It's been October 2016 since my last post. Looking at my last entry, I just announced that I was signing up for a February 2017 tournament in San Diego. Uhhhmmm... That day is today. I had every intention to journal every minute, of every day, of my experience but as you can tell... well, that didn't happen. Blogging was a little harder than I imagined. It's difficulty to not filter your thoughts. I wanted it to be a real life, no holds barred account of a "middle-aged-overweight-married-father-of-3-couch-potato's" jiu-jitsu journey. For the most part it was but I found some of my writing to be cinematically edited to make me look good, to be the hero that saves the day, to be the guy who gets the girl. So I had to step back and refocus but then I lost interest and here we are... 5 months later. The good news, I was able to direct my attention more on jiu-jitsu instead of "material" for my blog. In roughly, 10 hours, I go on the mat to take on my first opponent... in my first jiu-jitsu tournament. It's 3:45am now and I am as wide awake as Tony Montano face deep in a pile of cocaine. Worry? Excitement? Too much coffee? May be a combination of all. I did take notes and will be putting thoughts to paper but for now, I need to focus on the upcoming match.
In summary of my training, In the past 3 months, I've increased my class attendance, changed my diet and also included private lessons with my coach. I have a better understanding of jiu-jitsu but feel I could of done more. I feel I could of benefited from more mat time... More private lessons... More cardio... but it is what it is. Today is the day so a little late to try to cram more training in the next 10 hours. If I don't know it by now... Well, it's too late. Then again, this is my first tournament. A time to enjoy the spirit of competition... To bask in the roar of the crowd... And to just have fun.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Feeling sore but off to a good start....
Woke up today feeling really sore. My chest feels like someone was sitting on it. Oh, wait... someone was. I went to the Monday night BJJ class and trained/sparred with this 260lbs guy. Quite the experience. Although he was trying to be gentle, his size was a lot for me to handle. I felt like my chest was going to cave in. My time rolling with him did teach me to get to my side as quickly as possible. It's the main thing I got out of the class. If I was flattened out and his weight was on me, I literally couldn't breath. I tapped a few times just to get him off of me. Eventually, I figured out that being on my side relieved a lot of that pressure. In that sense, it was a great learning moment. My instructors have always told me about shifting to my side but I guess it takes a heavier guy sitting on my chest to drive the lesson into me.
After drilling a few times with the big guy, I was able to roll with one of the older brown belts. I believe he's in his mid-50s but you can't tell from the way he rolls. Hardly out of breath, abs of steal and meticulous in his transition to the next position. I always enjoy rolling with him because he is all about technique and efficiency of movement. Nothing super fancy about his game but his executions of the basic techniques are tight and near perfect. I am bigger than him but he is strong with the FORCE. He does all these cool ninja Jedi tricks that constantly amazes me. He puts me in positions that make me think, "What the hell is he doing to me?" Frustrating and painful but intriguing to experience. After rolling with him, he'll review and analyze what I did. "You should do this.", "That was good but next time try...", "Keep at it. You're doing good."
So now, 2 days later, my chest and neck are sore (we were drilling collar chokes). I do understand I'll have better pain tolerance as I train more but for now... I smell of Ben-Gay and hyped up on Advil. All in all, off to a good start...
After drilling a few times with the big guy, I was able to roll with one of the older brown belts. I believe he's in his mid-50s but you can't tell from the way he rolls. Hardly out of breath, abs of steal and meticulous in his transition to the next position. I always enjoy rolling with him because he is all about technique and efficiency of movement. Nothing super fancy about his game but his executions of the basic techniques are tight and near perfect. I am bigger than him but he is strong with the FORCE. He does all these cool ninja Jedi tricks that constantly amazes me. He puts me in positions that make me think, "What the hell is he doing to me?" Frustrating and painful but intriguing to experience. After rolling with him, he'll review and analyze what I did. "You should do this.", "That was good but next time try...", "Keep at it. You're doing good."
So now, 2 days later, my chest and neck are sore (we were drilling collar chokes). I do understand I'll have better pain tolerance as I train more but for now... I smell of Ben-Gay and hyped up on Advil. All in all, off to a good start...
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
The good news...
So now for the good news I was talking about. First a little background... Recently, I've slipped back to some of my unhealthy habits; eating wrong and not exercising consistently. Since I injured my ribs a few months ago, I was never really the same. As I was healing, I laid off jiu-jitsu, weight training and cardio. I thought I would take a couple weeks off to completely heal but that progressed into laying on the couch, eating donuts. It was great for my ribs but I gained some of my weight back... About 10lbs. I'm still 35lbs down from when I started but I wanted to stop the upward weight gain trend.
