Sunday February 7

Excellent nights sleep! neck is feeling good. I started on Dog Collar orders right away, but didn't get much done. Went for a hike with the dog at that swamp. Some of the boys from the Forge came over and dod a buch of yardwork and burning for me since there is so little jobs and this helps them pay their membership.

Elana took this pic and sent it to me:




FOOD

9am...........8 egg white omlete w/ avocado, spinach, mushroom, red pepper & onion

noon..........4oz roast beef, green beens, avocado

6pm...........4oz roast beef, green beens, avocado

Friday and Saturday.......Work Days

Just took it easy and did a lot of traction on my neck while I was working Friday & Saturday. No training, just let my neck heal up some more. Moved the yard, racked some leaves, worked on dog collars. CA came up Sat afternoon while I was at work, he is going to help me put my work bench together, then he is going to look at some crane mats in Dade City tomorrow.

Thursday February 4

I woke up feeling like a million bucks! The meds & Chiropractor did the trick. This put a serious dent on my budget on an already slow month business wise. I have a lot of orders to work on today so I am skipping this morning class. Worked all day and got some orders shipped.




FOOD

9am........6oz chicken w/goat cheese, 4oz brussel sprouts
noon.......5oz salmon, spring mix salad w/spinach
4pm........4oz chicken, 4oz brussel sprouts, 2oz avocado
9pm........5oz beef, 5oz banana

Wednesday February 3

Woke at 7am and drank coffee and cruised the Internet then took Truman for a 4 mile run alongside my bicycle. Lots of Dog Collar work to do today as well as paying bills and running errands.

I went to the Doctor and got a shot of Depo-Medrol and some muscle relaxers and by the afternoon my neck felt so much better! I came home and iced it and did traction on it, then got some work done.

My chiropractor actually called me and asked why I hadn't been in, that was a shock for him to call me. I said I had been contemplating getting treatments on a regular basis to hopefully keep my neck from from flaring up like it does, so I made an appointment for 4:30, that way I could observe the 5:30 mma class.

I got to class and little Elaina was there and she said she wasn't going to take class if I wasn't. So I decided that she was tiny enough that she couldn't hurt me. She is 13 years old and only 115lbs. She is too shy to do anything with the guys so I jumped in. She needs a lot of guidance as she is lazy so I give her no slack on tell her to keep moving and quit talking. She is funny and cute so I don't mind working with her on the side, it takes a lot of workload off of Dan and I think he is very happy that I have taken her under my wing.

We worked on:

Escaping from Guard by pushing them to the side, scrambling out from under and taking there back, putting your hooks in and applying a choke drill.

Choke holds from the back and swimming from one arm to the other when they pull one arm off drill.

From the mount position we defended punches and drilled trapping their arms to hold off an attack

From a standing position with them on there back we drilled pushing their legs to once side then a hard shucking to the other side hard and fast and following it with a hard downward punch and following that punch inti Side Mount in one fast move.

Then the guys wrestled round robin style with input from Dan, I sat that out.


FOOD

9am.....5oz chicken, 6oz brussel sprouts, 2oz avocado

2pm.....5oz chicken, raw nuts

9pm.....6oz chicken, spinach salad with goat cheese

Tuesday February 2

I got back my Tuesday shift when Roxanne quit this week. I need the hours but hate missing 2 classes on Tuesdays. I woke up and started doing some dog collars orders after coffee and neck traction. Not being able to train hard has me feeling pretty good. Though my waking HR was 82 this morning. My BP is still high and I am sure it is the pain 162/94. I suspect the pain is driving it higher.

I did traction every hour for most of the day and it seems to be helping. I called Dan and said I wouldn't be working out for a few days. Worked all Day at Mr D's . I tried to stretch a few times but it just aggrivated my neck and made the pain unbearable.


FOOD

7am.........5oz salmon, 5oz banana. 4oz avocado, 1tsp olive oil

noon........5oz chicken, PB sandwich

9pm.........5oz chicken, 1 c. raw nuts and raisins

Monday February 1

Horrible nights sleep due to my neck. I finally was pain free last week after 6 weeks of chronic pain and now it happened again. Lots of hot showers, ice, traction and massager. I probably should get some ibuprofen if I decide not to go to the Doctor.

