training to be a ninja

I'm almost three months into my Ninja training at Revolution Martial Fitness. Sensei Paul recently asked, "So what do you think so far?" I can't say that I feel even close to being a Ninja, but perhaps I've at least stepped on the road to becoming a martial artist. Here are some of my thoughts on strength gains, grappling, self-defense, my training partners and more.

I've gained upper body strength, specifically in my upper back (i.e., trapezius, latissimus dorsi, teres minor and major, rhomboids), probably from doing push-ups, carrying and throwing sand bells, and punching the bags - some combination of which is required at the beginning of every class for about 20 - 30 minutes prior to getting into the more technical martial arts material. I've probably also gained some lower body strength, but it's hard to tell since that is my area of strength as a result of frequent, long-term running.

Grappling, which is a fancy name for rolling around on the floor with someone and trying to defend yourself while they try to attack or submit you, has not been as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. Some of the other beginner adult students have commented similarly. I feared that my body might unintentionally remember some past trauma and that the grappling would get uncomfortable, but that hasn't happened. I'll attribute this to the great partners I've had in this latest adventure over the last three months. I genuinely like and trust my beginner and intermediate partners. They put me at ease as we laugh our way through awkward, vulnerable positions that place chests in faces, knees between legs and hands everywhere! Thank you Alyssa, Amy, Chelsea, Deanna and Heather! You make this journey worthwhile and fun! (And Leo, I haven't forgotten you and all of your witty remarks and support along the way! But I think I'm glad that I haven't been partnered with you...yet!)

In terms of feeling confident that I could defend myself, I have a long way to go. However, after three months I can say that I have at least learned to be more mindful of my surroundings, to place my hands near my face if confronted by a suspicious stranger so that I'm ready to protect my head and face, and that my elbow can be a powerful weapon.

The hardest part has been remembering all the steps involved in strike combinations, take downs, standing grab defenses, wrist grab releases, and ground techniques. Out of a fear of practicing something incorrectly, I spend a lot of time and energy worrying about the exact steps of what I'm learning. Obviously this is much different and harder than simply lacing up my sneakers and going out for a run. Sensei Paul recently advised that I relax and trust myself. Aha! Trust myself! This is an ongoing theme in my life. My 69 year old mom is still telling her 44 year old daughter, "You always underestimate yourself and you always exceed your expectations!" Well, almost always. I reply that setting the bar high for myself is part of my strategy for doing well, but it can sometimes push me towards so much anxiety that I begin to doubt myself, which can prevent me from doing my best. Coincidentally the day that Sensei Paul gave the advice to trust myself and simply try the form/technique, I had just spent the morning swimming across Walden Pond and back (a total of a little more than a mile) without the buoyancy of a wetsuit for the first time. While I was out there by myself, I realized that I could not doubt myself, that I simply had to keep swimming. This lesson of trusting myself, letting go and moving forward is one that I apparently need to keep relearning in new and varied settings until finally I get it.

In the end, I'm learning something new and that every time, "I can do better!" I'm learning new skills to make my mind and body stronger. I'm making new friends and having fun. I am grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, Sensei Paul! You are a generous, fun and wise Sensei, boss and friend!

smashing my triathlon personal record!

I'm thrilled to say again that I'm another year older and a bit faster in the Cohasset Triathlon! Yesterday - Sunday, June 30th - I completed and smashed my previous personal record at my third Cohasset Triathlon - a 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3.2 mile run. This is how it went down!

Race Morning
On Saturday I gave due diligence to my race-delicate gastrointestinal system and ate six cups of rice and four bananas, drank lots of water and cherry juice (anti-inflammatory), packed all my gear, ran through the transitions and events in my mind, tried to keep my nerves at bay with a lot of deep breathing and time with my kids, and went to bed at 9:30pm. I did not sleep well and was happy to wake up just prior to my 4:30am alarm. After you finish your training for an event, the waiting for the event is one of the hardest parts. You must trust that you've done everything you could to prepare and simply wait and hope for the best on race day. I woke feeling healthy and hopeful that I could beat last year's time of 1:27:45. I had my usual morning vegan shake - dates, banana, hemp seeds, maca powder, soy milk, ice & water without the usual almonds - and we were off!

