I am a Runner for Life

I've always been a runner. Maybe running for different reasons, or running different distances, but always running.

A few years ago, I started blogging about my running. I had decided to run my 1st marathon and thought that blogging would be a good idea to "keep me honest" in my training, as well as document my experiences (just in case I was crazy enough to want to run another marathon).

The blogging did help keep me from "slacking off"; I certainly couldn't publish that I really felt like taking a nap and eating a quart of Hagen Daz. No, I had to go run that 6, 8 or 12 miles and dammit, I was going to enjoy it. And truth be told; I always did end up enjoying it. I enjoyed the time to myself, no kids or spouse or employees screaming my name or needing something from me. I enjoyed being able to let my brain "race" freely about anything. I wasn't trying to solve the worlds problems, but I felt empowered that I could if I really wanted to. Blogging about my runs helped to reinforce and remind me of those positive experiences.

Running, and blogging about it, also helped me "tune out" the "negatives" in my life; primarily a marriage that was irretrieveably broken. But some things can only be tuned out for so long. And eventually, I allowed the negatives in my life to overtake the positives and started "tuning out" the things that were positive in my life (running/karate/blogging). And it became a viscous cycle where it is harder and harder to overcome the negatives.

But I am blessed with good friends and a strong martial arts foundation that continually focuses on the positives. And I'm back where I need to be; stronger, healthier, happier, focused and ready for my next challenge.........my next marathon.......I'm thinking Big Sur in May 2011?????

Even though I'm not sure what I'm training for, I have dubbed this past week as Training Week #1; and what a great training week it was!!!!

• 8/22 Sun: 2 miles: no time; garmin battery dead :(
• 8/23 Mon: Karate (ab night; 120+???)
• 8/24 Tues: Rest Day
• 8/25 Wed: 2.6 miles(24:15; 9:23/pace); 1/2 mile dog sprint; 3x30 PU, 3 x 30 SU
• 8/26 Thur: Rest Day
• 8/27 Fri: Rest Day
• 8/28 Sat: 2 miles (19:30; 9:45/pace); 1/2 mile dog sprint; 4x25PU, 4x25 SU; Karate (sparring); 4 x 30SU
• Sun: 4 miles (42:32); 5x25 SU; Gym: back/shoulders/chest/bis & tris

Till my next installment, Run long and Run strong......

dani

Thank you!

Thank you!

Recoup, Refocus, Renew

I finally got my finisher medal for the 3 For The Road Series, yeah!! I really enjoyed the 3FTR series; a 5k, 4 miler and 5 miler. I ended up overall in 4th place for my age group!! I was pleased with that, but even more pleased that I was able to run each of the distances at a 9 minute per mile pace.

After the 3FTR Series, I ran the Merrill Lynch Bull Run. This turned out to be a family affair. I ran the 10k, my son ran the 5k, and my daughter volunteered to work the water station. It's amazing how the lure of service hours she needs for school was able to get her out of bed at 5:30am on a Saturday morning!

The Bull Run started out and ended on A1A in front of Spanish River Park in Boca Raton. Lauren was at the water stop just after mile #1. This was the 1st time she has been to one of my races so I was very happy! The middle part of the course went through some really nice residential neighborhoods with lots of beautiful houses.




I finished in 55:50 which is a 8:58 pace! Woo hoo, sub 9 minutes!! I still need to work on keeping my pace more consistent. I start out fast (well, relatively speaking!) and slow down each mile (M1 8:00 M2 8:40 M3 9:02 M4 9:14 M5 9:22 M6 9:39)

After the Bull Run, I decided to take a couple of weeks off from running and karate. Mostly to recoup; to see if some time off would help to heal my heel (it didn't). I've been running with heel pain for over a year. The foot doctor "diagnosed" it as a heel spur and prescribed ibuprofen and heel inserts. The heel inserts didn't help; the IBU did. But as soon as I stopped taking the IBU, the pain returned. I was too busy training for my 2nd degree black belt and for the New York marathon to stop running or to go back to the doctor and I didn't want to have to take IBU chronically (I am a pharmacist so I know the dangers) so I kept on running.

But recently the heel had gotten worse. Waking up in the morning, I couldn't walk and had to tip toe around. I've been talking with so many friends, fellow martial artists, fellow runners and everyone has a different opinion and a different remedy. So, the thought was to take a couple of weeks off to see if that would help. And since it didn't, I think it's time to go back to the doctor. But now the question is, do I go back to the podiatrist or do I go to an orthopaedic doctor?

Meanwhile, with the heel pain and my next marathons more than 1/2 a year away, I was losing focus and not feeling really motivated. But then came April 20th and the Boston Marathon. I was able to watch on-line and that is exactly what I needed to see to get refocused. I was so routing for Kara Goucher and actually had tears when she dropped back to 3rd place in the final miles.

A week after the Boston marathon was the London marathon. I got up at 4am on that Sunday morning to watch the race on-line. It was an awesome and inspiring race. The website said that registration for the 2010 race would open the following day. So, I went on-line on Monday and registered for the lottery. I'll find out in later September/early October whether or not I get selected or not. I'm hoping that I will have the same luck that I had with New York and get picked on my 1st try. But if not, that's ok too.

And now, I am recharged, refocused and renewed.





Run long, run strong

Dani

Spring Time Running

So I haven't had any "races" since the Riverwalk 5 miler. But I've had a lot of good runs since then. Saturday 3/28 I ran 8.42 in 1:27:06. And on Saturday 4/4 I ran 8.47 in 1:26:14. Plus, I had a number of shorter runs in between.



I've been trying to "finalize" my race schedule for the year and I think I have it figured out. My 1st marathon for 2009 was the Ft. Lauderdale A1A marathon; I didn't do as well as I had hoped for, primarilybecause it was way too hot!!!!

My 2nd marathon of 2009 will be the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25 in Washington DC. I was very fortunate that one of my Twitter buddies reminded me of the registration and I was able to sign up for this race. I 've heard this race fills up very quickly!! I was also fortunate that I was able to get roundtrip airfare from Ft. Lauderdale and 3 nights in a nice hotel for right around $500.


My 3rd marathon for 2009 will be the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It's a flat course and close to home; what else could I ask for!! I have to thank marathonchris from twitter for "twittering" and recommending this marathon.

I was really looking for a marathon between April and September. In South Florida, our marathon season ends very early. I saw the Nashville marathon in April and the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinatti in May. But they are too close in date and my training doesn't have been close enough to marathon level. So, I'll save the $$$$ and stay home.