Met Dan at 10:45 ate the Forge. We went over Guard Passes.

One was pushing the leg down and laying heavy with upper body as I pass my hips diagonally threw by leading with the opposite hip first.

We did another one but I forgot is already, I'll post it if my memory comes back.

Next we did a move where I put my head on the floor and trap their head and arm with it then clasp my hands behind their head and squeeze.

We were doing something else and the muscle that is in a spasm from my neck injury flared up when Dan rolled on top of me and I screamed out in pain. I got him to dig his elbow into the area and it released. This is a bummer since it didn't effect my training before, I was always able to keep moving and it only really hurt when I sat still.

I got home and went through my anti-inflammation ritual for it then rested before going to UPS on the way to my evening class.

For my evening class we started out doing kicks. I am finally able to get my feet back to the fight stance right away, and throw one again without losing my balance most every time. We did about 4 rounds of 10 on each leg. Then Pete showed up and we went over escaping the clinch. I drilled everything with Elaina since she is so petite and can't hurt my neck. It was the first time she concentrated on her drills but I kept threatening to spank her or throw her down if she didn't concentrate. She is a little cutie but quite spoiled.

If your opponent has double hands behind your head, bring arm to his opposite shoulder and wedge it in and put the forearm on the chest and push off.

If your opponent has double hands behind your head, bring arm down to his opposite hip, the other hand will go on the the upper back towards the spine, now step the leg on that side around to the back and spin them around and drive them into a wall or other immovable object.

Same maneuver can be done but now place opposite foot on their ankle in a sweeping or kicking motion depending on how brutal you want to be and kick that foot out from under themas you spin them with your arms and scramble into side mount as they fall.

I grabbed some rum at the store on the way home to help deaden the pain and was asleep by 11pm and up at 4:30, so that was a better night sleep than I have been getting and I woke up refreshed, but the pain is what woke me up.

FOOD

9am.........6 oz chicken, banana

12:30.......PWO drink4:30........protein drink

3am.........6 oz beef, 1 cup raw nuts and rasins

9:30.........4oz beef, 8oz rum and coke

Sunday January 31

Active Recovery Day. I worked around the house most of the day. Most of my stiffness and soreness has been worked out from my rest days but again I did not do the flexibility work I should have.

Pain from my neck injury kept me from sleeping again and I was tossing and turning again all night.

A friend sent me this nice ankle flexibility video since breaking both ankles over the last 3 years has left them stiff and tight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxr9-IB0Rr4

Just as I was getting ready to take Truman for a hike in the Nature Preserve, the rain came so no hike today.

Friday January 30

I work up stiff and sore, I am glad it is a rest day. I tweaked my neck wrestling last night and the pain in the shoulder blade, deltoid and whole arm is back full force. It kept me awake much of the night.

The best part of the day is when my coach text me and said that I did great at practice and Charlie was saying how hard I was to wrestle. That was an excellent way to start my day!

I worked all day and tried to get in a few stretches but I was really beat so my plan of "active recovery" fell by the wayside. I went home and went to bed as soon as work was done.

Thursday January 28

I woke up and did some chores around the house before heading to the gym to loosen up. I only had 20 minutes. I did a lot of squats and toes touches as my legs are extremely tight. That leg work out on Monday really stiffened me up. I was loosened up nicely and headed to The Forge.

Today's MMA class at 11:30 was a striking class with just Casey, Ethan and me. We round robin'd on Dan, throwing punches he called out. Then we went to the bag to work on what ever he told us. Dan had me and Ethan work on throwing punches with Casey as she deflected them. He had me working on Stepping in with a Left Jab and once both feet were in place, throwing a Right Cross on the heavy bag.

I hung around and washed all the mirrors and the front glass, emptied the trash, and then swept. Tim did not show up for class and that meant I did not have a worker today so I blew off doing that order. I went home and rested but only napped 15 minutes.

I went to my gym to stretch for a half hour before class, I got to the Forge early and was able to get a good stretching.

