Hawkwind's journal and musings

[Hawkwind]

Urgh...my left knee acted up today. I had to wrap it in both braces to get through class tonight. I did it, but by the end of class even balancing for cat stance was torture for me. Luckily when this happens I'm usually good within a day or so. I should be fine by Thursday's class.

[narcsarge]

I will be scheduling my appointment for my left knee in December. Hope that things heal up and you stay healthy Hawk. Can't have you going down this time of year.

So much to do! So much to do!

[Hawkwind]

I go see my doc for my annual on the 15th. I'm going to let her make an appointment with a specialist. It's time to find out what the heck is wrong! Wishing you the best on your appointment N-sarge!

Happy news for me! (Maybe)
Well folks...I'm hoping I'm not jumping the gun here...but I can really use lots of positive thoughts and prayers about now.

Some of you know that my friends and business partners-to-be were nearly killed in an accident at the end of July. They had just gotten back from a visit to Kate's dad in NC and from looking for a place for all of us to live. Their accident waylaid a lot of our plans as they were pretty seriously injured. Out of work and in need of a lot of rehab.

In the meantime. I didn't move out of "J's" house in August as I had planned. I've been laying low until things improved...and then all hellz broke loose in my family and I didn't want to add insult to injury with another divorce announcement. Plus I had to sort things out with my oldest as well.

So this brings me to...Kate's been keeping an eye out for property in NC and we think we found one! We are waiting to hear back from the owner. It's a house on 18 acres with option to buy!

If he agrees to rent to us...Kate, Ray and Amity will be moving down to NC in February and I'll be joining them later in the spring or early summer after I take care of some more family business here in MA.

The owner is going to let us have our dogs and cats...and we may even be able to bring my horse and pony!!!!!!

[narcsarge]

Don't forget to pack your Bible too! You can not enter NC without a King James version.

Prayers to you! Wishing you nothing but the best Hawkie!

[Hawkwind]

Lmao! I used to be a study and prayer leader...I just packed some of my bibles this past summer...I have no less than 30 bibles. Some of which are indeed KJV!

Thanks N-sarge.

[Hawkwind]

So I ended up doing an amended version of my alpine/backpacking conditioning routine today. I went light and avoided a lot of leg work. Good thing as my knee ended up being cranky by the end of things.

Week 6 - Day 1
Alpine/Backpacking conditioning routine

Good mornings
3 sets/8r - 30#

Overhead squats
3 sets/8r - 30#

Cleans
set 1/8r - 30#
set 2/8r - 35#
set 3/8r - 45#

M-ball oblique twist
30 each side (eas) - 8#

Db side-low lunges
3 sets/15r eas - 22#
*Knees hated these today!

Db step-ups/step-downs
2 sets/15r eas- 22#

Weighted hip-hikes
2 sets/15r eas - 4#

V-grip pull downs
3 sets/10r - 50#

V-grip seated rows
3 sets/10r - 50#

Cable 'wood choppers'
3 sets/10 r eas - 30#

M-ball supported external rotations
2 sets/15r eas - 3#

Broom handle shoulder rotations
30

Bench/triceps dips
3 sets/8r

Elevated push-ups
3 sets/8r

[Hawkwind]

Tonight my knee behaved itself for my Kung Fu class. I had a blast. We did a lot of sandbag work early in the class...and maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I really love the sandbag work! It cracks Eric up. He's pulls out the sandbag and "K" and "J" quietly mumble "uh-oh!" and I'm saying "YESSSS!" I just crack Amber up...she swears the sandbag work is going to kill her...I tell her what doesn't kill her makes her stronger. Yeah, they all think I'm crazy. Especially when I get that glint in my eye.

Punch/strike work with weights, one on one kick work with the bags and then lots of practice on the forms we're learning. Sifu took some time at the end of class to spar with "K". She has a green sash...she's quite an amazing young lady to see in action.

I was very happy that my knee didn't act up tonight.

[Hawkwind]

Oh boy...I just can't win lately.

My aussie/great pyr cross, Sara, has lyme disease. Luckily we caught it and she's now on doxycycline for the next couple of weeks. But the worst news is that my old Naomi kitty is suffering from a seizure disorder and possibly thyroid trouble and maybe even failing liver and kidneys. All age related...I'll know by Monday as we had to take a ton of blood and stuff from her today for testing. The trip to the vet upset her even more and she's had at least one more seizure today when we got home. I am so not ready to lose another one of my critter babies...but I have such a bad feeling about what I'm seeing in my old girl.

I think tomorrow would be a good day for deads....

[Hawkwind]

Naomi had a rough night and Sara is not tolerating her meds well. I'm in for a rough couple of weeks.

Saturday night's training:
Sit-ups - 50

Elevated push-ups
3 sets/8r 8r 10r Getting better at these. More range of motion and I even managed two more on that last set.

Planks
10 - held 'til the arms gave out

Side planks
2 each side, again held 'til the arms gave out

Reverse planks
5 held 'til the shoulders complained

-An hour of dedicated stretching mixed with yoga moves that target my weak/less flexible areas.

-Went through all my stances, strikes, kicks, and blocks.

Note: (N-sarge and KT...this might interest you!)
I just started reading Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts by Sang H. Kim...the same guy that wrote Martial Arts After 40.

Anyhow...it's a great read I highly recommend it.

[Hawkwind]

I went very easy with very light weight and higher reps. Knee was fine. But I feel a bit cheated...*sigh*

Week 6 - Day 2
Conventional deads
3 sets/10r - 50#

Romanian deads
3 sets/10r - 50#

Zerchers
3 sets/10r - 50#

Bulgarian squats
3 sets/8r - 15#

No direct calf work today...still having some trouble with the left knee/calf area.

