Sharla's Log

[Bomp]

I also decided to put a limit on my indulgence in my dark chocolate addiction. I read recently that dark chocolate is high in antioxidants which help reduce the rate of aging etc by scavenging free radicals - same as vitamin C but even more. I have since decided I LOVE dark chocolate with 85 % cocoa but was sometimes having a whole 100 g block in one sitting. So I bought a few blocks, broke them up and rewrapped them separately in 25 g portions so I'll have only one portion a day.

lol. Dark chocolate is an acquired taste, I made the switch from milk chocolate last year and never looked back.

[Sharla]

Ok I have 2 weeks to update again. Sunday afternoon I did do the core work and go to the sauna as I sadi I would. Tried to stretch while I was in there which was goo. I like it! that's a good idea of hitmandonny's!

First week was pretty bad.

I kept up with my running but couldn't do much else because was really busy with a uni report I had to get ready. I didn't recover well from the running workouts either because I didn't have time to get enough sleep.

It's easy for me to run when time limited because I can make it my method of transport at a negligible time cost but I really need enough sleep, stretching and the strength workouts to make it safe.

Got the biggest, ugliest blister I've had in a long time too. I think it's my feet getting used to the new orthodics. I think it got infected. I had to soak it in warm salt water and then the skin on top fell off easily so I peeled it off, put some antiseptic ream on it and it's now healed up nicely.

Week 2 is slightly better but not great because I got asked to apply for a job Monday morning and had to write up my application Monday night to hand in Tuesday.

Wednesday and Friday I went back to Judo. Boxing Thursday and Friday night (1 hour after Judo) and Saturday morning - going tomorrow as well.

Thursday night was a short session because I got my elbow banged and had to stop and ice it. Used that time to plan a training program with Kristine which I'm really glad we've done. It'll allow me a structure to plan my other training around.

Judo has been awesome! Have a gi on loan to me so I didn't have to buy one. The coaches have also taken my back into consideration and are watching carefully now to make sure I get paired with other small people who know how to be good ockies.

Friday was a technical session for Judo and I was really impressed when the head coach asked me what I wanted to get out of Judo. Better posture and balance were 2 things I mentioned and he gave exercises aimed at that all session. I liked this session more than I've liked others because we went through things a little slower so I could keep up with the techniques we're learning more easily than the other nights.

I could use my arms fine for Judo because it was mosting pulling actions but Friday night boxing I basically went on the bag and only worked my right arm. It didn't like the jarring of a jab action. Thismorning it's better again though. Did sparring. Chose a third of the ring to work in to force each other to work moving sideways more than back and it helped show us what we need to work on.

Homework tonight is to think of drills for tomorrow. I'm taking in bands like Scrap has shown before so we can train ourselves to pull our punches back without dropping them.

[Sharla]

Attempting to continue this in User CP Blog section but not sure how readable it is ........

[Sharla]

OK I'm back to this system since it just seemed a little obtrusive to have all my training blog entries listed individually in the Blog section. I think I like this system a little better anyway.

So I've put myself on a no internet for personal use ban. It was meant to be a 3 week ban but I'm sick right now anyway so I'm on today and will start the 3 week ban from the beginning again tomorrow.

It worked well before I got sick. Instead of procrastinating I found myself using my computer to work which was a minor miracle!

So I haven't really kept up with my training blog much so I'll just put the highlights here.

Might be competing in July but not sure since this cold has put my training back another week and things were already really difficult to juggle between uni work and training without more setbacks!

Ironically I think I could have fought off the cold before it set in but I had a late night harvesting an experiment at uni - root washing - getting wet and cold and then came down hard with thsi cold. Typical - i work late to try to get on top of uni work and come down with a cold which sets me back a week anyway!

Ok the highlights:

• I've realized I kinda have an itchy trigger finger. My back foot skips foreward when I'm stepping foreward with the jab. This might explain the fact that I have video footage of myself actually getting airborne in sparring a few weeks ago without even knowing! I was trying to land an overhand right and it did land but still - there's no way a punch can have any power behind it without having at least one foot to anchor it. That's my desire to be tall acting out in the extreme! Sooooooo stupid lookin!

• My solution to this is to think of dropping the heel as putting a break on so sometimes I'm going to attempt to lower the heel of my grounded foot - having said that I think if I overthink it i'm likely to develop a new bad habit.

• So my solution might be to use Scrap's bands which standing on a wobble board - I haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking I'll be forced to balance the foreward momentum of the punch by using the suspension in my legs. Will post again with how it goes.