Grappling class started out with me and the new guy Josh who weighed 260 lbs doing a drill where if someone is in mount I shrimp out from under them. I had done this a few times with Dan already. Then he showed us how to buck them up to either great space to shrimp out or get their arms out so you can grab one and pull it in then buck them off to the side since they are unbalanced.

Next we did a drill where if the person is shrimping out from under you when you are in mount, and you see they are at the point that they will get free, spin sideways into a Side Mount.

For wrestling at the end of the class, Dan paired me with Big Josh and I said no, he was too new for me. That kid is big heavy and strong and he uses his weight well and I didn't need that. It would be to easy for him to hurt me, the last thing I want is an injury. So he paired me with Charlie. It was good, he was not a spaz, at first he went easy and was telling me stuff to try, then I started muscling him and we got to going seriously (which I love!) He never went for anything so I think he must have been being nice or unsure since I am a girl and new, but after class he said he couldn't do anything since I was so strong and wouldn't let him move.

Next I rolled with Ethan, it was not a fair fight since I outweighed him by 60 lbs. I was able to take his back and got a rear naked choke on him. At this point Dan saw what was going on and came over to coach me into submitting him with it, which I did. We went again and I went easier, mostly because I was getting tired. I told Ethan to go for a submission if he could but he said we should stop. I was totally gassed out and heaving for breath. It was a great night!

FOOD

9am.........6 oz beef, bannana, 3 oz raw nuts

1:30.........PWO drink

4:30........protein drink

7:30.........PWO drink

10pm.......beef patty w/cheese, thai peanut noodles

Wednesday January 27

I had a bad nights sleep last night. My shoulder is painful still and it flared up again so that it wakes me up. I was up and down all night. I have a bit of work piling up and orders to do but I wasn't feeling up to both train and work today.

I went to the gym before class to warm up and stretch out since my legs are extremely tight from the Leg Presses on Monday. It makes a big difference if I do this for an hour before class even though it is a 20 minute drive down there. I am pretty much still warm and ready to go when I arrive.

Today Dan and I worked on Guard Passes and drilled them many times. We went over Posting the leg and passing, then he showed me the one where do a Can-Opener and when they let go of their guard, you scoop your arms under their legs, then clasp your hands over their belly, pull them in to stack them while posting up on your legs and scramble around them, your head will pry their open and you will come around them in guard.

The last part of the class we went over how to wrap my hands for boxing.

I got home and after showering, I went out and laid in the sun for a half hour before getting up to eat. Then I tractioned my neck and ran the massager on my shoulder. I was tired, so I laid down and played on the computer till I got sleepy then took a nap. I woke up and went to the gym to warm up for evening class.

Tonight we worked on Kicks. Dan had us slow down the Cross Kick then switch sides and use the left leg. I was able to start getting my feet planted back in fight stance and then switch from a right kick to a left kick with my feet going back to proper fight stance most every time.

Then we learned How to throw a Right Knee. It was a tough one to learn, but I started to get it down. Then we went on to do a switch step to throw a Left Knee. Pete came in and offered some input, his year old boy was with him.

Class kinda fell apart at that point. Tim & Josh started rolling, Pete and I started talking about his BBing and Muay Thai competitions. Dan and Casey were deep into conversation about doing ab work. At some point I stopped talking to Pete and he went over and started talking to Tim & Josh. I started goofing around with Pete's boy. he was so light so I was trowing him all over the place while he shrieked and giggled. Then we got on the floor and he was running and doing big belly flops on my tummy, it was so cute. I haven't been around a kid in years. We started breaking up and getting ready to leave. Tim said he would come home and work for me tomorrow between classes and that will help me get those 2 orders shipped.

I stopped at the gym and did 20 minutes of foot work and throwing some combo's, then a Delt & Bicep workout.

I pretty much showered, ate supper, then hit the sack.

FOOD

7am..........protein drink

noon........PWO drink

1:30.........6oz beef, banana, 1/4 cup raw nuts

4:30.........4oz salmon, banana

7:30..........PWO drink

9pm.........6oz beef, 8oz potatos, avocado, 2 beers

Tuesday January 26

After working around the house this morning, I went to the gym an hour before practice this morning. I did 10 minutes on the treadmill then stretched for an hour. It was only supposed to be for 45 minutes but I started talking to this cute guy who was doing abs next to me and time flew. I got to The Forge a few minutes late but it was ok since I was still warm.