Sunday night work
Elevated push-ups
3 sets/10r

30 minutes of aggressive stretching
MA practice...didn't time it.

[Hawkwind]

Alrighty...I'm gonna say it. My sleep patterns are totally FURBAR. I haven't been this bad in years and none of my 'old standbys' are working. I don't want to go back on the Amytriptaline (sp) that they used when they pulled me out of sleep deprivation mode the last time. So I'm going to bring up the sleeplessness during my next appointment (Which is next week.). I sooo do not want another prescription to take. But...I'm getting desperate for a good quality sleep! Wish me luck!

Update on Sara and Naomi:
Sara is finally keeping her meds down! Naomi tested on the 'high' side for thyroid. Still waiting for the rest of her test results for her. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Of all my cats...she's the one that hates to be pilled the most. She will hide and refuse to come out if she knows she needs meds. Guess I'll wait and see what the rest of the results say...

Training musings:
I'm a bit sore today! It's actually a good thing. I've been experimenting with some new stretches I had never even known about. (Which surprised me as I do yoga and pilates and learned a zillion stretches over the years for PT.) Anyhow...I'm really tickled with some of these new stretches and the results. I'm sore ... but I feel great and my flexibility, which is pretty darned good for a 46 year old that has battled fibro most of her life, is getting ever better!

[Hawkwind]

Aight...so I've been absent the past couple of days. I got a full two nights of MA training in. Monday one on one with Eric, and last night Amber and I. Eric told us that his other adult student called and will be returning soon. Woot! Another adult to train with.

Heh...finally trained with sash on Tuesday night. I thought it would irritate the hellz outta me...but it didn't prove to get in the way at all. I also decided to go up a size in my uniform pants. I am just so freakin' tall that the cuffs on the ones I bought drive me nuts. I think I would rather have my pants be baggier and long enough than fit closer and have the cuff keep catching on my calves. We'll see. I keep contemplating finding a seamstress lately and have her make up uniform pants that fit me right as well as a heavier pair of convertible hiking pants in my length too. It really sucks to have long legs and a small waist sometimes.

I'm having a lot of trouble with the knee every time I go outside to water the horses or fix fence line or walk Sara. It's freezin' up and becoming so painful that I can barely make it up or down stairs. So I've spent quite a bit of time laying with the heating pad wrapped around it while reading over the past two days...just so I can get outside the myriad multiple times a day I have to be out there, and so I could get to class and train the past two nights. Quite honestly...it's wearing me out. I live with chronic pain...but this is a 'new' pain and extremely bad for short durations and coming and going suddenly.

I'm looking for ways to keep that knee area warm when I have to go outside so that the pain and stiffness attacks will be minimized. Lordy...I'm even starting my truck 30 minutes before I have to be anywhere...just so the freakin' knee doesn't lock up on me while I'm driving.

I skipped the gym today to go shopping with my mom. Just too worn out from the past couple days battle with the pain to even try and drive out to Wilbraham to train...although I was thinking that the heated walk in pool would be nice about now. Just not until I have a way to protect the knee from the cold when I leave the building again.

I keep using mentholated rubs and have even broken down and used Aleve or motrin to help alleviate the pain a bit. The cold is definitely the trigger at this point. Lordy this is frustrating as all heck!

[Hawkwind]

Wednesday night conditioning:
Elevated push-ups
3 sets/10r

Conventional push-ups
3 sets/10 r

Sit-ups
50

30 minutes stretching targeting my least flexible areas.

And heat-therapy...quite a few times a day lately. This is such a PITA!

Thursday's class:
I made it through class. It seems that I absolutely must keep the left knee warm to avoid trouble. So that's my mini goal for now. Keeping the knee warm.

I finally got all the way through "16 Hands" nice, neat, and fluid tonight. I keep finishing a tiny bit shy of my starting point...but not by much!

[Hawkwind]

Saturday night conditioning:
Elliptical - 20 minutes

Elevated push-ups
3 sets/10 r

'Targeted' stretching and yoga - 60 minutes

Road trip today with Kate and Amity to bring Am's to meet her paternal grandparents at the 'half-way' point so she can spend a week with them. Ended up wandering through Connecticut with Kate afterwards...we found a couple nice garden shops to do some Christmas shopping in.

Sunday conditioning:
Push-ups - 10 elevated/10 fist/10 close-grip

60 sit-ups

60 minutes targeted stretching and yoga.

[Hawkwind]

Monday AM cardio: 20 minutes - elliptical.
*Knee was cranky...oh well.

Monday night:
Stretching and yoga - 1 hour
Went through all my forms...practiced kicks, strikes and blocks - 1 hour

I did not try to get downtown for my MA class tonight...let's put it this way:
The ice was so bad one of my neighbors had their Ford Explorer slip down their driveway and into the middle of the road. Another one of my nabes, also with a very steep drive, had their Jeep Cherokee roll over sideways down their drive. I went to walk over to my mom's today and my driveway was so slick I decided to put on my orange thermal jacket and walk the trail through the woods instead of trying to get down my 450 ft driveway. It took until nearly 3 for the ice to loosen off my truck so I could clean it.

[Hawkwind]

Tuesday AM conditioning:
Cardio: 20 minutes - elliptical

Weighted punches
2 sets/50r - 8#

Weighted forearm blocks
5 sets/8r - 10#

[narcsarge]

At least your keeping the blood pumping in that frigid environment Hawk! I absolutely hated Ice Storms. Nothing moved and when it did, it usually took out the power. Once it started to melt, heavy ice would be smashing stuff.

Hope the knee is ok. Got my MRI friday. Xrays were negative so that's good. Now to rule out soft tissue damage!