Bring on December!
Well, it’s a new week and a new start! Luckily my body is finally recovered from whatever I had that kept me hibernating in bed for a week. That said, I’m back into the swing of things (literally) in the gym.
It definitely feels great to be back and I realized once again how easy it is to take good health for granted. Without a healthy and functioning body, it’s impossible to keep up as a competitive athlete or anything for that matter.
December is right around the corner and I just know it’s going to be a busy month for me. I get to kick it off with taking the JLPT this weekend (woohoo, not…) The JLPT stands for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and it’s administered every year, all around the world. There are five levels; ranging from beginner to advanced. I’m gonna go ahead and take the hardest one. Passing it would mean that my Japanese is at the same level as a normal adult that grew up in Japan. I feel fairly confident but the only issue is I’ve literally had zero time to study. Hate to make excuses but the one-two combo of work and training has kept me super busy. The good thing is I can take the test as many time as I want, so I’m hoping to use this opportunity as a trial run. If I pass, then that’s a great thing!
Funny thing is, I always thought that my crazy schedule was going to slow down once I graduated from college. Having been out of school for a couple years and experiencing “real life” has made me realize that my assumption was way off. I still train just as much as I used to, and while I don’t have to worry about school anymore, I still have to make sure that I hit my deadlines with my regular work. Also, the upside to school was that I never had to worry about food. The cafeteria took care of everything. Nowadays, I periodically catch myself thinking about what to make for dinner during training. It’s tough stuff but all the while, I’m enjoying the process and lucky to be in this situation where I can still work towards my dream.
December will be busy, but I’m ready. Bring it on!
Thanksgiving Post
Hey all. I have to apologize to the people that periodically checks my website because it’s been waaaay too long since my last post! I hate to condense everything into one post, but luckily it hasn’t been all that eventful so you guys haven’t missed much (I’ll explain why).
It’s been a tough couple of weeks to say the least. First off, I came down with a cold, and when I thought that I had fought it off, I caught another one that was even worse than the first one. The second time around, I stayed in bed for several days and was basically a living zombie. No fever but mostly upper respiratory problems. As soon as I was put on antibiotics my condition began to improve quickly, but after taking some time off from gym, I could tell that my stamina was way off. It’s definitely the time of the year though when everyone is getting sick. The temp is dropping in California and in some spots it’s hitting record lows. Actually learned that placing objects to cover the space underneath doors to prevent drafts makes a dramatic difference in the temperature of your room. Whatever you do, stay warm everyone!
As far as gym goes, I’ve been working to get back into the rhythm of things. We were supposed to get into working routines last week but the fact that I got sick threw my schedule off. What can you do though. Sometimes there are things you just can’t control and you just have to learn to deal with things. Looking forward to being good to go and having great practices by next week.
Similarly, my cold had some effect on my work outside of the gym. I’ve been pretty much playing catch-up the last couple of days because of the days I missed. The plan is to get all caught up by this weekend so I’m on top of my work by the beginning of next week.
I know it seems like the last couple of weeks have been pretty bad for me, but honestly it hasn’t. The good part is I had the opportunity to go to the Big Game last weekend. The Big Game is the annual football game between Cal and Stanford and it’s a fun game to attend given the intense rivalry between these two schools. What made this game more eventful for me was that my ticket turned out to be in the Cal section (a good friend of mine that works for Cal gave me tickets). It wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn’t decked out in my Stanford gear, but the “Block S” on my jacket was like a blinding emblem to those Cal fans and they were quick to throw a comment or two. The fans gave me a hard time but it wasn’t personal. Luckily they didn’t have much to say when the game ended when Stanford football ended up dominating Cal.
Big Game!
Final Score - Yikes!
Well, it’s Thanksgivings and I hope everyone is enjoying their time with family and friends.
I’d like to end this post by saying thanks to my friends and family for their support. My coaches for guiding me in the right direction with my athletic endeavors. Doctors for keeping me healthy enough to pursue this dream. And all the soldiers out there for protecting this country, and allowing us to sleep soundly at night.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Making Progress
It’s been a pretty productive week in the gym. Most of my attention has been placed on putting my routines together as we’re planning to compete early next year in February. The meet is an important one as it’s a re-ranking meet for the US Senior National Team.
This training period can be challenging but fun and interesting all at the same time. The most challenging part is getting strong enough to get through the entire set (i.e. building endurance). Putting together routines can be difficult especially in this new open-ended code since we’re trying to pack 10 of our most difficult skills in each routine. Strength comes from numbers though, so the daily grind should get me stronger and to that next level. Doing high reps is also helpful because throught it all, it allows you to learn the rhythm of the routine. For each routine, there are sections where you should breathe and catch your breath. However, when you’re first starting to put together a new routine, these parts are difficult to figure out. Instead, most gymnasts stay tense the entire time, which leads to fatigue. It’s a slow process but seeing the daily progress is definitely fun!
Outside of the gym, I had the opportunity to attend the victory ceremony for the newly-elected governor of California, Jerry Brown. It was my first time to attend such an event so it was a fun experience. Check out the pictures below!
Fox Theater in Oakland: Venue for Jerry Brown's Victory Celebration
Sign at the theater
Blurry picture of Jerry Brown after his speech
Some Things to Celebrate About
Wow, what an exciting time for the people in the Bay Area. The Giants just won game 5 to clinch the World Series title! I bet the city is going nuts right about now with all the celebration. Wish I could be there but unfortunately I have morning training tomorrow so I’m staying in. I’ve gotta keep my eyes on the prize so I can create something to celebrate within my own athletic realm. I’ m totally chillin out and sipping coke out of my Tim Lincecum cup though!
Sippin' coke out of my Lincecum Cup!
Another exciting thing about today was that it was my coach’s birthday! He insisted that he turned 25, which would make him the same age as me. Huge lie! His age remains a mystery, however, he does look that young. Lucky for him, he has good genes! Anyway, happy birthday Jinjing! Thanks for all that you do both in and out of the gym!
Happy Birthday Jinjing!