And the last marathon I have planned for (at least right now!) is the 2010 Disney Marathon. When I went online, I was intending on registering for the Goofy Challenge; which is a 1/2 marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday. But, the website said the registration was closed. I was bummed, but I went ahead and registered for the marathon on January 10th 2010!!! Last night I was web surfing and saw that the Goofy Challenge has "reopened". I have emailed the race directors to see if I can "upgrade" to the Goofy Challenge. But, we'll have to wait and see what happens.


This Saturday I have a 10K race; the Merrily Lynch Bull Run. My son will be running the 5k and most surprisingly, my daughter will be volunteering for service hours (and that's the only way I'll get her up that early in the morning!!!


I have several more 5ks and 10ks to run this year; and I'm psyched about them because they are forcing me to work on my speed; versus my endurance.


And that's all for this week!
Dani

Saturday was the Riverwalk Run. The final race in the 3 For the Road Series. I ran the 5 miler and Ryan ran the 5k. About 15 minutes before the start of the 5-mile race, it started raining. Not too heavy, but just enough to make it cold. Luckily, as quickly as it started, it quickly ended.


The 5-miler started at 7am; the 5k started 15 minutes later. The race started at Huizinga Park at the corner of Las Olas Blvd and Andrews. We ran over the SE 3rd Street bridge, over the tunnel and into the Rio Vista neighborhoods. It was a beautiful run, past lots of gorgeous homes.


Ryan finished his 5k in 25:07 (8:05 pace). Several other St. Jerome students, and fellow SJS track team members, also ran the 5k. For their age groups, Jake came in 5th, Ryan and Sean came in 4th, Juliana came in 3rd, Isabella came in 2nd (25:06), and both Christina (22:16) and York (23:04) came in 1st place! And of course, their Coach Burke came in 1st place overall for the Grand Masters. It was another great running day for St. Jerome!


As for me, going into the race, I new I was just over 1 minute behind 3rd place for my age group for the 3 For the Road Series. To get to 3rd place would mean I would have to run a 8:30 pace for the entire 5 miles; that would be a bit of a stretch for me. But, I still was going to try to do it! It was a good run/race. I felt good; I was able to keep a steady pace and the 5 miles went by relatively quickly! I finished in 45:04, right around a 9:01 pace. Not the 8:30 I needed, but a pace that I was very happy with. For the race, I finished in 16th place out of 50 women for the 40-44 year age group.

And in the 3 For the Road Series, I ended up in 4th place. But, I definitely made up some time and only missed 3rd place by 28 seconds.

1 Lori Battaglia 44 F 26:09 35:29 42:57 1:44:35
2 Debby Rivera 44 F 25:38 34:40 44:17 1:44:35
3 Jen Sundook 40 F 26:55 35:11 45:43 1:47:49
4 Danielle Dorsett 42 F 27:11 36:02 45:04 1:48:17

that's all for now!

dani

Just a quick mid-week post!!!!
On the left, is the medal that Ryan won for placing 2nd in his age group at the St. Paddy's 4-miler race last weekend.

Below is Ryan at his karate exam. He was testing for his yellow belt.

And here's a vido of Ryan and Nakita performing their white belt "Appreciation Form".

St. Paddy 4-Miler

This past Saturday was the 2nd race in the "Three For the Road" series of races; it was the St. Paddy's 4-miler. The race was held at Tradewinds Park and it was an out and back route taking us past the (smelly) horse stables.

Ryan had decided to run the race with me. And, 4 other students from St. Jerome ran the race, as well as their track coach. Coach Burke started out at the front of the crowd; me and the kids hung out towards the back. When the race started, we all spent some time weaving through the walkers and the slower runners. Then all 5 kids took off. The 2 fastest quickly ran out of my line of sight; but I was able to keep an eye on the other 3.

The kids did great! All 5 were in different age/sex groups. The 3 boys (including Ryan!) all placed 2nd in their respective age group. The 2 girls came in 1st for their age groups. And their coach finished 1st overall for the Grand Master age group. I was the only one to not medal in my age group. But I'm okay with that. I finished with a time of 35:45, coming in 16th out of 34 women in the 40-44 age group; which is the largest age group. I was in the top 50%; that's good enough for me!!!

But the best "news" for me was my standings in the "Three for the Road Series". After the 1st race, I was in 7th place for my age group. Now after 2 races of the series, I'm in 4th place for my age group. The final race is this Saturday and it's a 5 mile race so I should do well. I'm less than 1 minute out of 3rd place. So, my goal for Saturday's race is to finish in 43:30 which is a pace just under 8:45 minutes per mile.

Till next week, run long!

Dani

"blonderx"

Saturday was a great running day! It started with the "5K for a Better Day" race. This is the 1st in a series of 3 races known as "3 For the Road". The race started at Broward General Hospital, went north to the New River and then east along the river for about 1/2 a mile. Then we headed back south to the hospital for the finish line.

The temperature very comfortable (low 70's) with little, if any breeze. I hadn't run at all since the marathon the prior Sunday so I was ready to put in some effort, but I haven't really done any kind of speed work so I wasn't too sure how the race would go. Anyways, I set a quasi-goal of 27:45; right around a 9:15 per mile pace.

I did very well in keeping a relatively steady pace, and tried to not keep looking at my watch. I was able to finish with a nice sprint at the end and finished in 27: 11. I finished 138th out of 393 overall and 7th out of 30 for my age group. Pretty cool!!!


This is a picture of the "medals" they gave away for the race. Very tropical!

There are 2 more races in the "3 For the Road" series. The 2nd race is the St. Paddy 4 miler and it's on March 14th. The final event is the Riverwalk 5 miler. The series combines the times for all 3 races and everyone who completes all 3 events gets a medal and some really cool stuff.

As quickly as I crossed the finish line for my 5k, I had to hurry up and get to St. Thomas Aquinas High School for the ABCC Track Meet. Ryan is on the St. Jerome track team this year and was competing in the mile event. Last year, Lauren participated and it was a long, hot day. This year was much better. First of all, one of the parents brought a tent/canopy thing. Plus everyone brought drinks and food. So between the events we were comfortable and it was a nice day hanging out with the kids and other parents.

But, the best part of the day was seeing how well all the kids at St. Jerome did. Ryan came in 11th out of 23 for the mile, finishing with a time of 6:58!!! I was so proud of him!!!

The school as a whole did awesome! They took won 1st place for the girl's mile, 800m, 100m, and 200m. The relay teams did very well. The school placed in many events, both in track and field. The girls came in 2nd place overall and the boys took 6th place. It was a fantastic event!! I can't wait for next year!!!

They sent out the pics from the A1A marathon. Because there were so few marathoners, they took lots of pictures of me towards the end of the race. Unfortunately, I was only somewhat smiling in 1 of them!

