probably not going to have time for a quality workout today.

I stayed up way too late again. If I happen to wake up early enough, I will lift weights before teaching classes. I see a nap in my future.

I'm getting ready to go randori with our brown belts and visiting black belt Toby Presnell. Places to go and people to throw!

crowd..

Wow! I still managed to get in a pretty good workout despite running into a friend I haven't seen since high school and others. I did abs and then ran on the elliptical for 45 minutes. I'm trying to work my way back up to an hour. 

It is difficult to run and have the feeling of going nowhere. However, when I run outside or on a track, I still end up in the same place I began. We need a virtual treadmill that when you are finished running, you are randomly in a different part of the gym. That would make in more fun for sure.

Tonight we are having a brown and black belt randori at the dojo. It should be a pretty good workout too.

slept in

It doesn't look like I'm going to get into the gym as early as planned, but still early enough to avoid the crowd. I have been running 2 to 2.5 miles on the elliptical for the last couple weeks. Today I am going to try 4 miles.

Getting to bed now...I plan to head to the gym a little early to avoid the crowd. Abs...

I just drank my pre-workout supplement. After a quicke shower, I'll head to the gym to do abs, shoulders, and arms. I'll try to get in some cardio too.

I have a major headache...maybe it has something to do with being up until 3am. Sleep time. Good night.

feeling great...

Ouch! My body is very sore this morning. The gym closed at 9 am today for the Thanksgiving holiday. I am thinking of going to the dojo and getting in a bit of a workout. Maybe abs and some time spent stretching....I guess I could do that at home right?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Did some Muay Thai drills tonight but didn't randori. I've got a bit of DOMS going on with my legs from weight training.

busy day...

Workout, teach Jiu-jitsu, do randori, come home, teach Winston afterschool program, teach kids Judo, then teach Muay Thai, do randori, and teach Jiu-jitsu again. Busy, busy, busy.

I had an alright chest/back workout this morning. I didn't have time for the elliptical. I did some randori for my cardio workout instead.

I gained a couple of pounds since I began lifting again...water weight from the creatine probably. I noticed some clicking in my shoulder this morning while doing incline bench. Many miles on this old body...

feeling good..

The workout was really good this morning. I did legs and ran on the elliptical. I didn't get enough sleep. I tried to get in an afternoon nap, but it just didn't happen. I am hoping to go to bed in a few minutes from now, so I can get adequate sleep and have another great workout tomorrow morning. I did feel a twinge of pain in my knee today, but nothing major. I will monitor it. Tomorrow is also randori, muay thai, and jiu-jitsu day. I will get in some mat work. Looking forward to it.

working out today

Today I begin with a new "supplement stack" of creatine, protein, and L-carnatine. We checked my body fat percentage last night. I will use another method today to verify the accuracy. I'm headed to the gym this morning to actually lift weights. I used to really enjoy weight lifting, but anymore, it is a bit difficult to get motivated and keep motivated.

Sambo instructor Scott Sonnon posted on his facebook that at 40, he is returning to competition. I needed to hear this. Now I am a little more inspired...and not alone.

The Red Knight wine...

Very cool! I just found out that Penny designed a special label in my honor to put on Giradet 14 Vines wine. The new label calls the wine The Red Knight. I will bring a bottle of it to the dojo for everyone to see. Thank you very much to Marc Giradet, Cara Early, and Penny Zea for this awesome gift.

Birthday!!

I kept thinking to myself "this is really great" and "I'm not worthy of all this" as the night went on.

First I pull into the driveway of Hillcrest Vinyards to the sound of Scotland the Brave being played on the bagpipes. It always gives me chills to hear the pipes. Olga told me to go ahead and go in the tasting room. I walked in to see my parents sitting there. I thought to myself, "cool, we're going to have dinner with my parents and the Demara family" (owners of the vineyard). Then suddenly a bunch of people jumped up from behind the counters, "Surprise!"

Wow! I was really surprised. Everyone had a wine glass in their hand and were calling for a speach. I made a short impromtu toast to all that were there. We then went into the main cellar. There were tables set up with tons of my favorite foods, wine, Russian Vodka, and fruit juice.

Wonderful toasts were made in my behalf from my family and friends. We watched two really well done video presentations of my life and of family and friends wishing me a Happy Birthday. As people made toasts, I was presented with gifts.

The video presentations were great. Our Russian family wished me well. Papa Oleg, Mamma Tanya, Grandpa Vasya, and Baba Polya all took a moment to wish me health, prosperity, and happiness. Vera, Victor, and Lilya did a special poetic presentation that was a great display of their talents. Also on that video was a greeting from Alexenko Sensei. He spoke of how long we have known each other and Judo time together.

The other presentation was a glimpse into my life. Everyone got to see pictures of me that I hadn't even seen in years. My favorite part was about when Malcolm was born.

