimber & the Sig 228 are out... but the Kimber is a hassle to clean. The 228 was supposed ot be my carry gun for this period... but I cannot find the carry holster. Sheesh. Maybe I should just take a nap.
I feel like a prisoner. I really need to manufacture some extra-curricular activities to get me out of the house. I was thinking about going shooting but that's expensive & would only kill a few hours. I should go running... but I don't feel like it & will most likely go tomorrow morning anyhow.
I could grab a book, take a drive & park someplace where I could spend a few hours reading... overcast... dusk will be around 7:30 PM tonight. I could go somewhere for dinner... eat alone... that might be better than setting here. I don't feel like surfing. No decent movies at the $2 theater... & I don't feel like dealing with movie morons right now anyhow.
Hmmm... shooting... Maybe a quick trip to the range & then dinner. What to shoot though. The Kimber & the Sig 228 are out... but the Kimber is a hassle to clean. The 228 was supposed ot be my carry gun for this period... but I cannot find the carry holster. Sheesh. Maybe I should just take a nap.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Interval Session Twenty-One
It's finally cooling down a bit. It was in the high 70's today when I got started. I hit the trail at 5:45 PM. Blacktop once again. I didn't feel like going all the way to the river. I still feel more comfortable running the paved trailo... probably because I long ago memorized the landmarks & already know the distance.
It must have been a combination of the cooler temperatures & this segmen ending but I really felt great. This was yet another one of those sessions I was considering skipping. I'd been thinking all day about how I really would have preferred to go home & crash. Instead, I got home, changed & out the door as soon as I could manage it. Today was the last session of week 7.
I felt much lighter today. I noticed that my gait is beginning to change again. Today I was closer to actually running (as opposed to TROMPING) than I ever have been before. The solid session of 25-minutes have paid off. I really could feel the difference now as opposed to a week ago.
I noticed that I covered more ground today as well. I always start at the same approximate point on the trail & the running segment starts up at the same general point after the 5-minute warmup. Today was no different. I went a little further down the trial again... essentially running for a little over 15-minutes before turning around - same landmark. Today when the cooldown tone sounded I was around 100 feet further down the trail than Sunday. So my gait is beginnning to stretch out. I need to measure that extra distance but I think that the addition actually puts me slightly over the 5k mark for total distance. I've estimated it at a rough 3.2 miles. (This includes the cooldown distance as well... but that is only around 1,000 feet.) This is good because it means that I can complete an entire 30-minute run without having to cross the second intersection at Military Road E.
Wednesday & Thursday are going to be my "weekend" from running. I'll start up week 8 on Friday evening. Next weeks sessions will have 28-minutes running segments. Gee... I wonder if week 9 will be 30-minute segments. That will be three 5k runs in a week.
It must have been a combination of the cooler temperatures & this segmen ending but I really felt great. This was yet another one of those sessions I was considering skipping. I'd been thinking all day about how I really would have preferred to go home & crash. Instead, I got home, changed & out the door as soon as I could manage it. Today was the last session of week 7.
I felt much lighter today. I noticed that my gait is beginning to change again. Today I was closer to actually running (as opposed to TROMPING) than I ever have been before. The solid session of 25-minutes have paid off. I really could feel the difference now as opposed to a week ago.
I noticed that I covered more ground today as well. I always start at the same approximate point on the trail & the running segment starts up at the same general point after the 5-minute warmup. Today was no different. I went a little further down the trial again... essentially running for a little over 15-minutes before turning around - same landmark. Today when the cooldown tone sounded I was around 100 feet further down the trail than Sunday. So my gait is beginnning to stretch out. I need to measure that extra distance but I think that the addition actually puts me slightly over the 5k mark for total distance. I've estimated it at a rough 3.2 miles. (This includes the cooldown distance as well... but that is only around 1,000 feet.) This is good because it means that I can complete an entire 30-minute run without having to cross the second intersection at Military Road E.
Wednesday & Thursday are going to be my "weekend" from running. I'll start up week 8 on Friday evening. Next weeks sessions will have 28-minutes running segments. Gee... I wonder if week 9 will be 30-minute segments. That will be three 5k runs in a week.
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