Aching feet

This week has flown by due to work commitments and a charity hike I did yesterday.

Every year I go away for nearly a week for an annual conference that my company exhibits at, this year it moved location to Manchester and it meant a bit more of a hectic week than I had planned.

Usually there would be some down time where I have practiced my patterns and/or done some exercise to keep on top of things, however with the move of venue combined with a busy schedule I was unable to get the spare time needed to do anything apart from work, have dinner, sleep then repeat!

Getting to the end on Thursday was a relief as I knew I wouldn't have much time at home as I had to pack ready for the charity Welsh 3 peaks challenge. Unfortunately events conspired against me (M6 closure) and I didn't get back home until nearly 9pm, so everything was a massive rush to get all my gear ready.

Finishing work early on the Friday the team set off to travel up to Snowdonia with plenty of time, once again traffic and the football meant we didn't arrive at our hotel until 11.15pm, wouldn't have been so bad but we had to be up at 3.40am the next morning!

Fuelled by coffee and bacon and sausage but butties, we piled into the mini bus and made the 15 min journey to the starting point. As we pulled away the rain began and it got heavier and heavier, as we arrived and assembled in he car park the wind and rain was horrendous, within minutes we were freezing and our waterproofs we're testing their ability to the limit. Meeting our guides for the event the ominous words 'apocalyptic' and 'weather' were mentioned which didn't fill me with confidence that I would be enjoying this first peak.

As a team we kept hacking up the trail all the time with the wind constantly trying to buffet and pluck you off the side of Snowdon. The views were very limited and most of the focus was merely on keeping upright and carefully placing your feet, one in front of the other.

About 40 mins from the summit the lead guide called a halt and shouting over the howling wind informed us that as a team were only as strong as our weakest members and due to the increasing wind speeds that it was too dangerous to continue. With heavy hearts we turned and trudged down a different path to get ourselves off the mountain as soon as possible, all the time being assaulted with freezing, monsoon like rain and hail.

On the way back to the car park we came across three young guys walking in the opposite direction, one guy was dressed more for a night in the pub than for a mountain, with trainers and a heavy leather jacket. Our lead guide was also a member of the Snowdon mountain rescue and he pointed out the atrocious conditions but they ignored him and ploughed on, it was at this point that the guide pointed out that 7 people had already died on Snowdon this year.

Racing back I managed to be one of the first of my team to get back to the mini bus so after stripping off completely and throwing the sodden clothes into a bin bag it was time for a swift change of clothes, a cup of tea, some chocolate and then it was time to set off to the next peak, Cader Idris.

2 hours later and much drier and warmer than earlier on it was time to get out, don sodden boots and get moving. The weather initially was much kinder and we made good time up to a large lake, after a short break we then started up to the ridge that we would then traverse around the mountain to the peak.

It was on the ridge that the foul weather kicked in, hail, freezing rain and winds even stronger and faster than on Snowdon eventually meant a premature departure from the ridge, again very close to the summit, which in places is very narrow with sheer drops. Marching back down the paths we had followed up were now fast flowing streams, so much water was being dropped from the sky.

After a revitalising hot meal, some more chocolate and yet another change of clothes an increasingly weary team set off for the final peak, Pen Y Fan.

Arriving in the evening we were all determined that bare extreme conditions this was a peak we were going to reach. I set off with a couple of the team and went at a blistering pace, making the summit(898 metres)in just shy of 38 mins, finally we had done it! A swift descent was followed by congratulations and a short journey to our hotel for a few well deserved pints and a hot meal.

I finally got home at midday today where Shelly and the girls took me out for a delicious roast dinner and now my feet are up having soaked in a very hot bath!

Long time coming...

Wow, its been a whole month since my last post! On reading it again it kind of set the tone for the whole of May, professionally it was really hard going, a total slog with tonnes of stress and worry. This spilled over into everything, I didn't train for 4 weeks, my fitness spiralled down, coupled with crap nutrition (comfort eating)it just led to a general 'why bother?' attitude.

Being older I thought would make things this time round a bit easier, I foolishly thought, 'you've seen it, done it already' and that this time it would just be more of the same, however May and to be honest the whole testing cycle so far has been a massive wake up to me. It is so much harder to build the same levels of enthusiasm as last time, the demands on my time seem greater and I get feelings of resentment towards training or activities relating to the BB testing cycle. There has been greater levels of 'screw it' I'm not doing it after a long day whereas before I would have just gritted my teeth and got on with it.