That's all for now folks!!

Dani :)

I took a brief hiatus from blogging, but it's good to be back......

Today, I ran the Ft. Lauderdale A1A marathon; finishing in 5:02:08. I ran 18 miles with the 4:45 pace group, but the heat really slowed me down the last 8 miles. The race started in the mid-60’s, but towards the end, it was in the upper 70’s/low 80’s. UGH!!! And, I did a major no-no; I wore a new shirt. It chafed so bad, I have 2 big red, very painful circles under my arms. The medal is really cool; the front looks like a sea shell. The back has a street sign saying A1A and Las Olas, but it didn’t photograph well.

Here is where I hang my medals. On the very left is the medal for the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon. To the right is the A1A marathon medal. The 2 medals on the right are the Miami ING 1/2 marathon medals for 2007 and 2008.

My New York Medal is in it's own shadow box. The background "Dedication" is cut out from the thermal blanket they gave us as we crossed he finish line.

08 Victory List and 09 Goals

Happy New Year!!!! Ah, the traditions of New Years Day. The pork roast and College Football bowl games. And now I am sitting down to reflect on my victories of 2008 and set my goals for 2009.

As we say in karate, "Goals we set are goals we get". Well, for 2008, I set some very lofty goals. And, I achieved all that I set out to, and then some!

(1) Half-marathon: I finished my half-marathon 15 minutes faster than my goal time.

(2) Career: I made the move to another company; the people and position are great!!!

(3) Full marathon: I ran the San Diego Rock & Roll marathon with my sister

(4) Another full marathon: I was lucky enough to win the "lottery" and got into the New York City marathon, setting a 44 minute PR

(5) Karate: I'm now a 2nd degree black belt.

(6) Quit Smoking: The goal that I am most proud of accomplishing is quitting smoking. I was able to end a 25 year relationship with the Marlboro man.

So what's next? How do I top all that?

Running:

I think I'll try to do 1-2 marathons a year; but my quest will be for quality, not quantity. I'll definitely going to try to get into New York again. And again, and again, and again! But other than New York, I'm going to pick marathons that help to justify travel to a new place; such as Dublin, Maui, Marine Corps, London , Disney and Antartica (my son wants to join me for that trip!). My time goal is to run under 4:30; that's a 27 minute improvement or 1 minute per mile, which is very attainable.

So far I've already signed up again for the Miami ING half-marathon. My time goal will be 2:05. Last year, 4 of us from karate ran it. This year, I think there's about 12 of us running. It should be fun!. And in February, I'm going to run the Ft. Lauderdale A1A marathon. This is a nice flat marathon so I'm going to set a goal of 4:37, which would be a 20 minute PR over New York.

Karate:

I have to wait 3 years before I will be eligible to test for my 3rd degree. So I have some time to just enjoy class and hone my skills. The dojo focused on MMA in '08 (Mixed Martial Arts). I'm not a big MMA fan; I enjoy watching the fights on TV, but I'm not a big jiu jitsu fan. I'm not sure what the dojo is going to focus on this year, but I'm going to work on my weapons skills, chucks and kamas.

Personal: Since I'm not in training for karate, I should have some "extra" time. I'm hoping to use that to develop my web site and put my business plan into action. But more on that to come in future blogs!

Good night!

Dani

It's Great To Be A Florida Gator!!!!!

So while I was performing my American Bo Form, doing my creative kumite and getting my 2nd Degree Black Belt last Saturday, something even more SPECTACULAR was happening. My Gator team, ranked #2 in the AP poll, were playing the 1st ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome.

For some reason, I had thought it was an 8pm game. So I figured that right after the Karate Spectacular show, I'd go home and watch the game. But during the pre-show practice, one of my instructors, who happens to be a big Miami Hurricanes fan, came up to me and gave me a score update. Holy crap!! Our biggest game of the year, the game that would either send us to the BCS Championship Bowl or to a lesser Bowl, and I was missing it! AAAAGHHHHHH!

I got the score at half-time, which was right before our show started and the Gators were ahead by 3 points. But still, we were playing Alabama. There was 2 more quarters of football to play and anything could happen. I take nothing for granted in Gator football!

The Spectacular started and it was so busy that I barely had time to think about the Gators. When our show ended, my instructor came up to me and put the icing on my 2nd degree "cake"; the Gators had WON!!!

Sunday night they announced the bowl selections and it was confirmed; the #2 UF Gators will play the #1 Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS Championship Bowl here in Miami!!!!! It's kind of ironic; about 3 or 4 years ago I got the opportunity to go to the Orange Bowl here in Miami. It was USC (Southern Cal, not South Carolina for my SEC friends!!!) versus Oklahoma. I was routing for Oklahoma; but they lost.

To make things even better, this week they announced the final 3 candidates for the Heisman trophy. Tim Tebow was selected as one of the 3 candidates. And they will be selecting the winner at 8 pm tonight. While I would love for Tebow to win (he's an awesome person as well as a great Gator!), he has some tough competition. I have a feeling Colt McCoy from Texas will get the award. But, we'll have to wait and see....I'm hoping to be surprised!

So now starts the countdown to January 8th; 26 days!!!

Go Gators

dani

A Spectacular Spectacular!!!

I am now a 2nd degree Black Belt!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Saturday morning, the 2nd degree team met at the dojo for some last minute renshu (practice). We ran through the All Star Graduate routine and the NTC routine. We finished with the bo routine. We were all in good spirits and a bit nervous.

I came home and relaxed for a bit. I packed some food for the practice since we had to be there at 2pm and the performance doesn't start till 6:30. I got ready and put on my new 2nd degree gi pants (sweet!) and karate t-shirt. Then I put on my 1st degreee black belt for the last time!

Around 1pm, it was time to leave the house. RJ was with the neighor. He'd come to the spectacular with them. So that was one child taken care of. Next I dropped the girlie off at her friend's house. I reminded her what time she had to be dropped off (6pm), that I would be giving her the camera before the show, and how important this event was to me. She appeared to understand what I had said (this will become important later).

Now, with both kids taken care of, it was time to drop off tickets at my mom's house. As I was about 2 minutes away from her house, I realized I had left my gi top on my desk. Ugh!!!! I had to turn around and go back home to get it. Figures......

Having to go back home meant I wouldn't have time to drop off the tickets. I called my mom but kept getting a fax buzzing sound. So I called the girlie and tasked her with letting my mom know I'd meet her out front right before the show to give her the tickets. I hurried to Parker Playhouse and got there right on time, a bit frazzled, but on time!