Tina and I picked up my friend Helen at 5am. She had graciously offered to be my run pacer. The run is one of the hardest parts for me due to the weather being warm (I do not like to run fast in any temperature above 60!), the course being hilly and my love/hate relationship with running. I knew if I was going to beat my time from last year that I'd need some help on those hills, so I bribed Helen with the promise of post-race lobster and beer :) This, as it turned out, was a very smart move.

We arrived at the race parking lot at 6:15am with plenty of time to get to the race site and to set up my transition area. I had not thoroughly thought out my supplemental clothing and when I reached into my bag to get out my long-sleeve shirt to wear for the bike ride to the race site, I found that I had unknowingly packed my 12 year old daughter's Hogwarts shirt! I took it as a good omen that I was going to perform some magic on the course that day!

It was a partly cloudy day with air temperatures in the low 80's, winds at 18 mph and water temperatures in the low 60's. When I arrived at the race site, I saw Dick and Ricky Hoyt. They are in many local races and have done the Cohasset Triathlon numerous times. It is always reassuring to see them. I set up my transition area with my bike and run gear, put on my wetsuit, planned a run strategy with Helen, found out that Tina would be volunteering at the bike dismount area, grabbed a 1/4 cup of regular coffee with cane sugar and soy milk (A big treat and part of my race strategy since I rarely have regular coffee and had been abstaining from all caffeine - and alcohol - for a week.) and went to "warm-up" in the shockingly cold ocean. In the past two years I did not completely submerge my head during the swim warm-up. I submerged my head several times this year and I think it helped me be more relaxed at the beginning of my race swim. Then I waited for my wave time of 7:54am. I chose to start with the "Novice" swimmers this year - those who could not complete the swim in less than 10 minutes. Again, the waiting is the hardest part.

The Swim
My swim was the best swim I've had so far. I felt more prepared for the cold; was able to stay away from most of the crowd, which means I wasn't constantly getting hit, banged or swam into; and told myself "Present moment, wonderful moment" and "You got this!" as I swam. A couple of times I did the breast stroke or tread water for a few seconds to catch my breath, but for the majority of the swim I was able to swim freestyle, which was an improvement over the last two years when I got so flustered by getting knocked around by the crowd that I did every possible stroke! My goal was to swim as long as I could towards the beach and to finish under 11 minutes. Towards the end, a woman kept swimming into me, so I decided to start running towards the beach as soon as the water was shallow enough instead of repeatedly trying to swim away from her. This might have cost me a few seconds, but I was still able to finish my swim under 11 minutes so I was satisfied. I ran to my transition area and got ready for the bike race.

The Bike
I decided to dedicate the bike portion of the race to Kris, a friend who had recently died of cancer. I was missing her memorial service to be at this race. After explaining to her husband Ben, he wrote, "The athlete in Kris wouldn't dream of having you miss a race. Kick butt and have fun!" So, I did. I placed Kris's name on the stem of my bike and occasionally looked at it during the race and pushed myself to ride a little bit faster and harder. I also tried to shift gears and pedal more often on the downhill instead of coasting. I don't like going too fast on the downhill and often start braking. Tina encouraged me to "Suck it up and pedal on the downhill!" At the bottom of one of the hills I saw and gave a high five to my friend and Cohasset resident, Michelle. It's always helpful to see and hear a friendly face on the course. Thanks Michelle! I knew I'd need to maintain a 17.5 mph pace to finish at 41 minutes. When I arrived at the race dismount area, saw Tina waving her big orange flag motioning me to slow down and dismount, and heard her excitedly and somewhat embarrassingly yell "That's my wife!", I saw that my pace was 17.4, which gave me a 41:19 bike time. That was good enough. I ran my bike to my transition area and got ready for the hardest part of the race.

