Goals

Exhausted. While today, I felt my desire to train return, my body remains wasted from Mudder. Hungry, thirsty and tired all the time, I am trying to balance recovery with black belt training. I'm trying not to overextend myself this week by laying off any activity that gets my heart rate up (besides my curriculum). I've done some pull-ups, some push-ups, some sit ups, lots of stretching but laid off the burpees, the running, and the kicking. Should I have done TM? Absolutely. It's a training exercise and comes at a perfect time before the black belt test. It has also forced me to rest after pushing through May and June's training schedule.
The countdown to black belt has begun and this week is the 11th week, meaning next week marks 10 weeks until black belt. Ironically, the Karate Studio is closed next week,  which means next week, I need to nail down MMA, Grappeling, Fighting System, Escrima and Palgaes 6 & 7. When we return to the studio, there will be only 9 weeks of training and I'm pretty sure the last week is not going to glean any technical advancements. At that point, it's going to be all tactical. So, with 8 weeks left, I have a few goals in mind. They are as follows:

• Leg strength~ Increase my leg strength to hold my stances lower in my forms, and increase kicking speed and technique. This means resistance training, plyos and speedwork. Also, my kicking workout on the bag. 25-50 of each kick, Front, Side, Back and Roundhouse. With 5lb ankle weights. I WILL break all three boards. 
• Flexibility~ I'm still trying to catch up to being a normal person post hip replacement. I DO NOT want to red folder. I want best tester WITHOUT a red folder. No special treatment so I really have to work my flexibility. Stella and Zoe are helping me push into my stretches. Stella stands on my legs in butterfly stretch. I get nice and flexible and then after 24 hours, it seems that my body goes back to being tight. It's like an old shoe. I just have to keep bending it back and forth until it loosens up.
• Precision~ All of my movements have to be exact and have purpose. 
• Stamina~ The black belt test is hours long. I have to be able to stay focused for long periods during the day, which is why I am doing two-a-day training sessions. Train the way you perform. Perform the way you train.
• Weight loss~ I hate this part. This will not be easy. Egg whites, lettuce and chicken breast for the next 8 weeks. Oy. I've held off on this because I have a short tolerance level. I've got fifteen pounds to lose and I can get there but I can only stand to be miserable for 2-3 months. Then, I start hitting the chocolate....timing is everything. 
• Rest. The potential for overtraining right now is huge. At 46, I need more rest in between workouts. As a mother of two girls who do martial arts and play competitive soccer, this is a challenge. This week, I grabbed two power naps while sitting at soccer practice. Yep. Get it wherever you can.

The first four weeks, will be volume-oriented. Lots of training, lots of physical fitness work and lots of studying. The second four weeks will be geared toward intensity and rest. Shorter bouts but with full energy, more weight and more "umph."Whatever I have by week 6 is what I have to make look good for my test. That's not a lot of time.
KJN Gary will be making "cuts" after we come back to the studio. Our class is big and we are getting bogged down by kids who are not ready. The hard part is that most of those kids are super close. If KJN Gary takes on bringing them up, that means less of KJN Gary to go around, and ultimately, the adults will be low on the totem pole.
One other thing I have to remember is this is MY black belt test. If there is anything my athletic past has taught me, it is to be master of my own destiny and coordinate the resources I have to be the unique athlete I wish to be. I am not KJN Gary's priority. I'm aware of that. He will train me, but his focus is not on a 46 year-old mother of two. My job is to find opportunities to make myself better. KJN Jon, Prof. Elliot Kelly, Eva T., Carrie Bergeron, and others are all available. I just need to ask the right questions.