My current training schedule

In June I'm planning to test for my 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I'll quickly discuss my goals, diet, and training regimen.

Goals:
Drop some weight.
If I can lose 10 pounds by June and do it on top of my other goals, then that makes the other goals much more achievable.

Get faster. Much faster.
I used to be a very fast person. My reflexes were really good. My current speed is not bad but it could be so much faster. I aim to achieve my old speed yet again.

Increase endurance.
The cycling has been useful, but I need to supplement it. And come up with alternatives when the weather/work prevents.

Improve technique.
Everyone says I do things well. But I know my own weaknesses. My back kicks are actually turning side kicks. I have trouble delivering power on high round kicks. I do my spin kicks on the balls of my feet. And so much more.

Make the test look easy.
Our school's black belt tests are quite challenging. We are not a belt factory. People sweat gallons, get sick, weep, and that is in just the first hour. I want to make the other testers look like novices.

Diet:
Eat Less.
I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On workout days I'll eat a snack of nuts and dried fruit two hours before the fun begins.

Muscle Replenishment.
I am sore often so I make do with more protein and potassium.

Eat Better.
No more chips. Fruits and vegetables. More fish and less of other kinds of meat.

Training Regimen
Core Fitness.
On Mondays I meet with Ron Boykin for an hour doing weights and various other exercises focusing mostly on upper body and core. He has started to work my legs, which is good because cycling only hits a part of them.

I also do this on my own on Saturday. In addition to following a rough sort of plan, Ron Boykin got me hooked on jumping rope, which I can do forever if there is music.

Martial Arts.
Except for Friday I do at least 2 hours a day. Although the test is on Tae Kwon Do, I am also cross training with my old favorites of Boxing and Muay Thai, plus a bit of weapons work. A quick chart of who I am crediting as being trainers:

• Tae Kwon Do: Mohammed Husseini (Striking), Dave Lutes (Forms and footwork)
  
• Muay Thai: Andrew Goldfarb
  
• Boxing: Ron Boykin, Andrew Goldfarb
• Weapons: Ron Boykin, Scott Muzinski
  

Cycling.
I need a new bike but I am getting in a few miles here and there. My hope is that I'll be ramping this up getting towards June. My plan is to bike to work one day, then bike back home the next day. This will prevent overtraining in this one area.

Memories of New Year's by the decade

40 years ago I was crawling on a floor somewhere in Highland Park, New Jersey. I don't recall that time. We were probably getting ready to move to Laurel, Maryland at that time.

30 years ago I was sad that the digital watch I got from Channukah '78 no longer had the same magic. It listed the time and the last two digits of the current year. Until we went into 1979 at 12:34pm, 56 seconds into the minute each day I looked down and saw this: 12:34:56 78. This was now gone from a daily activity.

20 years ago I was at the house of my friend Tony's girlfriend trying to fix her parent's bed. Do the math yourself as to what happened... As for my thoughts, I was dwelling on whether or not I would get to hook up again with the girl I met during the autumn.

10 years ago me and my wife celebrated the last New Year's of the second millenium, and started one more year at Aurora Highlands.

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