It was only me and the new kid Ethan. Dan had us work on our stance. mine is tending to be a little wide and I am on my forward foot a little too much. Dan says I need to put a bit more on my back foot. he had us do a left jab and then a right cross checking out our positioning. I learned to keep my shoulders up and use them to protect my face as a shield when I throw a punch. Next Dan had us work on our right upper cut and left hook combo. All of this we were drilling till we started fatiguing and he wold catch Ethan's punches, then back to me. Last he started moving towards me and I would circle away from him then throw a combo of hooks & upper cuts. it was a great workout and I liked drilling skills that I learned a week or so ago and hadn't practiced for awhile. Last week I was too tired to practice at the gym next to my house but now I am getting use to the workload and can start doing it when I stretch.

When I got home from the gym I called Roxanne about buying her massage table. i thought she was going to say $400-500 and she said $100. I said I would bring her the money on Friday night after I get done work. then i said "oh, you are at Mr D's right now since it is noon" She told me she was at the hospital because she fell and broke her finger. Since she knew I had class tonight she was going to call Laurel and get her to go in early. I told her I would work since that would be enough to pay for the table. So I missed Grappling class tonight, which was a bummer since I get a ton of Drill time in when I am there. Oh well, at least I have practice with Dan in the morning....if he doesn't cancel.

Monday January 25

Dan text me in the morning and said he wouldn't make it today to have my grappling lesson, so I went to the gym. After warming up for 15 minutes on the elliptical, I did some Leg Presses. I hadn't done them in awhile so I kept my reps in the 15-20 range to keep me from going to heavy. After 5 sets and working my way up to 450lbs, I stopped so I wouldn't get to sore. Then I went and stretched for an hour and a half. I was ready for a nice nap and slept 3 hours and was almost late for class at 5:30.

I shipped a big order of Dog Collars at UPS, luckily it is on the way to The Forge.

Dan lead us through some foot work and went over all of our punches, then a review of our kicks. next he had us do the cross kick with out left leg, it was akward but we all got better as we drilled. It was an easy and fast class. Pete lead the second class, it was Muay Thai. He talked theory 90% of the class and we did little drills. I felt very rested when it was over so it was an easy day of training.

I hit the sack early so I could get up and work on 2 small orders I have.

Rest Days.....Ahhhhhh!

Thursday should have been a training day but I had all that work that had piled up and I decided to forgo training in lieu of things than earn me money. Being on my feet all day on the hard tile floor did not help me recover. I set the timer and drank water every 15 minutes and that made a difference since I was really dry.

Now it is Saturday and I have had 2 and a half days rest and I am getting my old energy back.

Friday was total rest and no active recovery. While at work I was just dragging my ass around and just able to do the bare necessities. i should have gone for a walk and stretched but I was just to lazy.

I went for a 3 mile walk before work this morning, but I did not have time to stretch as well, so I am doing that while at work. My hamstrings & glutes are as tight as can be. I brought all my laundry and next weeks food and I already have most of it prepped and cooked. The last load of laundry is drying now. Mr D went grocery shopping before I arrived so he is wore out and just sleeping all day. I will go for a walk and then to the gym for a light workout then stretch real well after work tonight.

Tim is coming over tomorrow morning to work. I have 2 orders to do and he can help me get them ready to ship Monday morning before . The biggest job I need to do is to get the big work bench set up in the shop so I can finish putting the shop together during the week. He can do some yard work while I go to the gym and a hike out at the preserve since he wants to work 12 hours. Plus there is all the trees and branches in the yard that CA cut down and have to be hauled, so I have plenty of work for him. Marilyn and Cal are coming over in the evening to help me rig up my bike for commuting. I want to start riding more and driving less. They have generator style bike lights they do not use anymore. Cal said he could put it on my bike but I don't think the wheels they have with the hub are the same size as mine.

Thursday January 21

After 2 weeks of intense training and company last weekend I was behind on my orders. One of the kids at the gym was willing to work instead of training today, so I took the day off to get some work done. I went down to the gym and picked Tim up at 9am and paid Dan for my wraps and boxing gloves.