I brought all my stuff inside and immediately we started with the run throughs. I think we did 3 or 4 complete run throughs and I kept improving with each one. We had a last minute "pep talk" from Kyoshi and Ma'am then we went to get our team t-shirts. Normally we get them the week before so that we can wear them at the practice. And, on the backs of the shirts everyones name is printed. But not this time. It was a "generic" shirt; very disappointing.

But, no time to dwell on anything "negative". I hung out with all the ladies and the time went by quickly, but not as quickly as it had when I tested for my 1st degree. Experience definitely has its plusses! There was a dressing room for the adult ladies and we all squeezed in and did our pre-performance primping. Alex had brought the glitter spray and we all got "sparkled".

We ate a bit, chatted and put on our gi tops. And then they announced the front doors were opening. It was 6pm. So I went to the front doors to look for my family. I waited. I waited some more. And kept waiting. Finally, RJ showed up with the neighbors. And then my mom & stepdad Mel showed up. I gave them the tickets. But the girlie still hadn't showed up. So I called her and asked where she was. She said she was just leaving the movies.

Needless to say I was upset, and disappointed. But not surprised; very typical for a 13 year old girl. But again, I had to get rid of any negative thoughts. I needed to be calm and relaxed to perform. So I gave the camera to RJ and I went backstage. Within minutes, they gave the 5 minute warning and we all quickly gathered backstage.

The show started on time. After the singing of the National Anthem, the XMA teams opened with a glow show. They had the black lights on and put flourescent strips on the weapons so it looked really cool when they spinned the bos, chucks and kamas. After the glow show they did the graduate intros. It started with all the juniors. Next was the adult 1st degrees. And then finally, the 2nd and 3rd degrees!!

There was 6 2nd degrees "All Stars"; 3 juniors (Niki, Brock and Johnny) and 3 adults (me, Melanie, Lori). And there was one 3rd degree "Top Gun", Morgan. We each had our name announced, then we did a short hand/kick blip into a running kick, circle set and bow. Then we went to our positions for a modified XMA Form 3. I was slow on the 1st move (DOH!!!!) but then made up for it on the rest of the kata! And in a flash, it was over.

The next 7 or so routines were demonstrations of XMA, muay thai, self-defense, kenpo, etc. And then it was time for the All Star/Top Gun American Bo form routine. We walked out to the music of Guns N' Roses, Welcome to the Jungle. It was really cool!! Towards the end of the routine, Master Chris stepped in and did a really AWESOME solo performance, and then we all finished the form.

We had our last performance 3 routines later. It was the Team NTC routine. NTC is National Training Center which is the Ft. Lauderdale dojo (there are 5 dojos here in Florida and 7 in New York). It was all the 1st and 2nd degrees, the 3rd degree and the instructors. It started with cross-through kicking by the instructors. Then Morgan did his creative kumite. The 2nd degrees went after Morgan.

The NTC 2nd degrees are me, Mel, Niki and Brock. We started with all 4 of us doing the beginning of short 3 kata and then some blocks and kicks. Then Niki and Brock did some moves together then each did their own personal creative "blips". They moved to the side and Mel and I did some blocks and kicks together. Next it was time for my creative "blip". I started with some kenpo hand moves, front kick, jump front kick, and a kartwheel into kenpo 5-sword move, finishing with a left round kick, spinning right hook. Mel did her personal blip, ending in the middle of the stage. Niki, Brock and I were on the side of the stage and did forward rolls to "line up" with Mel. The 4 of us finished in a straight line and did staggered blocks into a left crescent kick. It ROCKED!!!

And that was it for our performances. There were a few more demonstration routines, MMA, ladies self-defense, etc. And then it was time for the presentation of the belts. We lined up and our names were called. We walked out on stage and Kyoshi presented us with our new belt. When everyone had gotten their belts and was seated on stage, we took off the old belt and wiped sweat from our brow onto the old belt. I've had my 1st degree belt for 4 years; it's a bit faded, but it's soft and flexible. I've become somewhat attached to it! But I'll quickly get over that!!!

We were next instructed to take the new belt and wipe sweat from our brow onto the new belt. And then the moment we all had worked so hard for; time to put on the new belt. The new belt was very stiff and a nice dark black color! The new belt, like my old one has my name printed on one end. The only difference is on the "other end" of the belt, there is now 2 red stripes to indicate 2nd degree (the 1st degree belt didn't have any stripes).

After we all got our belts it was time for Kyoshi get his new belt. Several Grand Masters were there to award Kyoshi his 8th degree. They "charged" his belt with spirit (pretty cool) and gave him his belt and certificate.

We finished the Black Belt Spectacular by bowing out with our creed:

As a dedicated student of the Martial Arts, I will live by the principles of Black Belt...Modesty, Courtesy, Integrity, Self-Control, Perseverence, and Indominable Spirit. What's our goal? Black Belt Excellence!

After the show everyonec went up front to meet their families. There were so many people and tons of engery. Everyone was congratulating and hugging all the candidates. I saw Ryan first, then my Mom and Mel and finally the girlie and her friend.

And now I get to enjoy the moment!!! My black belt, embroidered with my name and 2 red stripes is as meaningful as an Academy Award or a Pulitzer Prize. And although enjoying the moment is nice, it was truly the journey to 2nd degree that is to be remembered. It was a long journey, it was a memorable journey, and it has been a journey full of accomplishments.

When I set my goal for 2nd degree, I knew there would be challenges I had to overcome. The biggest challenge would be my run time. I have always enjoyed running and I even placed in a number of races many years ago. But during my 1st degree black belt cycle, I had a hard time making my run times of 2 miles in 16 minutes. My love for running turned into dread and avoidance. And I knew the only way I would be able to make my run times was to quit smoking. Smoking had been part of my life for 25 years. My younger sister and a certain Rock N' Roll marathon in San Diego were added motivators to quit.

And I did it. On February 2nd, I quit smoking and I haven't had one since that day. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Karate was the "end" goal, running was the means to get me there and quitting smoking was the catalyst to get everything going!

And boy did it get going. I finished that San Diego marathon. And then I ran the most amazing marathon ever, the New York City Marathon. What an experience!!! I made a lot of new friends; people who enjoy challenging themselves and who appreciate the dedication it takes. I've logged 883 miles this year, run through 3 pairs of shoes, dealt with heel spurs or bursitis in my heels, read every issue of Runner's World and spent more hours on my training log than is "healthy".

And, I'd do it all over in a heartbeat!!!

Thanks for traveling with me during my journey.......

Dani...blonderx

Giving Thanks

Things I'm Thankful For...

Mmmmmmm, turkey!

Kids old enough so I can use the good china!!

Family....

Sister, almost brother-in-law and their good friend

That I'm one of the 7 - 2nd degrees!!!!!