• Went to the chiro this morning - she said my right Quadratus Lumborum is tight and gave me a stretch to deal with it. I might look for a few more too. I think that's all messed up with my Psoas because I feel the tightness in the front of my hip too but I'm guessing stretching the both together will have more than an additive benefit.

• Have started swimming with my old swimming club twice a week again. This is partly just because swimming is good for you, partly because their winter pool is at the aquatic centre which i have membership for and partly just to get a bit more social interaction since my PhD work seems to be quite solitary and all consuming lately.

• I've also started running with the road runners again just once a week for their speed trainings. I suck compared to my former self but it feels good. I'd like to add another morning or two with them at some stage when I've worked out how to juggle it.

• I made a list of all things which I think contribute to good health. On that list was destressing since we all know stress can have deliterious effects on your health through increased blood pressure, suppressed immune system etc etc. Then I thought I'd list all the things which you can do to achieve those things which are good for your health. I started listing things you do to destress and found that it was identical to things you do for good health stuff like - sleep, exercise, meditative stretching and maintaining good nutrition etc etc. So now eliminating stress has become my primary health goal.

• I've decided that my main source of stress is worrying about my income. So to take that out of the equation I've decided to see if I can budget to survive on the doll. It's pretty damn tight but my way of cutting down my expenses might be good for me anyway. I don't live a frivolous lifestyle as it is so pretty much the only place I can save money is on food.

• No more little trips to the cafe for lunch, no more diet coke fixes or buying coffees. I don't think I'll be shopping at my local supermarket either but instead getting up early to get to the markets to buy a lot of cheap fruit and veg.

• This will mean eating less meat and being more creative with my vegies and herbs and legumes to keep my meals nutritous. I'll still have meat in most meals but just halve the quantity. Ironically this will be cheaper, healthier if I do it properly and better for the environment even! I feel like as an agricultural scientist who believes in sustainable farming systems I'd be a little hipocritical if I didn't factor that in.

• One thing I'll need to be careful of is getting female athlete triad which is when women overtrain and diet and loose the ability to absorb Calcium etc. This is common with long distance runners and I've had this before. So I'm going on the pill to prevent this and just hoping it doesn't make it too difficult to keep close to competition weight. Funny thing about the pill is it makes me grow tits which I don't usually have which I'd normally like except as far as boxing's concerned it's a dead weight!

• I've had mum's car for six weeks which she's away on holiday and it's been great but I won't be buying one because it's expensive. ronically I did read in a health magazine the other day that there is more negative ions in the air outside than inside. These are apparently used to form seratonin which is a feel good hormone so being car dependant and not getting outside to cycle for transport etc might've been putting a slight dampner on my mood!

• The chiro did say that cycling might be bad for my back but I guess I'll have to look at how I can improve my cycling posture and keep using bag racks to avoid carrying anything on my back. It's winter here now and I WILL get rained on which sucks but I don't have many other affordable options really!

[Sharla]

Well my training log is going to be extra boring to most people for a while now!

I had my last boxing session at my gym today - I quit.

Basically it was liked the coaches were retiring me without asking me because they couldn't be bothered coaching me or finding me opportunities to compete.

This year the female nationals were separate from the mens since the mens is being held in Sydney NSW where it's still illegal to box. Because of that the they were a few months early without the usual state squad organization etc.

So left to my coaches alone they really can't be bothered preparing me or organizing for me to go over. In reality I haven't had any consistant training or sparring organized by them for more than a year or two anyway. They know i'm fit and rely on that to avoid looking silly when they throw me in but they don't teach me anything.

The Judo club is a different story. Everyone is included and coached in every session. There is plenty of feedback and a lot of enthusiasm from all involved. There is a LOT more opportunity to compete or even just participate and a lot more people in the club as a consequence. Our little university Judo club is sending three people to the olympics this year!

So while boxing is my first love - I love the fluidity of the movement and the explosiveness etc - I'll probably stick to Judo while I'm in Adelaide.

There are not many boxing clubs around within a distance I could travel to regularly enough to train properly at. Some of them are a bit dodgy and unlikely to be any better- especially technically - than where I've been training.

Plus I have been told many times by my coaches that if you leave our gym and go to another gym you are a despised traitor type person and most coaches will not take you in anyway. Many gyms in Adelaide might not even let me walk in there for fear of ruffling feathers of my now ex coaches.