I had him unload the fabric I had packed in the truck while I readied the shop, that was a big job I had been avoiding. Then I silk screened while he tagged. The biggest part was ironing all the bandanas, that took him 4 hours. By 8:30 we had the order done and ready to ship tomorrow morning on my way to work. Tim will come back on Sunday and help me assemble my work bench and do the 2 small orders I need to ship on Monday.

Friday and Saturday I work for Mr. Dunn, so no practice. I'll just go to the gym and stretch out real good. I am very tight right now.

Wednesday January 20

Got the house organized and the shop ready to start on all the orders that need to be processed. Tomorrow is the only day since I have to work on Fri & Sat. I got Tim from the gym to work for me. I'll be curios if he is worth a damn. He seems kind of dim witted but he is young...only 17.

Dan and I drilled and expanded on what we were doing last night in class with the escapes from guard. Then we did dome shrimping off the wall, learned to go more fetal in my shrimp, and did some bridges with the neck to strengthen mine.

I was not tired at all when I got home from class though I made myself rest. I took a supper hot shower for 2o minutes hitting my neck, back and glutes. Then I got naked in the back yard to get some sun and tractioned my neck. That neck injury is gone for now but that was 3 weeks of hell, so hopefully this will keep it at bay. Then I brought out my ice packs and lay on them for 20 minutes before flipping over and tanning my back. I only napped 20 minutes and was up and ready to go.

Evenings MMA class was great.

First we all took turns hitting Anthony from the Mount while he defended himself.

Then we switched and started doing arm sweeps while getting hit, or push offs with our legs.

Next we would stand up and twist out of guard, then push down the legs to avoid kicks or squeeze the knees to keep them from getting a punch in.

I like practicing with Anthony. Tim is not aggressive enough and forgets what to do. I bit the inside of my mouth, even though I had a mouth guard in. It is back by my molars and quite raw.

My paycheck was ready so I swung by Mr Dunn's and picked it up on the way home. I chatted with Pat a bit and her Psoas is doing better and I got down on the walkway and showed her a stretch for it. She is walking like an old lady. I can't believe she could tend to Mr Dunn properly if needed.

I took Truman for a walk when I got home, there were a bunch of folks in front of the gym and we all hung out a bit. Truman loved it. When I got home I did some chores before hitting the shower. I have a ton more energy since I started eating more.

FOOD
3am.........muscle milk & dextrose
6am.........muscle milk
9am.........5oz beef & 6oz banana
noon........PWO shake
3pm.........6oz chicken & 12oz potato
7:30pm...PWO and banana
9:30pm...6oz chicken...6oz potato...6oz green beans

It is tough getting food in based on my practice schedule and my sleep schedule. Waking up at 3am keeps me awake to long.

Tuesday January 19th

There were just 3 of us at the 11:30 class. We did all clinch work. By the end it was getting pretty tough as we went over the positions we learned and worked through it with some force trying to get the other person off balance to take them down.

1. Swim over and under's while head changes sides.

2. Hand over neck and one under swim.

3. With both hands under, clasp and raise high on back, raise one of my arms to get their elbow high, while dropping the other side down, so their body is off balance, then twist and throw them down to the side.


In between classes I ran up to Melbourne to get some more workout clothes since I am going 2x a day and really only had one compression bra and shirt. I got way to hungry while I was out so I got 2 McD chicken sandwiches with no mayo. That was the first bread I have eaten in 2 months. I fell asleep for 30 minutes before getting ready for evening class.


Evening class was getting out from being in someones side mount. We went over a maneuver and then drilled it 10x and switched so the other person could drill it. If we had time we would get a chance to drill it again. I drilled with Casey and she is 65lbs lighter than me but still was able to roll me.

1. Shrimp out after pushing off their hip and neck.

2. If their arm can be locked down at their side, do it pulling them in tight. Then thrust your other arm over their back to propel them over while you thrust your hip up.

3. When they post their elbow on my outer neck, clasp hands behind their back, pull their ear into into mine and squeeze hard to lock their arm, that is under my neck, in between my ear and my arm, so they can't post off of it, then roll them over with a hip thrust.