6 days till the spectacular and counting down.

I'll be doing 3 performances.

1) NTC Team routine: me, mel, brock, and niki do a 2nd degree creative kumite

2) All Star/Top Gun performance: the 4 2nd degrees from NTC, along with 2 from LHP and Morgan will perform a modified XMA Form 3 routine

3) American Bo Form (performed to the music of Guns -n Roses Welcome to the Jungle; it's going to ROCK!!!)

And finally, that I'm finally caught up with my blogging :/

Power Week

The flight home after the New York Marathon was uneventful. But, on the bus to the long-term parking there was another Gator who had also run in NY. We started chatting and it turns out I had read about him (Josh) in the Gator Alumni magazine. He had founded Miami Feet, a running club, and also Medal Memories, which are boxes to store and display your running medals. Pretty cool!

I got home around 3:30. My legs were feeling okay. There was a tiny bit of soreness if I stayed still. So, I kept moving around because I had to go to karate that night. Yes, one day after running a marathon, I was back at karate. No down time for me! And why was I punishing myself like this? Well, this was "Power Week".

Power Week is the actual exam for my 2nd degree black belt. Friday night would test our drills, katas and weapons. Saturday was self-defense and sparring. That meant I had 4 days to get in my classes, my SWATs, my runs (yes, I had to get in runs for karate!), plus get ready for the testing!

The week went by in a blur! And all of a sudden, it's Friday night. It's Showtime!! The testing was very similar to our pre-checks #1 and #2. We started with a good warmup (more running!). We did some boxing and MMA drills. And then we went into katas. I was a bit nervous. I had a slight brain fart with Short 2 (purple belt kata) but I quickly got back into focus. I felt really good with bookset and XMA form 2.

Next it was on to weapons. We did XMA Chuck form 1. My performance was ok, but I think I could have been more "fierce"! But then, we had to do it again and I rocked it the 2nd time. After chucks, it was time for kamas. Lastly, the black belts performed American Bo Form. The group's timing and energy was awesome. And, I think it was my best bo performance ever!!!

The night finished off with board breaking. First was the high-reds (going for their 1st degree black belt). The juniors went first and then the adults. The high reds broke 1 board. Next, it was time for the black belts. We had to break 2 boards. The 1st board was a hand (palm) break. I felt good because when I went for my 1st degree, I broke it the 1st time. But I was thinking ahead to the kick board and didn't focus enough. My punch didn't break the board. Ouch. But, I wasn't the only one to "miss". And surprisingly, I didn't lose my cool for "failing". I re-focused and threw my right palm and the board split!.

For the 2nd board, we could choose the kick, side or front. I decided to throw the front. I was kind of nervous because on other exams, I had seen many people miss on their 1st kick. And, after missing my 1st board, I was determined to do the kick on the first try. So, deep breath in, focus my energy, tuck the right leg, extend the kick and my foot went through the board like butter! Wow!!!!

And then, exam #1 was over. I was halfway to becoming a 2nd degree. But the second half would be the hardest for me, sparring.

Saturday morning came quickly. We started exam #2 with our usual warmup. We did some drills and then went into self-defense. We started off in circles of about 8 people each. One person was in the center and then the others took turns and did an attack. Then, we lined up and performed. I was really happy. My "attacker" chose good attacks that I was able to do good finished on (eg. take downs, guillitines, etc.).

Then it was time to put on the sparring gear. I sparred with Denay from LHP, Patty from CC, and Alex and Jen from NTC. The sparring went quickly; I though we would have more rounds. But I'm not complaining!!! It was one of my better sparring days.

After sparring, it was time to put on the running clothes. For my 1st degree, we did a team 4-mile run. I was hoping for that! But today, we all went to the field by Florinada Elementary. We ran a few laps. And then it was time for some drills. Suicide runs; run and pass the medicine ball, sprints, bear crawls, and more. Then it was time for our push up pyramid (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5) with horse stance blocks in between each "set" of push-ups.

Power Week was over. We had passed our exam and were now black belts, and 2nd degrees, and one 3rd degree. We were cheering, taking group pictures, hugging each other. Now we start preparing for the "Black Belt Spectacular" on December 6th. The fun begins!!!

My NYC marathon race report (finally!!!)

Well, I'm about 4 weeks late in posting my marathon race report. Sorry :(

We last left off November 2nd, very early on a Sunday morning........

Temperature is 41 degrees. It didn't feel too bad (but I was surrounded by buildings). I headed to the NY library to catch the bus. I had been assigned to the 4:30am bus, which was way too early for me considering I was in Wave #3. I had tried to change my assignment at the Expo but they couldn’t change it (since it was already printed on the bib). But, I was told that basically if I showed up later, they’d get me on a bus. The bus area was very organized and I was quickly whisked onto a bus at 5:45.

The ride to Staten Island was around 30-40 minutes. It took some time to get the bus unloaded; there were lots of buses!!! I walked to the staging area which is in a wide open field. Ow, it was freezing cold!!!! It wouldn’t have been so cold if it wasn’t as windy (well duh!!). Most people came with either blankets, Mylar blankets from previous marathons or the windbreakers that they sold at the expo that made the wearers look like astronauts.

I met up with a runner friend. We made a dash to the Dunkin Donut truck and grabbed a cup of coffee. Then it was back to the waiting area by the stage where at least the music was good.

I had to take a porta potty break and got stuck waiting in line for around 10 minutes. It was here that I remembered an item on the “marathon list” my sister gave me that I forgot to bring; a roll of toilet paper (and now I know why it is on the list!).

Then it was time to check in my bag and I had to make the final decisions on what I would carry and what I wouldn’t carry. I decided not to wear my hydration belt as the fluids on the course would be enough and there didn’t seem to be the worry that they would run out. I decided to bring my ipod, my camera, 3 goos, and 2 packets of salt. I found my UPS truck and took off my sweatpants and fleece jacket. I covered up in a rain poncho that was in the goody bag I got at the Expo. It was a bit chilly but if I kept moving and stayed in the sunlight, it wasn’t too bad. I made a final porta potty stop. This one had TP (yeah!) so I took an extra handful for later, just in case!

I walked over to the Blue E Corral. There was clothing everywhere! Remember, I was the 3rd wave. I chatted with a few people in the Corral; everyone was in a fun mood! We started the walk toward the starting line and as we approached, they were playing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York which really put you into the mood!

And then we were off! We crossed the starting line at the Verrazano-Narrows bridge toll booth (luckily we didn’t have to pay the $10 toll!). And it was an uphill run in cold, windy conditions. But you almost didn’t realize that for 2 reasons. One, there were thousands of other runners blocking the wind; and, Two, the adrenaline helped to numb the cold.