Fast forward to Friday, October 14. I was browsing the internet when a website popped up... The North American BJJ Federation. They were advertising a local San Diego tournament in November. I said to myself, "That would get me motivated to train." but I realized, there was no way to be ready in a month. However, it turns out there will be another tournament in February. They had the perfect division for me... Senior II (46 years+), Novice, White Belt, Super Heavy (207lbs - 221lbs). Plus, I would have four months to prepare, which meant, I'd have to get back to a healthy lifestyle. The next day, I asked some jiu-jitsu friends and they all said, "Do it!" Eventually, I ended up talking to my BJJ professor for his thoughts. His answer was neither yes or no as he was never one to tell me what I should do. That decision is always up to me. Instead, he gave me insights on what to expect, suggestions on training and highly recommended that I compete in the next lowest weight class. As he put it, "You're going to be fighting fucking monsters." Point taken coach... and so eloquently put.
Now I had to tell the wife of my "great idea." She was initially skeptical. "Why are you doing this again?" After I flashed my sexy smile and told her my reasons for doing a tournament, she eventually gave me a reluctant thumbs up. She worries I would get hurt but I reminded her, it's not MMA, I won't get punched or kicked. I always have the option to tap out. Beside, I'll have the guys from the academy watching my back.
With the next of kin notified and the jiu-jitsu guys cheering me on, it was now up to me. Like with any important decision, my stomach started to rumble and I had to go poop. Maybe it's parts of the decision making process. After washing my hands, I jumped into bed with iPad in hand to start the registration process. However, like any other time I've relieve myself, I felt so cleansed and relax that I fell asleep. Registration will have to wait until the morning.
Not to worry. I did register for the event. No refunds or transfers so there's no turning back. I also told a few more people just to keep me in check. I can't chicken out if friends and family are cheering me on. So there you have it. I'm doing my first jiu-jitsu tournament on Sunday, February 26 at the San Diego Community College. Now the training begins...
Fast forward to Friday, October 14. I was browsing the internet when a website popped up... The North American BJJ Federation. They were advertising a local San Diego tournament in November. I said to myself, "That would get me motivated to train." but I realized, there was no way to be ready in a month. However, it turns out there will be another tournament in February. They had the perfect division for me... Senior II (46 years+), Novice, White Belt, Super Heavy (207lbs - 221lbs). Plus, I would have four months to prepare, which meant, I'd have to get back to a healthy lifestyle. The next day, I asked some jiu-jitsu friends and they all said, "Do it!" Eventually, I ended up talking to my BJJ professor for his thoughts. His answer was neither yes or no as he was never one to tell me what I should do. That decision is always up to me. Instead, he gave me insights on what to expect, suggestions on training and highly recommended that I compete in the next lowest weight class. As he put it, "You're going to be fighting fucking monsters." Point taken coach... and so eloquently put.
Now I had to tell the wife of my "great idea." She was initially skeptical. "Why are you doing this again?" After I flashed my sexy smile and told her my reasons for doing a tournament, she eventually gave me a reluctant thumbs up. She worries I would get hurt but I reminded her, it's not MMA, I won't get punched or kicked. I always have the option to tap out. Beside, I'll have the guys from the academy watching my back.
With the next of kin notified and the jiu-jitsu guys cheering me on, it was now up to me. Like with any important decision, my stomach started to rumble and I had to go poop. Maybe it's parts of the decision making process. After washing my hands, I jumped into bed with iPad in hand to start the registration process. However, like any other time I've relieve myself, I felt so cleansed and relax that I fell asleep. Registration will have to wait until the morning.
Not to worry. I did register for the event. No refunds or transfers so there's no turning back. I also told a few more people just to keep me in check. I can't chicken out if friends and family are cheering me on. So there you have it. I'm doing my first jiu-jitsu tournament on Sunday, February 26 at the San Diego Community College. Now the training begins...
That funk feeling...
It's 3:29am and just finished taking a shower. Got the coffee brewing, TV playing in the background and the dog looking at me with a confused look on his face. I'm usually awake at 4:00am but this morning, I've been up since 2:45am. I woke up in a panic because I realized I had fallen asleep in my jiu-jitsu clothes. Which means, I haven't showered since the 8pm BJJ class. My hair was still stiff from the mixture of gel and sweat. I had to gently peel off my compression shorts as they had infused themselves around my testicles. Worse of all, my undershirt still smelled of the 260lb guy I sparred with. So I ran to the bathroom and took a long ass bath. Ahhh... relief... No more funk feeling.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Sunday rest day... Another one of my crazy ideas... A loving, supportive wife...