I think I need to find a new level for my training, I'm getting concerned that my internal standards and my inability to meet those standards is screwing me up a bit,I think a chat with Master Olpin may be in order to make sense of everything and maybe get a reality check. Since that last post there has been some positive things, I completed a 10k road race yesterday, did my final training walk last weekend in Wales before the Welsh 3 peaks challenge in just under 2 weeks time and have made some progress in areas of my training that were lacking, just need to keep my head up and crack on.

Not good, not good

Firstly apologies for the tone of this blog post, its going to be pretty down, this is just a reflection of where my head is at today. This week has been one of the worst for a long time, luckily no one has been hurt, no one has died but in terms of how I am feeling personally its shit! Work has been particularly difficult this week as I am assisting in reshaping our entire sales operation and its making for a monumental headache and tonnes of work and stress that I had hoped had been put behind me a while ago. To add to that my health has taken a bit of a dip this week, my previous post showed that my run earlier this week was highlighting something wasn't right, i was hoping it was just a dip in energy levels but its been a bit more than that. I have felt so drained of energy this week that I must be fighting off some sort of bug as my stomach problems have also been playing up, this in itself with a hectic work schedule is usually enough to knock me off my stride, but its also been coupled with some difficulty sleeping so not a great combination, overworked, overtired etc etc. To top it off my car decided to have a serious engine problem which looks like it won't give me much change back from £1500, so forgive me if i take today to wallow in self pity and rant and rave like a madman (which I wont as I cant even work up the energy to do that)this is me at my lowest for a long time, not been training now for 2 weeks and the journey has most definitely been derailed for a moment. I cant even be arsed to moan anymore...

Running on empty

Well interesting day so far, I went out today for my usual lunchtime'ish 6 mile run and had a torrid time of it. I started off normally but by the time I had done the first mile and a half I could feel things weren't right. I felt tight and my breathing wasn't settling into its usual rhythm, thinking it was just taking me a bit longer to settle down I carried on, but as I got further on my legs were getting heavier and heavier. With this going on I decided to revise the distance and cut it short by making it an easier 4.5 mile route. However my energy was just depleting with every step so I ended up walking in sections just to give myself some respite. It wasn't that I was completely put of breath or anything like that, my body just wasn't giving me what I needed to keep a steady pace. It has been a long time since I have felt that sapped on a run and considering I have been running through torrential downpours and freezing winds ironic that on a mild ish day I conk out. Sitting here now thinking about what could have caused this I believe a combo of a pretty heavy, starchy diet the last few days with a lack of sleep (only been getting about 5-6 hours for the past week) has just drained me. I need to try and get a bit more fruit and veg into me and hopefully catch up on my sleep for the next few days as this weekend I have set myself a goal of an 8 mile, slow, run to see what a real distance starts to feel like. I just need to bear in mind what my body has told me today and do something about it.

Eeek

Just seen the two blog posts, did them via the ipad and the layout seems screwed up, sorry, doesnt make for easy reading!

Extract from my thesis 'The Hwa Rang:Fact and Fiction

The Philosophy of the Hwa Rang As with the Won Hwa the Hwa Rang had a core underlying set of principles, those of modesty, loyalty and filial piety, which closely reflect Confucian ideas, this shows the influence of the Han and Tang Chinese Dynasty on the philosophical progression of three kingdom and particularly Silla society. When looking to discover and understand the philosophical backbone of the Hwa Rang, study of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism will be required, a good starting place though concerns a a tale told in the Haedong Goseungjeon about two youths, Gwisan and Chwihang who travelled to see the monk Won Gwang. Their intention was to seek advice, spiritual guidance and teaching from the monk, when they approached Won Gwang they said “We are ignorant and without knowledge. Please give us a maxim which will serve to instruct us for the rest of our lives”_ Won Gwang, who had studied for a period in China, replied to this by composing ‘Five Commandments for Secular Life’ or Sae Sok o-Gye. These commandments have since been attributed as another guiding ethos for the Hwa Rang. The Five Commandments are; Loyalty to one’s lord, sagun ichung Love and respect your parents and teachers, sachin ihyo Trust among friends, gyo-u isin Never retreat in battle, imjeon mutwae Never take a life without a just cause, salsaeng yutaek An example of how members of the Hwa Rang fully embraced these commandments can be seen in this extract from one of the most famous stories eulogized by Hwarang literature, in the Samguk Sagi which chronicles the martyrdom of the son, Kwanjang_, of a Silla General, P'umil, who died in the wars of unification; His appearance was elegant, and he became a Hwa Rang as a youth and was on intimate terms with others. At the age of sixteen he was already accomplished in horseback riding and archery. When in the fifth year of Hsien-Ch’ing (660), the king sent the troops and, together with a T’ang General, attacked Paekche, he made Kwanjang and adjunct general. When the two armies met on the plain of Hwangsan, P’umil said to his son, “You are young, but you have spirit. Now is the time to render brilliant service and to rise to wealth and honour. You must show dauntless courage.” “I shall,” Kwanjang replied. Mounting his horse and couching his lance, he galloped into the enemy line and killed several of the foe. Outnumbered he was taken a prisoner and brought to the Paekche general, Kyebaek...Kyebaek said with a sigh “Silla has marvellous knights. Even a youth is like this-how much stronger must their soldiers be?” He then let Kwanjang return alive. Upon returning, Kwanjang remarked, “Earlier when I attacked the enemy’s position I could not behead the enemy general, nor capture their standard. This is my deepest regret. In my second attack I will be sure to succeed.” He scooped up water from a well and drank;he then rushed upon the enemy line and fought desperately. Kyebaek caught him alive, beheaded him, and sent back the head, tied to the saddle of the horse. P’umil took the head and, wiping blood with his sleeve, said, “He saved his honour, Now that he has died for the King’s cause, I have no regrets.” The three armies were moved by this and strengthened their resolve. Beating drums and shouting war cries, they charged the enemy line and utterly routed the Paekche forces. This extract probably illustrates most closely the commandments of sagun ichung and imjeon mutwae, and I feel points to potentially the wider influence that adherents to the Hwa Rang had on the greater community of Silla. Here the selfless sacrifice of a young Silla Knight inspired the wider army to defeat the enemy army on the field of battle and garnered the respect and admiration of his King who posthumously conferred the title of Kupch’an (Rank 9)_ onto Kwanjang and had him buried with full honours and ceremony.