On the VN bridge there were sections in the asphalt that were, for lack of a better term, pot hole laden. I was looking forward (as runners should) and didn’t see the hole and did a half-trip. As I caught myself, I thought that would really suck to be taken out of the race before you run even 1 mile!

The VN bridge is not extremely steep, it’s just very long. And over the entire bridge, there was a steady stream of discarded clothing. I looked to the left and with the clear skies got a nice view of the city. And next thing you know, I’m in Brooklyn.

The crowds were out there, cheering, holding signs, screaming “Welcome to Brooklyn”. They were all ages, young and old out there. For pretty much all of Brooklyn, I seemed to always be running by Italian runners. All I kept hearing was, “Go Italia”! And many people, especially those running for charitable causes, had their names on their shirts. So I would hear, Go Victor, Go Amanda, etc. I was wearing my Gator shirt, no name. Despite that, there are a few Gator fans in Brooklyn.

The first few miles passed by relatively quickly. And then all of a sudden at mile 7, my knee started hurting. Wow. I had really jinxed myself. Only a couple of hours earlier I was bragging how my training for the NY marathon I was knee pain-free. This couldn’t be happening. This really was so unexpected. During my 1st marathon, my knees hurt so badly that I had to walk miles 17-23 and my time sucked because of that. I wasn't going to have that happen again. So I kept running, and after a while, they still hurt, but it was at a level that I just got used to.

And the next thing you know, I’ve done 13.1 miles, YEAH!!!! The ½ way point is right at the beginning of the bridge that takes you into the borough of Queens. Again, there’s tons of crowd support. There’s less than 3 miles to run in Queens and as quickly as we enter the borough, it’s time to leave to the next borough, Manhatten. But in order to get there, I have to cross the “dreaded” Queensborough Bridge.

I had ridden through the bridge when I visited New York this past July. So I kind of knew what to expect, or so I thought. I have to remember that I rode through the bridge, I didn’t run it. You really don’t feel the incline in a car. Anyways, I started up the bridge running.

The bridge doesn’t have any spectators; which makes for a lonely stretch after hearing so many people up to that point. This is where you start to hear that voice inside your head. Up to this point, you might have had that inner voice saying “what the hell are you doing this for” and all the other doubting phrases that every runner hears at some point in a marathon, but the crowd noises are so loud in NY that you never heard it.

And very quickly my knees reminded me they were hurting, my quads gave me a quick shoutout, and I realized I needed a goo. And since I’m not that coordinated to run and eat goo at the same time, I decided the bridge would be a great place for a quick walk break.

As I was nearing the end of the bridge, I could start to hear the crowd noise start to pick up. The end of the bridge is rather steep and had a tight turn. You exit onto this road and see a lot of people and think WOW!. But then that road turns onto 1st Avenue and you are just blown away by the sheer volume of people. There are more people on the side of the road watching us runners than there are in a lot of cities in America.

I cannot describe the enormity, the intensity, or the roar of the crowd. You would almost think that this is an Olympic race for all these spectators to be so loud. And the signs! There were so many signs! You looked up 1st Avenue and saw miles and miles of runners and spectators. It was never ending.

I got to the 18 mile mark and though about the fact that my longest training run was 18 miles. My time for that run was 3:15; my time today was 3:14:47, so I was on track for my goal time. And only 8.1 more miles to go!

1st Avenue kept on going, up through Harlem. The crowds thin a bit, but they were still as vocal as any other spectators. By now my knees still hurt by my brain had “numbed” it out. My legs were starting to feel heavy. But, I was still running. I was determined to run the entire marathon. So I kept plodding along.

Time for bridge #4. They had put a carpet over the metal grates. We were greated with shouts of “Welcome to the Bronx”. And Japanese drummers. The run through the Bronx was the shortest. Almost as quickly as we were running in, it was time to run out and over the 5th Bridge, back into Manhatten for the last leg of the marathon.

Only approx 5 miles to go. 5 miles, no sweat. That was a short training run for me! But my pace was definitely slowing. I realized I wouldn't make my #3 goal. But, I WAS going to make goal #2, come hell or high water!

The last 4 miles were the longest 4 miles I have ever run!! I don’t think I “hit the wall”, but I was skirting it pretty good. When we were inside Central Park and running uphill I had to use every mantra I knew to keep my legs moving. “Pain is temporary, Pride Lasts a Lifetime”, You can do it, You can do Anything! I was just trying to keep my brain busy talking to itself so I wouldn’t remember how tired or sore I was.

When I made the turn onto Central Park South, I was so happy, I knew the end was near, really, it was! But for some reason, CPS was a lot longer than I remembered it was (did they lengthen the road?) Again, mind games! And then finally, it was time to make the turn back into Central Park for the final few yards. They have signs, 400 yards to go, then 300 yards to, and so on. I don’t know if that is good or bad. And then in a flash, I was crossing the finish line with my hands high above my head in victory.

After crossing the finish line we were “herded” into the medal line. The medal this year has 9-time NYC marathon winner Greta Wietz. Next we got our Mylar blankets which in San Diego seemed unnecessary, but it was definitely needed in NY. Next we were given a food bag with a nice selection of bottled water, bagel, apple and some other items. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed an apple as much as I did that day. And then it was a long, crowded crawl to the UPS trucks to get our bags. Luckily since I’m a “slower” runner and my race bib # was high (41425) my truck was relatively closer.

Walking by the UPS trucks, I saw lots of runners who had gotten their bags and were trying to put on their sweat pants and had trouble lifting their leg. One guy was having a really hard time and I walked over and asked if he needed help, he kind of grunted so I held his pants so he could pull his leg up. I didn’t think anything of it, I was just helping another runner. He said something to me (it was a foreign language I didn’t recognize) and had a strange expression. So I don’t know if he was thanking me or telling me to take a hike. I guess it was kind of weird. Oh well.

I got to my UPS truck and got my bag quickly. UPS is really great; they did an awesome job in San Diego and here in NY. I walked a bit to find a spot to set my bag down so that I too could put on my pants! It was here that I realized that I was shivering uncontrollably.

After I dressed and “warmed up”, I called my kids. They had received the Athlete Alert emails I signed them up for, so they knew my time when I called. I think they were pretty excited for me. I don’t remember much of the call, but I know I cut it short because I was so cold. I waited a bit more to “warm up” and then I called my dad and step mom. They were at the family meet-up area. So I exited at 77th Street and found them within minutes. Anne brought the beer I asked her to bring. What an angel!!!!!