I am planning on running the Nottingham marathon though when i am in the UK in September. I really don't expect to run a good time because I found out about it after arranging to attend the conference with not enough time to really train up for a decent time. I just want to prove to myself that I can do it though and I think it'll be fun. It's the Robin Hood marathon and I've promised friends photos of me running dressed up as Robin Hood

It will confirmation to me that my knee is ok now and perhaps if I do another one in 2009 that'll be a bit faster. I have always promised myself that i'd go into running competitively when I wasn't competing in boxing anymore.

Distance runners seem to peak much later that athletes in more explosive sport - many world class runners are aged from their mid thirties to mid fourties. Looks like unless I move for work - which is not unlikely in the next few months - my running plans are going to be brought forward a little.

I spoke to kristine about it. I didn't actually need to bring the topic up myself because I think she sensed my disatisfaction a while ago and has been feeling the same way. She understood. In reality as screwed as it is she will get better training there now without me.

They will be forced to include her more rather than letting her and I baby sit each other. They'll need to let her spar a few of the guys so she has some variety and even if the coaches don't give her feedback Kristine and I are well into the habit of talking through out theories and where we might be going wrong or need to to improve with sparring partners.

In other words she'll get coached by the guys and will have multiple sparring partners which should make it less likely for her to form bad habits that seemed to multiply when we were mostly only working together.

Other times I've considered quiting and felt like a cop out. Like people have to stay in it for it to have an opportunity to improve and grow. I realise now that i could never really do it completely alone because apart from everything else you need a chance to compete.

Our gym wasn't even registered until May. We missed so many show we couod have been competing in. Apparently i won Boxing SA senior female fighter of the year award but never got to accept it because the gym was not conferring with Boxing SA and I didn't get to hear about it. There were rumours up until a month or so ago that the gym might actually close but now the guys (total of 2) are fighting again.

That's just ridiculous but if there was a match here now they'd give me one or two weeks notice and still no training or sparring with people other than Kristine and they'd throw me in. I want opportunites to compete but it's more than that - i want to chance to do it properly with some preparation and build up and coaching.

So anyway that's my little rant over. People not interested in running or Judo might want to stop reading my log for a few months. After that I might move and try again elsewhere but for now my boxing days are over!

[Youngblood]

Am sorry to hear your gym problems Sharla. I hope it doesn't keep you from doing something you enjoy. I can empathize some in the lack of sparring that I experienced with my first club. It really was no fun, but your situation sounds even worse in that they would have you fight in an unprepared manner. Plus why be in an environment you do not feel good about.

You sound like you'll still be more then busy. I wouldn't believe them with the "you'll be called a traitor if you go elsewhere" blah blah huff huff. If you still have the desire and other clubs are out there, I'd go for it. But judo and running seem to also be a passion for you. Not sure how you find the time for it all with school as well.

Good luck in whatever you do and hope you'll still add to the training section. I enjoy reading your posts. And I'll still read your training log.

[Sharla]

Am sorry to hear your gym problems Sharla. I hope it doesn't keep you from doing something you enjoy. I can empathize some in the lack of sparring that I experienced with my first club. It really was no fun, but your situation sounds even worse in that they would have you fight in an unprepared manner. Plus why be in an environment you do not feel good about.

You sound like you'll still be more then busy. I wouldn't believe them with the "you'll be called a traitor if you go elsewhere" blah blah huff huff. If you still have the desire and other clubs are out there, I'd go for it. But judo and running seem to also be a passion for you. Not sure how you find the time for it all with school as well.

Good luck in whatever you do and hope you'll still add to the training section. I enjoy reading your posts. And I'll still read your training log.

Thanks Youngblood

You actually put a really positive spin on it and you're right - even without boxing I'll always have an uncanny ability to over-fill my time!

I re-wrote my training program up this weekend and still felt like I wasn't really fitting in everything i think i should - without factoring in busy study times or a day off! Still nutting it out!

I'm gonna take some time to see who's around here for boxing but I think I know most people and most clubs unless we have some newcommers.

The best are a bit far away for me to travel to and boxing in SA is very political so i think what my coach said is only half BS.

I did kickboxing before boxing and when my gym closed down for nearly a year I couldn't go into any other gyms for training because they didn't want to PO my closed gym!

I think boxing in SA would be better if it could be more integrated but i think it'll be a generation or two before that happens.

Overall I think I've done the right thing for now though.

If I don't move for work I think Judo will be the way to go because of the club atmosphere and great coaching. I always leave feeling positive even if I'm still very much a clumsy beginner!

Glad you'll still find my training blog interesting