Slow Start to Summer

Summer hasn’t given up yet here in Valencia. It may linger on until quitting time when it’s officially over.  I often think that life can’t be that bad when you have an easy bike ride to a really nice beach on the Mediterranean.  I’ve been to the beach the last three days just because I know that summer won’t last forever.  I’ll probably go every day this week since I’m not really working a full schedule. Whether I want to accept it or not summer’s days are numbered.  I started very late this year but summer is always a good time to get into the best shape of the year. Where I am now in my fitness is where I should have been at the beginning of summer.  I’m hoping this late summer heat will keep me motivated.

I totally cut off all of my hair a couple day ago after sporting a really buzzed head for the past month. I should say that my barber shaved my head. I haven’t had hair this short since Air Force basic training. I look like a complete dip shit but whatever. It’s not like I look that great with hair. The new buzz cut goes well with the really warm weather we are having and also with my new work-out routine.

After many months of slacking I am finally back into my ridiculous push-up routine, but this time with some variations. Before I would just do something like a thousand push-ups in sets of 100 every other day, a routine taken from Hershel Walker (at least a part of his routine, he also did 2,500 sit-ups...and played pro football). Now I am doing a lot of changing up with things like doing some with my hands touching (this really kills me) and elevating my feet for a few sets. I also incorporate a bit of yoga and stretching into this routine. I’m just trying to get as strong, flexible, and fast as I can. I worked out at home today and then did a bit more yoga and stretching at the beach since I was the only person around for hundred of meters.

I did a hell of a lot of cycling in July but August was pretty much a bust for working out. To add to my laziness I drank a lot of beer and ate like a pig. I was as fat as a tick for a while and I didn’t feel too great and I always feel great. After a couple of days of focus I’m a lot better. When I wake up tomorrow morning I’ll be my old self again—especially after today’s work-out.  I never talk about exercise…ever, but it’s a pretty integral part of my life and something I just do automatically. I would hate to be someone my age who has never been in great shape or someone who just doesn’t feel great every day. It doesn’t take much coaxing to get me back into my exercise groove. I would really like to get back into jujitsu this fall if I can find the right place to train. I’m not looking to take classes; I just want a facility where I can go and train with other people around my level. I really miss my days at Niseido.

Back when jujitsu was my main form of exercise (besides cycling, of course) I felt a lot more well-rounded in my fitness, at least when I wasn’t nursing some sort of injury—and I was almost always sore from something.  We worked a lot on flexibility and balance. The thing is, I haven’t been actively involved in jujitsu in 12 years or so yet I still feel that I haven’t lost a lot of my fighting skills. I wish that I could say this about my abilities on the piano or speaking Arabic.  When you learn jujitsu it’s like learning a new instinct. I’m sure that a lot of my techniques are a bit rusty but my basic grappling skills are still there. I still remember choke holds, leg and arm locks, and most of the most effective techniques of ground fighting. It’s nice to know that I still maintain a decent level at this sport after dedicating a good portion of my life pursuing it. Like I said, I wish that I could say the same thing about the piano. I'd be lucky to plink out a Bach minuet.

So I’ll be sprinting to the finish line of summer.