We walked to my cousin’s apartment (which thank God was very close). She and her husband had also run the marathon. We had a nice dinner and I got to see family.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel. A warm shower, a glass of wine and I slept very well that night!

The next morning I got up early and headed to Central Park for the Marathon store. I got in line to get my medal engraved with my name and finishing time. I saw Marci and we chatted about our races. Then I picked up a t-shirt for me, the girlie and a jacket for RJ. Lastly, I got a copy of the New York Times. They print the names of all the runners who finish in 5 hours or less. Then it was back to the hotel, pack the bags, and head to the airport.

And like that, my adventure came to an end. But oh what an adventure it was!

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!!

• Goal #1 to finish the race


• Goal #2 to finish in less than 5 hours


• Goal #3 to finish in less than 4:30

I finished the marathon 4:57:13 (goal #1 and #2). And although I didn’t achieve goal my #3 goal, my time was a 44 minute PR over my prior marathon. Which, isn’t too shabby if I do say so myself!

Race Day

So last night the Gators soundly defeated Georgia, 49 to 3. Go Gators!!!

And dinner with Dad and Anne was lovely. I had the pumpkin ravioli; yes at 1st that didn't sound that appetizing but they were soooooo goooooood! And after dinner and a glass of wine, it was time to try to go to sleep.

I put in a wake up call for 4am and 4:10am. I set the alarm clock. I set an alarm on my cell phone. Yep, cover all the bases. I put on the Texas vs. Texas Tech game; what a game!!! I woke up at 2am (which was actually 1am with the time change). I went back to sleep. I woke up at 2am (the "real" 2 am). And, I half-slept, half-woke until 4am.

The alarms rang, the phone rang and I got up. And now I'm dressed and ready to go to the library to catch the bus. And now the adrenaline is starting to release, my stomach is getting a few flutters and I starting to thin that I must be crazy to want to go run 26.2 miles in 40 degree weather with 39,000 other people I don't know. Yep, that's me. Crazy!!!!!

Wish me luck!!

Expo Day

The NYC marathon expo was held at the Javitz Center which is a beautiful structure with tons of glass. The registration process was very organized; id check, bib and chip, then the T-shirt and goody bag. Then it was off to the booths.

At 11am I met up with other Phedip listeners; Chris, Mitch, Frank and Marci. We chatted for a while and took a few pictures (which they all promised to post since I didn't have my camera). It was nice to finally put faces behind the names!

I picked up a few items at the expo. I got my running tights, a long sleeve NYC marathon technical shirt, some goos and replacement bottles for my hydration belt. I was surprised at the size of the expo; I thought it would be bigger. The expos for the Miami ING 1/2 marathon and the San Diego RNR marathon were both bigger and had lots more exhibitors. Maybe the economic troubles have hit the running industry?!?!?!?

After the expo, Ann and I went to an electronics store. We got there at 2:05pm but the store closes at 2pm on Friday because of the Jewish sabbath. We then saw so many orthodox Jews walking down the streets; quite a sight!

Anne went home and I decided a power nap would be awesome; and it was!!! It got me energized to go out to dinner with Dad and Anne. We went to an Argentinian steakhouse by their place. It was yummy! On the subway ride home, half the riders were in costume and there were some really creative get ups! There was also a group of 5 or 6 "punks" starting trouble with someone dressed up as Alladin. You could feel the energy in the subway become very uncomfortable. But quickly enough, the subway ride ended. And once back "home" I hit the sack.

Saturday morning I went downstairs to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and saw "teams" of runners; Team Holland and Team Italia. Then I remembered that there was a "Friendship Run" for the international marathon entrants. The "race" was from the United Nations to Central Park. It went down 42nd Street so I got a great view.

Anne and I planned to meet at Union Square at 11:30. I got there a bit early and checked out the farmer's market. I had a glass of warm Pear Cider, which I've never even heard of before. It was great; nice and warm on a chilly morning. I saw 3 different colors of cauliflower and brussel sprouts attached to a stalk (I never knew that's how brussel sprouts grew!).

Anne arrived and we went to a few stores. Got the girlie a little something from her favorite store. We grabbed a bite to eat and dined outdoors. The weather was just perfect. And then it was time to head home to watch the Gator Game.

And that's where it's at right now; 1st quarter, score still 0-0.

GO GATORS!

The Big Apple, Here I Come!

The day finally arrived to leave for New York! My flight was at 5pm so I figured I'd leave work at 3pm. And as usual, it was a crazy day with a long list of things that I JUST HAD TO GET DONE before I could leave. And next thing you knew, it was time to go.

The flight left 3o minutes late, but we were still "scheduled" to arrive on time. The flight was good; I watched Sportscenter and the beginning of the USF vs. Cinncinatti game. You gotta love Jet Blue's tv at every seat! As we made our approach we were put into a "holding pattern" for 15-20 minutes. It took another 15 minutes to get an open gate. We came into the new terminal at JFK. It definitely looks new, but it's very sterile and industrial looking; no character!

I got into the city and got situated close to 10pm. By then I was starving!!! So I went to a little Italian restaurant nearby and had a nice glass of wine and linguini with mushrooms and garlic; Yum Yum!!

Now it's Friday morning. I'm getting ready to go meet my stepmother and head to the Expo. At 11am, I'm going to meet up with 6 or 7 other Phedip runners at the Team Boomer exhibit.

I'm going to have to get some running tights at the expo. The temp last night was 37 degrees. Just a tad bit chilly for this Florida gal. Thankfully today it should be in the 50's and 60's. But Sunday's weather is expected to be in the 40's. Ugh!!! That's a little bit cooler than I was hoping for. And there's no way I'll be able to run in shorts. Yeah, I know I'll warm up once I start running. But I don't think that will be enough. And, I want this to be a pleasant experience; I don't want to only remember that I was freezing my butt off.

After the expo I'll probably do an early dinner with Dad and Anne. I want to get a good nights sleep tonight since I know I won't sleep well Saturday night.

That's all for now.......
Dani

1 Week Countdown.....

The dream is starting to come true......the New York Marathon is next Sunday; 1 week away. I can hardly believe it! And now comes the hard part, counting down the final days till the marathon!!!

I've been watching the NY weather for several weeks. And it's ranged from the upper 40's to low 60's for the "lows"; their "highs" have been from the 50's to 60's. Considerably cooler than the temps I am used to in Florida. I'm starting to worry about what I should wear for the marathon. I'm always cold to begin with, so I'm thinking I should wear running tights or capris instead of shorts or my new running skirt. Or, maybe the skirt will be okay, but I'll wear a LS shirt. Aaaaah, so many decisions!(#*@*!@#*#)(!!@

For the week....