4. Belly Down... shrimp out, shoot arm in towards their opposite leg, grab it with both hands and come onto knees pulling them over. If they sprawl that leg away from you, just come out facing them.

I rolled with Tim at the end but he couldn't remember what to do and I laid heavy on him. I watched Casey and Dino and they were quite evenly balanced even though Casey was 25lbs lighter than him. She was able to maintain control quite a bit, and would go one way and if it didn't work, she would try something else with the gap presented.

At the end of class Tim was asking me weight lifting advise.


FOOD

8am....... 5oz chicken & 6oz banana
12pm..... PWO shake
3pm .......2 chicken sandwiches
8pm .......PWO shake
10pm .....4oz beef & 5oz potato

I'm really tired and fatigued.

This is the first week I have rolled all out a few times and combined with doubling my workload, it is just a bit on the edge of over reaching. My heart rate is pretty high and it wakes me up in the middle of the night pounding and I wake up. Benedryl and a drink slow me back down enough to sleep again. I am monitoring myself and hope I can hold out till Thursday night without going over the edge. If I get insomnia, I will know I have pushed to hard.

The only bad thing is I have put off getting my orders out and they are getting close to being late.

Technique List

Here is a list of all the techniques I have learned and I will add to it as I learn more.

GRAPPLING

From the Bottom

Kimora
Guillotine
Tricep Sweep
Hold off punches while in guard by grappling arms or kick off hips to escape
Arm Bar

From Top

Americana
Stand up posting off of head
Post leg up and stack body and pass to Side Mount
Push leg down and drive knee through to go to Side Mount
Roll off of mount to Side Mount, 3 positions of Side Mount Drill



KICKS

Low Kick
Push Kick
Inside Kick
Alternating Feet for kick set up


PUNCHES

Left Jab
Cross
Upper Cut
Left Hook

Time to Focus

After a week of company with CA here, We went and visited his family, they were in Orlando for the week. He cut down a lot of the Australian Pines that had been sprouting up over the summer with his chainsaw for me. Now I have a big chore of loading them up and hauling them to the dump. First I have to do 3 orders that came in last week that are a bit late. Having company made it hard to get anything done, he is a great friend but I can't focus on my work when he is around.

I went to my private grappling lesson this morning. John showed up to practice with me since my instructor Dan's arm is still in a sling. John was late so Dan taught me the arm bar. When John arrived we went over posting an opponents leg up to move to side mount and drilled it 10 times each. Then we drilled 3 arm attacks from side mount.

Today's Grappling Skills:

Arm Bar
Post Leg to Side Mount
Kimaura from Side Mount
Arm Lock from Side Mount
Americana from Side Mount

The house was a mess but I was tired so I took a nap, got up and ate, then rested some more. I got up and cleaned up, ate and got ready for evening class.

Tonights Muay Thai Skills.

Low Kicks,
Push Kicks
Inside Kicks
Alternating Knee Drills
Clinch Swim Drills with Knees

At the end of class we were all just goofing around and Dan said we could do what we wanted. I rolled with Anthony, he is the third best grappler in the school. It didn't take him long to submit me. Mostly I ran out of gas, but him sitting on my chest and throat made it pretty tough to breathe when I was already gassed so I had to tap. The only good thing was he said "damn, you are strong" when it was over.

I am going to try and train 2x a day Monday through Thursday since I work Friday & Saturday. Sunday can be my rest day. No more weight lifting till I adapt. The most I will do is my yoga and stretching since I am so inflexible and prone to injury still and work on my weak areas. My weakest area is gas. I tire quickly anaerobically. I need to do some burpees, but I could over train if I do, so I just need to let it happen with training slow and steady. I over train to often with over enthusiasm.

Monday
10:45 - noon.....grappling
5:30 - 6:30 .....kickboxing

Tuesday
11:30 - 12:30....mixed martial arts
6pm - 7:30.......grappling

Wednesday
10:45 - noon.....grappling
5:30 - 6:30 .....kickboxing

Thursday
11:30 - 12:30....mixed martial arts
6pm - 7:30.......grappling