Training Log - Week of 24 SEP 12

24 SEP 12 - Stripe test was tonight.  Felt pretty good overall.  Still need to work on my spinning back fist; but the consensus of my training partner is that this will always be an awkward move.  Let's review my numbers shall we?

• Push Up
• 10-10-6
• V's
• 14-16-15
• Squats
• 29-30-22
• Cut Kicks
• Right Leg - 26-23-26
• Left Leg - 16-24-26

So, not terrible.  Next up - BELT TEST!

Jiu Jitsu was frustrating in part, but at the end got better.  I still like it, and I know that its a much slower learning curve.  I am learning and I am lucky to have great people to train with who will talk me through what I am trying to do.

27 SEP 12 - Today was the belt test.  It was an awesome experience as always.  Ended up doing a total of 650 jumping jacks and 650 squats by the end of it.  I hurt for the next three days, but a good hurt.  Purple belt - unlocked.

Training Log - Week of 17 SEP 12

17 SEP 12 - Week 3, month 3.  This translates to legs week.  Le ouch.  Especially so after running a road race.  Ah, well.  Overall felt good about everything.  Feeling strong going into stripe and belt testing week.  The BJJ was fun as always.  Learning a little bit more each lesson at a time.

20 SEP 12 - Week 3, month 3, day two.  Nothing new here.  Final prep for stripe and belt test next week.  Bring it!   BJJ was a lot of fun.  High intensity drilling.

Training Log - Week of 10 SEP 12

Not too much to report this week.  ABD went well.  Big thing this week was


HAMMERFEST!  Me, Leanda and my sister Liz did a relay triathalon.  Leanda swam, Liz biked and I did the run.  We all did really well and really enjoyed it.  In fact, next year I'm going to try and do the bike and run, and Leanda is going to do the whole thing.  So, goals are set, and we will see what next year brings.

Live and Let Die

Building on his own personal experiences, Ian Flemming sends James Bond to the USA and Jamacia.  His mission:  track down the source of gold pieces being smuggled into the USA.

Arriving in NYC, Bond is teamed up once again with his best  pal Felix Leiter of the CIA.  Their target:  Mr. Big; a crime lord based in Harlem whose reach extends all the way to Jamaica   And that's where Bond comes in.  Being a British territory, Jamaica can't be touched by the CIA, hence Bond's involvement.  The theory that MI6 and the CIA come up with is that Mr. Big has found the lost treasure of the pirate Henry Morgan.  And just what would Mr. Big be using this gold for?  Why, to fund Soviets of course!  Since this money could also go towards SMERSH, well this just gives Bond a chance to strike back a bit at those that caused the death of Vesper from the previous book.

The adventure starts in Harlem, where Mr. Big has the town sown up tight.  From the moment Bond and Leiter enter Halrem, there every move is tracked by Mr. Big.  Upon capture, Mr. Big have a heart to heart with the assistance of Solitaire, Mr. Big's fortune telling lady friend.  Bond escapes un harmed and plans his next move to Florida.  Once there, Bond and Leiter track down a lackey of Mr. Big.  Turns out  Mr. Big is indeed smuggling in gold.  Rather ingeniously too.  Sink some boxes of gold into tanks of poisonous fish, and no customs agent is going to think twice about sticking their hand into the tank.

The final act takes us to Jamaica.  Once there, Bond meets up with some local back up and gets with the taking down of Mr. Big.  He does some sneaky SCUBA diving into the lair of Mr. Big, and promptly gets captured.  Never fear!  Even though it looks like Bond and Solitaire are going to be literal fish food, this is not to be the case.  Turns out while Bond was doing the sneaky SCUBA, he planted a mine on the hull of Mr. Big's ship.  Just when you think there will be no more Bond adventures, the mine goes boom, Mr. Big becomes dinner for sharks, and Bond gets the girl.

A strong second outing for Mr. Flemming and his dashing hero.  Delving into a little mysticism and gangsters, this is a little different than the previous adventure.  I like this one just as much as Casino Royale.  A nice thing about Mr. Flemming's writing is that you don't need to start with the first book in a series.  One could easily read this one first and not feel like you've missed anything.

James Bond returns in Moonraker.

Training Log - Week of 3 SEP 12

6 SEP 12 - Class tonight.  No power.  Chalk sparring.  No power meant no AC.  No AC meant sauna like conditions.  Class was good.  I think it may be my favorite class to date of ABD.

Training Log - Week of 27 AUG 12

27 AUG 12 - Strip testing week.  Review tonight.  Everything felt ok, but I still get frustrated with my endurance on some of the cardio stuff.  I know I won't be perfect overnight, but I think I'm just a tad to hard on myself.  Ah well, stripe test Saturday!

1 SEP 12 - Stripe test today.  Went well.  Had some improvement on some areas, others stayed the same.  Stayed after class for sparring class.  I really enjoyed that.  45 minutes of muay thai sparring.  Learned a few new things, but still have a lot to learn.