• Karate: 3 classes, 4 SWAT classes; 4 days of extras =150 push-ups, 150 sit-ups, 50 lunges, 50 kicks off each leg (side, front, round, back)
• Runs: 4 runs; total mileage 17+ miles

Fun Stuff.......

#1. The Gators beat Kentucky, resoundingly! But we only moved up from #10 to #8 in the BCS poll. Next Saturday we play Georgia. That should be a great game. I better be able to get the game up in NY!!!!

#2. Saturday night was the karate Halloween party. My costume went over very well! I was "Miss Hap", a beauty pagent contestant who has seen better days! Get it, a "mishap". I had the beauty pagent part down with a gown, tiara, tons of make up. The "mishap" part was a fake cast , a fake wound, wearing a foot boot (thanks to RJ's recent injury) and on a crutch (thanks to my torn calf injury). It was quite realistic! Several people freaked, thinking I had really gotten injured with only 2 weeks till black belt testing!!! I'm hoping someone who took pictures will send me a copy!!

The party was nice. It was great to go out for a "social" adult event. There was lots of food, a good turn out of people and good dancing tunes!!! There was even jello shots. I don't think I've had them since college!! Cool beans!!!

Well, it's 11:40pm and the Phillies just won game 4 of the World Series 10-2. It's not looking too good for the Rays. But, you never know.......

Yawn. Time for bed!!! Goodnight all!!!

Dani

First things first.....no Gator football this weekend. I hate bye weeks.


Today was Pre-Check #2 for the December cycle Black Belt candidates. Pre-check #1 = forms and katas, Pre-check#2 = Bugo (sparring). We started class by running 4 laps of the dojo; trampoline high knees, side shuffles, backward running. Then we lined up and started stretching and worked our way into some ab work and boxing combo drills.

We then worked on our self-defense holds and grabs. We lined up with a partner; 1 person attacked the other person with 3 different Holds & Grabs and then we switched positions. We did this a second time, but with 5 holds and grabs each. Then it was time to perform. All the guys lined up on deck and performed their 5 holds and grabs then the ladies did the same thing.

I did much better with my H&G today than I did on Wednesday; I was "sharper". But on Wednesday I was able to tell my attackers which H&G I wanted so that I could pick the ones that were more "dramatic" and showed off my skills better. Today we were at the mercy of whatever H&G our partner chose. My partner (who is awesome!) chose H&G that were not my favorites, but that's the way the cookie crumbles!

After H&G, we put on our sparring gear, except for our headgear. We started out with light boxing moves and kicks for 2 rounds. Then, it was time to put on the headgear and to get into 3 person safety zones. Ma'am assigned me with Sensei Stephanie and Alex.

My 1st round was with Sensei. Now she could easily kick my a## because she is so talented/strong/skilled/you name it, she's it. But she's also a great partner and works with you. Overall, I was ok with my sparring against Sensei Steph; not great, but not bad. I took a number of kicks and punches from Sensei, but I was able to get in a few front kicks and punches of my own! After our round, Steph sparred with Alex and I got a short break. Then it was my turn to spar with Alex (high-red belt). Alex is considerably taller than me but I was able to get inside and throw some punches and kicks.

Then it was time to switch zones. And the zone from here on our were 2 person zones (which means no breaks!). Ma'am assigned me to spar with Ms. Melissa. Yes, Ms. Melissa who just competed in her 1st Muay Thai competition and kicked butt!!! Melissa had the height (and skill) advantage. She is an awesome partner. She could have easily powered against me, instead she worked with me. So, I did ok; not great, but not bad.

Next was Jennifer, the 3rd degree dynamo! The ONLY thing I had against Jen was a height advantage which I can take advantage of by throwing my jabs or front kicks. Jen tends to throw a lot of round kicks. For the most part, I will "take" the kick because blocking it takes away most of the force. I can then come in with a straight line counter.

After Jen, I sparred Olivia. She and I are about the same size. The last time I sparred Olivia, I did very well, keeping up against her. But today I was starting to get tired. I had sparred continuously against Alex, Melissa, Jen and now Olivia, without a break! I tried my best to concentrate on not letting my fatigue cause me to get sloppy with my skills.

After Olivia, I sparred Lori, a 1st degree from LHP. She had some good front kicks and she was really good throwing her jab over and over and over! . Finally......Ma'am had the candidates line up and Mel and I got to spar. I really don't remember too much of the round; I was so pooped by then. I just wanted the round to end. And it did. And I was done, yeah!!!!!

Several months ago I would have been so intimidated to have to spar Sensei Steph, Ms. Melissa, Melanie, and Jennifer. In my journey to 2nd degree, my bugo skills have improved, although there's still plenty of room for improvement! But, the area that I feel I've had the greatest improvement is in my confidence in sparring. I'm no longer "scared" to spar certain people. I don't "shell up" like I used to.

Morgan, who is going for his 3rd degree black belt, had to spar one last round. He had 3 opponents, each opponent got 1 minute against him. First it was Picasso who has awesome speed and kicks. Then it was Christian who kept throwing punches after punches. And finally, it was Gavin who is skilled beyond belief. Each of the opponents had gotten a "break" waiting for their turn. Morgan had to spar continuously. You could see the fatigue set in (and I'm sure that's what he was being tested for) and yet he was able to throw kicks and punches. Impressive!

Kyoshi ended class talking about managing emotions and then sent us off to get ready to run our timed 2 mile run.

So I had made it through the bugo part, whew! Now, all I had to do was run 2 miles and Black Belt Pre-Test #2 would be done! The weather was cooperating; it was in the low 80's with low humidity. Everything was great. Except for my right heel.

I have bursitis in my right heel. It's inflamed because of my running. So the only treatment choices are to stop running (not an option) or take anti-inflammatory medication. So I've been taking daily doses of Aleve. For many weeks. Last week, I think it was a combination of the pain wasn't noticeable (because the Aleve was working) and I was so busy that I forgot to take the Aleve (I'm a very forgetful medication taker). Well, today at the end of class, the pain reared it's ugly head.

But I had to run. For the first 2 laps, the pain was uncomfortable. The discomfort caused me to shift my weight to the left foot which shortened my stride and slowed my pace. But by lap 3, the stiffness worked itself out or my pain threshhold increased. Either way, I ended up finishing the 2 miles in 15:44, which is the exact same time I ran last week. I'm very consistent!!

And now I've completed Black Belt Pre-Check #1 and #2. I should get feedback this week from Ma'am about my Pre-Check #2 performance. And with luck, I will be a candidate for Power Week (which is the actual black belt "final exam") which starts right after I run my marathon............

And now to end a busy day.....good night
Dani