No Half-Marathon for me...

Every year, I run the Houston Half-Marathon in January. It's become a rather big deal for me. I look forward to it every year, in spite of my almost total lack of marathon training. Each year, I get out there and run my guts out to prove the following to myself and others:

1. The human body is capable of amazing things.
2. Age is just a number. I'm only 38, and many folks think that's old.
3. Determination and optimism count for a lot.
4. Martial arts training is a fabulous all-around training method.
5. On a personal note, when I put my mind to something, I really can make it happen.

Aside from the things I'm trying to prove, the entire experience is a massive amount of fun. I love the energy, the happiness, the laughing, and the overall humor of the day. It's a HUGE number of people all coming together to enjoy an athletic event, and I love every minute of it. And I love being able to tell stories about the race for the rest of the year.

But for 2009, I won't have stories to tell. Well, I'll have wedding stories, I guess. My fantastic brother-in-law and his fiancee (who is a world class runner, I might add), are getting married in Arizona that weekend. I love them both dearly, and I don't think I can attend their wedding AND run the race the next day. In fact, my loving wife has emphatically stated that I would be severely injured if I even tried to get out of going to the wedding. So there goes my race for 2009.

However...

I know there are other races out there. And even other kinds of competitions. Maybe I can use this apparent setback as an opportunity. There's got to be some kind of intense event that I can use to take the place of my usual race in January. Hmmmmm. This could be a blessing in disguise. New experiences could lie in wait for me.

So if you know of anything else I could compete in for the month of January, let me know. And if you know someone who wants a spot in the Houston Half-Marathon, send 'em my way.

A General Update

So we're finally back from all that traveling! The trip, which I talked about in a previous post, was fabulous. I still need to discuss my thoughts on Carlsbad Caverns, but that's going to take a while, so be patient...I'll get to it eventually. As much as we loved the trip, I was totally thrilled to get home.

And two days later, I was on a plane, headed to Florida.

I had long since scheduled a weekend intensive with my Sifu (teacher), who lives out there. Arthur D'Agostino, a world-class taiji and mantis kung fu instructor, lives on a horse farm outside of Tampa, Florida, and he also runs a nutritional store. My good friend and colleague, Israel Flores from Pharr, TX, met me at the airport for the flight, and we were off for a weekend of training.

We didn't waste any time once we got there. Our teacher took us straight from the airport to his store, where he had recently rearranged the shelves to allow for a large training space. We got to it right away, going over the Chen taiji form, Yilu, and its applications. Over the course of the weekend, we did a lot more taiji, and some mantis kung fu as well.

And I have to say that, this time, I think I finally got it. I've been training in Chen taijiquan for some years now, and certain movements were still beyond me...but this time, I think I finally understood everything on a much deeper level. It may not be a big deal to you, but to me, it's a real thrill! It's as though I had been riding a bicycle for years using only one foot, and then suddenly discovered that I could use them both. This knowledge makes the application of the techniques a lot easier and more intuitive. Again, a big deal for me.

So I returned home on Sunday, enthused about being a kung fu/taiji guy and having new stuff to practice.

Also over the weekend, two of my assistant instructors and two other students went to Waxahachie to train with Brandon Quick, one of Eddie Bravo's 10thPJJ brown belts. They came back with lots of video, new moves, new enthusiasm for grappling, and a whole slew of sore spots and minor injuries. Eh, goes with the territory. We're already integrating the seminar information into our classes, and taking it all one step at a time. We're not ready to take the grappling world by storm, to say the least, but I really enjoy grappling. And in today's world, it's a foolish martial artist who doesn't learn something about groundfighting and grappling. I want our students to be educated in traditional martial arts, as well as be able to apply their skills in a real situation.

Anyway, that's what's rolling around in my head lately. Workouts are going well (I did a mile today in 7:18), our 6.5 year old son is swimming like a fish thanks to the Houston Swim Club and Mr. Rudy, and my darling wife is trying to beat the xbox game Psychonaut. Life is good!