We played a few party games and then we got to watch Samurai and the Cherry Blossoms perform. Olga, Polina, Penny, Sarah, Ryan, Anthony, and Jessee had been getting together to rehearse secretly. They performed their original song "The one who has gone before". It was really cool.

I have been to a few Jubilee celebrations in Russia, so the style of the party was something I was familiar with. Even though it was new to most, it seemed like everyone had a really good time.

My wife had been planning this event since July. Many of the friends and family that were there also took part in the planning and somehow managed to keep it a secret from me. What a bunch of ninjas they are!

Anyway, thank you to everyone that attended and helped make it happen. I am truly flattered and amazed. You guys are all great!

Wow! A Jubilee surprise birthday party at Hillcrest. Too many good things to list here right now. I am just amazed!

Still celebrating...

I had a great birthday on Thursday. I turned 40 years old. Everyone at the dojo surprised me with a party at the dojo with balloons, presents, lots of fatty foods, and good wishes from good friends. I then went to dinner with my parents, Olga, Malcolm, and Polina. When I got home, I found that I had a new king size memory foam bed waiting for me. I drank a Belhaven Scottish Ale with my dad and after everyone left, I went to bed and slept like a little baby. Great day!

Olga will not tell me what she has planned for today, but I know she has been "working on something" all week. She told me not to plan anything for today and that she "has Saturday covered". I don't know what that means, but when I was thinking about ordering the UFC pay per view, she said not to and that I will not have time to watch it anyway.

Right now, her and Polina are doing something away from the house. Malcolm and I are just lounging around.

No strength training for me today...maybe tomorrow. On Monday, I will receive the protein and creatine supplements I ordered. Paying money for a product is always a good motivation for me to get off my duff and get to working out.

Anyway, Monday morning I will be on the elliptical, burning off some fat and the calories I'm sure will be packed on this weekend. The gym and the dojo will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, so I am hoping to work out every day but those two. Maybe I'll still manage to get to the dojo on Friday to hit the bag and do some plyometrics.

Days run together...

Diet has been pretty bad the last few days due to birthday events. I do plan to start hitting the gym again this weekend.

This afternoon, Anthony text messaged to remind me that the ADCC and worlds are coming up early next year. I am not really concerned about my weight right now, but more about getting my strength built back up and getting my joints healthy again.

I did get a bigger, better bed for my birthday. It is a memory foam bed. I have wanted one for a long time. The comfort level is fantastic compared to the old bed, which means I should be better rested for the morning workouts.

I'm really looking forward to strength training this weekend. Maybe I can get in a little bit of grappling too.

Belhaven Scottish Ale...mmm good!

Day 7

Well, I had given up on the idea of making it to the gym while my grandmother was in town visiting. Any disturbance in my morning routine and I am out of whack for the rest of the day. She is at my parents tonight, but I will not have time to run or lift tomorrow morning either. We have a group of head start kids coming in on a field trip to tour and do a class with us in the morning. My birthday is on Thursday, so it is very doubtful I will make it to the gym then either. Next week seems to be the week to get in gear. Thanksgiving week.....good luck!

going to bed late again...

Day 4

I took the weekend off. I intended to work out on Saturday, but I decided to spend some time with my son instead. I knew he was going to go to Rogue River with Olga and Polina today for church. Lazy day today. I had a ham and cheese sandwich and watched a movie. Back to the gym tomorrow.

Day 2

Again I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked. Someone decided to text me this morning a couple of hours before my alarm!....and again an hour later. Anyway, the plan is to ad a few minutes to my elliptical run and perhaps get in some throws at the dojo. Maybe...just maybe, I'll actually get to strength train in the afternoon.

I ate home made burritos last night for dinner...late dinner. The late meal is a habit I have to change. Getting out of the dojo at 10pm makes it kind of hard. I guess I have to start packing meals with me to the dojo...

Now I can blog from my cell phone!

Day 1

I tried to get to bed a little earlier last night in order to give myself enough rest to get up and do some cardio before heading to the dojo this morning. Bundling up real nice to make sure my core temp is up to help burn some fat. Now I headed to the gym to run on the elliptical for about half an hour. Hopefully I can get in a little bit of a workout with the morning Judo class too.

Getting myself prepared...

I have begun the "getting back into shape" process today. I plan to do a new photo shoot for the book soon. In order to do that, I have to remember that I will be wearing a rashguard (very form fitting), so I need to be in better shape to look good in the photos. I also intend to hit some big tournaments next year, so I am giving myself a few months of intense periodized training and proper nutrition. Perhaps it is a mid-life thing (I'll be 40 next week) or just a need to feel healthier and set a good example. Anyway, I will be recruiting a few volunteers from our dojo to work in some grappling and sparring time with me. Sounds like fun...See you at the dojo!