The Run
Helen was waiting for me at the end of the run chute. I was so happy to see her! I looked at my total time and knew that we'd have to maintain a 9:30 minute mile pace to beat my time from last year. With fresh legs I can run the course at an 8:52 pace, but my legs were far from fresh so I thought a 9:30 pace was a reasonable expectation. Helen wore my Garmin watch and kept track of our run pace time, while I wore a watch for my overall race time. It was on the warm side. I was feeling tired and like I was barely running at the beginning. Two minutes in, I asked Helen what our pace was thinking that we must be starting out very slow. I was encouraged to hear that we were starting at a 9:05 pace. This gave me some time to play with and would allow me to slow down on the nine hills in the next 3.2 miles without sacrificing a good run time. The hills were brutal. There is one particularly long, steep hill at mile two which I had walked in the previous two years that I told Helen that I did not want to walk this year. She ran ahead of me and kept saying, "C'mon Dawna! You can do this! C'mon Dawna!" getting me up that hill and all the rest at a slow running pace. After that hill and two miles in, Helen started saying, in a slightly angry voice, "We're way behind Dawna! Pick it up!" I didn't know it then, but Helen was lying! Her version of "way behind" was a 9:30 pace - my target pace! Fearing that I must be running in the 10 minute range, I picked up my pace. In the last 1/4 mile she told me to sprint, to pass her and to finish under 30 minutes. It's hard to sprint at the end of a triathlon when you feel that you've fought for every second. I kicked it in for maybe the last 100 yards and finished with a 9:20 pace and a 30:43 time. I looked at my total time on my watch and knew that I had beat last year's time! I was thrilled! Helen had done her job and done it well! I suspect I would have walked on that hill again or slowed down significantly if it hadn't been for her encouragement and lies! Thank you Helen!

The Results
I was so relieved to be finished with my third Cohasset Triathlon, but knew that I'd feel much better once I saw the official results. About ten minutes after finishing the race, Helen and I walked to the results monitor and patiently waited to see my official finish time. 1:26:11! I had improved by 00:01:34 over last year, which was a much larger improvement than I was expecting. Admittedly, I felt emotional and started tearing up a bit. I worked so hard to improve, while still being just an average triathlete. I was happy, relieved and proud! I gave Helen many sweaty hugs :) Below are my results from all three years.

2011 - 2013 Cohasset Triathlon Results

The Celebration

Now I could relax. Helen and I walked towards the end of the run course and cheered on the runners finishing up. I love doing that! We cheered the Hoyts to the finish, packed up and walked the 1.5 miles back to the race parking lot with Tina. We drove to and had lunch on the deck at the Olde Salt House. I celebrated with fish tacos, salad, french fries and a beer. It was a great finish to a great day! 

I think I might be finished with this race. I feel like I can barely handle the logistics and the pressure I put on myself to beat my time each year and, honestly, I'm not sure I can beat this year's time. However, looking at the results from the last three years, I see there is room for improvement in the bike and next year I'll be in a new age division... So, maybe... Or maybe I'll go and return the favor and pace a runner and enjoy the views and the race from another angle. Anyone?!? This is a well-organized, supportive, beautiful race! Sign up will be in December 2013 or January 2014! 

On a final note, I ran this race as part of Team Unthinkables and one of the four events that I will do this year to raise money for The Scott Rigsby Foundation. Setting another personal record at this race was one of my "unthinkables." Thank you to those who supported me and made a donation! Your words of encouragement mean so much and make a huge difference. I am deeply grateful.

What's next?!?

#1 Fan Tina & #1 Run Pacer Helen!

Thrilled with my finish time of 1:26:11!

Dick & Rick Hoyt running to the finish!