Normal(ish) service resumed

Not done a blog post for over a week as Ive been having some connection issues and not been feeling 100% either but felt i needed to look back over the last week and comment on some stuff. Did the team walk on Sunday, was a good day out, the guys we are walking with are from United Welsh Housing Association and they were a friendly bunch, plenty of banter going on. The weather was as expected when you start getting up into the hills around Brecon, sunny on eminute then the clouds come in and its time to get soggy. The route itself wasnt anythng too strenous, one peak was particulary steep but a bit of zoning out meant I was at the top way before anyone else (cant escape that competative streak) The rest of the day was a nice hike and we even had some time to enjoy a well deserved pint at the end before having to drive back home, where my good lady put on a welcome roast dinner, not a bad way to spend a Sunday. The rest of the week was spent with work and finishing off stage 1 of the Black belt training, my thesis. When I did my 1st Dan I chose a subject that I knew a fair bit about, self defence and martial arts in the military, for this one I decided I would like to take a look at the story behind one of the ITF TaeKwon Do patterns, Hwa Rang. When it comes to things like projects, essays and writing a thesis I tend towards the hit it hard and keep going until its finished type approach. Its meant most spare time and lunch hours researching, coming up with an outline and then actually cracking on and writing the thing up. To me this thesis has been much more enjoyable than the last one as I approached this topic completly fresh and it was great finding out information that I hadnt heard of before and I have slowly built up a picture of who and what the Hwa Rang where, it most definately is not what I had imaged before I started the project. The running has carried on, even with the foul weather and it was when I was out yesterday that I got to thinking about what it means to push yourself and what achievement really means. This train of thought was kicked off as I was jogging to the top of a particulary long hill towards the end of my 6 mile route. As I was plodding on with the freezing rain lashing down and the wind howling, I noticed across the road a guy I see quite frequently around Wotton. This guy (i dont know his name) suffered some sort of injury or a stroke a couple of years ago and since then he goes out every day with his zimmer frame and does a long walk. He doesnt move very fast but he keeps on going and as I was getting towards the top of the hill and giving mysself a pat on the back, I saw him and it occured to me that I was kidding myself if I thought I was really 'proving' something or 'achieving' something because here was a guy who has limited mobility but does not allow that or a piddling thing like extreme weather stop him from achieving his goal, which is simply to walk. Seeing him was a great reality check and for the rest of the run I mulled over what it must mean to him to get out and do his walking. It certainly makes me think that anyone who says they dont have time to train or that they would rather put off doing something just because its abit wet most definately shoudl re-evaluate themeselves and for those looking for examples of black belt excellence and indomitable spirit, look to guys like him who do it every day, without fail and who set themselves a simple goal, do something positive with your time. Anyway I'm not in tip top form myself at the minute, there is some sort of bug doing the rounds and I think I may be fighting something off as I am definately feeling lethargic and very achey, so an early bath tonight methinks and a bit of a lie in before a full day of working and getting on with stage 2 of BB, the pattern breakdown. P.S. I have said I would put up a couple of extracts of the thesis and will endeavor to do it now on the next post.