So much for a daily post. I started this blog on Saturday and already skipped Sunday. But ha... that was by design. Sunday is a day of rest. If God did it... I can do it. I'm not a super religious person, more of a work in progress, but I do cherish my time at church and the idea that Sunday... You relax, review the last six days and plan for the new week.
I've actually had a lot to think about this weekend. I had "one of them crazy ideas" come up. It's in line with "Hey, I should run a marathon.", "Hey, I should drink that entire bottle of tequila", "Hey, let's have another kid." All things I've done but during the process, realized... "What the hell did I get my self into?"... But in the end, I don't regret ever having the experience. I always believe that it's not the end result of the goal but the journey that defines success.
I came in dead last in both the 2008 Carlsbad Marathon and the 2009 Long Beach Marathon. Seriously, look it up. My time on both averaged 8+ hours. The 70 year old, blind, heart transplant recipient, double amputee, beat me by an hour but that's because her deaf service dog had to take a shit three times. Regardless, I completed two marathons within a year. The tequila thing is better saved for a later post and obviously, the kid thing is my proudest ball wrenching moment. I'm not quite ready to tell you the great (or not so great) news but in due time. I talked to a few close confidants for some input, as well as, had the discussion with my wife. She supports me 99%. It's usually 100% but this time around, I think I have her worried. Apparently, me being 46 years old (47 in 2 months), a tad overweight and injury prone, has her anxious. However, like I told her, "What can go wrong?" With a forced smile and a supportive hug, she sighs, "I love you." Almost like she was giving me a final hug. Hmmm... Does she know something I don't know? So I'm just tying up a few loose ends, figuring out my schedule and doing a couple more rosaries before I officially commit to this "crazy idea." Happy Monday!
I've actually had a lot to think about this weekend. I had "one of them crazy ideas" come up. It's in line with "Hey, I should run a marathon.", "Hey, I should drink that entire bottle of tequila", "Hey, let's have another kid." All things I've done but during the process, realized... "What the hell did I get my self into?"... But in the end, I don't regret ever having the experience. I always believe that it's not the end result of the goal but the journey that defines success.
I came in dead last in both the 2008 Carlsbad Marathon and the 2009 Long Beach Marathon. Seriously, look it up. My time on both averaged 8+ hours. The 70 year old, blind, heart transplant recipient, double amputee, beat me by an hour but that's because her deaf service dog had to take a shit three times. Regardless, I completed two marathons within a year. The tequila thing is better saved for a later post and obviously, the kid thing is my proudest ball wrenching moment. I'm not quite ready to tell you the great (or not so great) news but in due time. I talked to a few close confidants for some input, as well as, had the discussion with my wife. She supports me 99%. It's usually 100% but this time around, I think I have her worried. Apparently, me being 46 years old (47 in 2 months), a tad overweight and injury prone, has her anxious. However, like I told her, "What can go wrong?" With a forced smile and a supportive hug, she sighs, "I love you." Almost like she was giving me a final hug. Hmmm... Does she know something I don't know? So I'm just tying up a few loose ends, figuring out my schedule and doing a couple more rosaries before I officially commit to this "crazy idea." Happy Monday!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
First day at blogging...
My very first blog post. I've always thought about blogging about my experiences but never thought I had anything interesting to say. I've been told "I'm funny as shit" but I always took that as an insult. How is feces funny? I dabble with posts here and there on Facebook but nothing too serious. Just my attempt at middle school humor. Some of the people who know me in person and not just my FB stalkers, find my post funny. Others just think I'm a freak with an affinity for high heels and women's legs. I do enjoy making people laugh so hopefully this glimpse into my fairly average life, will put a smile or two on a couple readers.
Today, was just about setting up the site and learning how to use it. I hope to be consistent and diligent enough to keep up a daily post. I still haven't figured out the direction or audience this blog is for but I'm looking to gear it towards fatherhood, marriage, jiujitsu or any other crap that pops in my head. So bare with me as I fumble through this new phase of my social media life. So get in... buckle up... and enjoy the ride, bitches.
Today, was just about setting up the site and learning how to use it. I hope to be consistent and diligent enough to keep up a daily post. I still haven't figured out the direction or audience this blog is for but I'm looking to gear it towards fatherhood, marriage, jiujitsu or any other crap that pops in my head. So bare with me as I fumble through this new phase of my social media life. So get in... buckle up... and enjoy the ride, bitches.
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