Kung Fu update

Last year I did a self-actualization survey, basically where you look at where you are and where you want to go in life - what do you want to accomplish or do to bring meaning and joy into your world? I wrote down a list of about ten things I'd like to accomplish in life that would bring me purpose and meaning.

One of the items on my list was to get really good at a martial art. To get good at one of these, you have to start at ground level and work your way up, and it doesn't happen very quickly. I would have studied a Japanese art called Shorinji Kempo, but there is no school for that here in Raleigh. But I did find a really good Shaolin Kung Fu instructor just down the road from my house, so in October of last year I started studying Kung Fu at the Kung Fu Center with Master Chen.

He is a really good teacher and I have been enjoying the classes. Bri remembers that I used to always talk about going to the Wah Lum school in Orlando (a big temple type place), but I never got around to it for one reason or another. I've missed a week here and there due to other committments or simple fatigue from every day life, but have stuck with it. My classmates are all at least 15 years younger than me, in some cases 28 years younger than me. But that is OK. We are all grasshoppers at one thing or another in time.

Today I passed the Copper Eagle test and moved up to Silver Eagle. We don't have a belt system, but animals and colors - copper silver gold / eagle tiger dragon. Copper Eagle - beginner, Gold Dragon - expert.



It's never to late to learn a new skill.

A year of DNS

This will go down in my personal history as the year of did not starts (DNS). There are a bunch of them. IM Arizona in April. Mission Man in July. Survival of the Shawangunks in September. Philadelphia Marathon in November. Makes you wonder, what is going on in Marty-world?

What can I say. I just didn't care that much this year. A combination of demotivation and a decided lack of perseverance on the personal athletic homefront regarding endurance events. I signed up for all of these with good intentions, but sometimes things don't work out the way you plan. Since Bri can't run, my lust to drive to Philly and run a marathon has petered out. I'm actually training pretty well and getting fit. Running 5-6x. Swimming 3-4x a week. Kungfu-ing it up. Will even be getting back onto the bike shortly. Just a non-competitive season for me personally. I have been living vicariously through my athlete's exploits (they have done well and that really is pretty rewarding).

Next year will be good. We also have some events in the pipeline that I am going to be psyched to announce. Need to work out a few kinks before making them public.

Next week Master Chen wants me and Dave to test out of Bronze Eagle and start in with the Silver Eagle class. Did you ever see the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer is the best in his karate class? That is us right now. Two 30+ year olds vs five eight year olds.



In other news, the stock market tanked today. Auto industries need to go into bankruptcy and re-org. $78 / hour union workers. 'Nuff said.

Google ads on Bri's blog

I am the party guilty of placing advertisement on Bri's blog. My website has been getting a couple clicks a month, which adds up to free dollars over time. So while we can't actively encourage you to click on the ads, if you see something you're interested in, feel free to check it out.

This weekend my Dad is coming into town. Tomorrow we're going fishing for striper bass in Jordan Lake. On Saturday we're either going to play some poker here in town or head down to Myrtle Beach to go out on a gambling boat.

I am still taking wushu / kung fu, it is a great physical workout. In a couple of months I will need to be able to do an aerial, which is a cartwheel without putting your hands down. I have never had much of a vertical leap so this is going to take some practice.

training, politics, life in general

I agree with my buddy Rob that our only real course of action in the next round of elections is to vote against every incumbent (except Ron Paul). I have written a few emails to my representatives, but other than that the only other action you or I can take is to get involved in your local, city, state government (and be sure to vote). It's going to be a bumpy ride for a while.

But back to training, racing, and all that fun stuff. Bri and I decided to skip the ocean swim on Saturday since the entry fee had gone to $40 each, and we're cheap and somewhat lazy on occasion. Then I heard about a 2 mile swim on Sunday with one of the local age group teams, but it was going to be mostly kids, so scrapped that. Instead we slept in and went for a run to the St Pete Pier. This week has been a good week of running for me. I ran 6 times: Monday 25 minutes, Tuesday 30 minutes, Wednesday 55 minutes, Thursday 2 hours, Saturday 45 minutes, Sunday 55 minutes. I also swam 3 times and did some core strength a couple of days. I'm looking forward to getting some running speed back through the winter.

I also started taking some Kung Fu classes at a center near our house a few weeks ago. I've been talking for years to Bri about getting back into some martial arts (I took Tae Kwan Doe when I was a little kid) and finally decided there's no time like the present. The classes are tough and my hamstrings have been screaming for a couple weeks. I'm going on Tuesday and Thursday nights with some Saturdays.