Two Straight Weeks

So today concluded my second week of training every day.  Sometimes twice.

I had to do something drastic to get myself out of the slump I was in.  After the week of downtime at the beach, and a day visiting Middle at college, I began my new routine.

Sunday night, I dressed in my gi pants and rashguard before bed.  The alarm was set for 5:15 a.m. I woke up easily Monday, and again on Wednesday and Friday, and in the second week found myself waking before the alarm, ready to go.

The nice thing about dressing for class the night before is that I can get up, turn the alarm off, brush my teeth, grab my bag, and head out.  After class, I have time for a quick shower before the race to get Little to work, and then myself to work on Monday and Wednesday.  (No work for either of us these last two Fridays.)

The morning class is a recent addition to the school's schedule, and it's pretty small - probably 10-15 guys who are all pretty serious about their training. It takes a certain degree of dedication to want to drag your ass out of bed at 5:15 to engage in such a grueling activity - or drag your ass in to train after finishing a late shift at work, as the case may be.  The guys who teach the class are brown and purple belts, and very good at what they do.

After warm-ups and some time drilling the technique of the day, we rolled a few rounds.  When I finished my round with the brown belt instructor, he said, "You know all this stuff.  You know what to do. But you hesitate.  The next step for you is to stop thinking so much and to trust it."

Hmmmmm... a recurring theme with me, perhaps?  I did try to remember what he said and incorporate that advice throughout the next two weeks. Things definitely went better when I was a little less cautious, a little more reckless and daring. Something good to keep in mind going forward.

I took the evening classes as well, and open mat, yoga, no-gi, and women's class last weekend. It seems like a lot, but it really only came down to an hour or two per day.  This weekend is the Keystone State games, and I'm not competing, so I will rest and recover.

For now, feeling pleased with myself for making this change.