My Worst Enemy

FATIGUE!  In the last 6 months, I can count on one hand, how many decent night sleeps I’ve had.    I’m finding it is having an impact on most everything I do, especially my training.  I’m scared to sit down with fears that I may not get back up again.  I am a person who enjoys always doing something, not  sitting around watching the grass grow.  However, somehow there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish what I have on my list or the energy to do so.  I can feel the fatigue in my joints and muscles, my memory, my mental alertness and lack of motivation.  Last Thursday night I went for my MRI on my knee, and even with the muffled sound of a jack hammer by my head, I actually fell asleep!    Today as I was painting the deck and was sitting down to reach low stuff, I could have fallen asleep in the paint tray, I was so tired.  I really need to figure this out.

So now I am trying to do what I can to wind down before hitting the hay.  I can’t say I have been very successful yet.  Here’s to hoping for a good night sleep tonight!

Alana Regier

Our Bags Are Packed!

Just a week to go and we are off to Grand Cache!  This week I have been going over the list of mandatory equipment to have and that which is recommended.  Our packs are getting full.  Duct tape on the recommended list didn’t surprise me, being there is nothing it can’t fix, however Vaseline, not sure about that one????  As nervous and a little anxious as I feel, I am definitely more excited than anything.  We have a great team and are going with the purpose of not only meeting a challenge, but one of having fun and enjoying the ride (or the run in this case).  

This upcoming week I am probably going to have to take it a little easy, as to not aggravate my knee.  I’m going to need it! 

Alana Regier

A Common Theme

The last few blogs posted seem to have a common theme about them.  They speak honestly of where people are in their life and the difficulty and challenges people are facing to meet their requirements and commitments.  I don’t believe that for anyone, being a part of the I Ho Chuan  team, is a walk in the park and life is rosy all the time.  We all face setbacks and discouraging moments.   Being honest with ourselves as well as with fellow team mates is the only way to change discouragement to something positive.  I listen to everyone in the monthly meetings openly tell the struggles they face and I find I can relate to everyone on some level.   It is reassuring to know that I am not the only one feeling bogged down, falling behind or struggling with feelings of disappointment and discouragement.

We are our own worst critics.   We have high expectations for ourselves and are disappointed when we don’t meet them.   We have all chosen challenges that are just that, challenges; they aren’t supposed to be easily accomplished.  We forget that life has a way of throwing obstacles that make us go off course and maybe fall a little behind of where we think we should be.  However, like has been said, when a person looks back to the beginning of the year and looks at the numbers add up in their log or sees personal challenges met or positive changes taking place in their relationships, how can we ever say that we failed? 

At the beginning of the year, my first couple of months were brutal.  I admit I was guilty of neglecting some of my other commitments, thinking that I had to put everything I had into my kung fu alone.  I wasn’t sure how to juggle everything and thought I had to pick one thing over the other.    It was in spending time on my personal challenges that I woke up.  I realized that if I neglect other parts of my life and only focus on kung fu alone, in the end, what have I truly accomplished

 Right now, I feel immense relief that I’m not neglecting the things that are truly important in my life and feel an incredible peace.   I am enjoying where I am and what I’m doing.   I have missed the demo and a meeting or class here or there, and have felt guilt every time.   I have had to accept that sometimes there are other places I have needed to be.  I am still totally engaged and determined.  I have set my goals and am going to do all that I can to accomplish them.   I’m not sure where I’ll be come fall, but I do know that I will be closer to my goal than I was at the beginning of the year.  I still have struggles continually, but I have found that I have been handling them differently than a few months ago.   Taking things day by day, step by step, trying to move progressively forward in the process.

Thanks to everyone who has been so honest and open to where they are and how they are feeling.  Sticking together and encouraging each other is a whole lot easier when you know more about your fellow team mates.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca/

Back from Holidays

 Although I left for holidays with the best intentions of being on the ball with my training, I fell short of all I wanted to do.  I still kept engaged with my sit ups and push ups, and kept racking up the kilometers.  Darcy and I found a 5 km nature trail that we took at least once a day.  Because the mosquitoes were so bad, we were forced to run most of the way; good training but not so fun in such hot temperatures.   We spent a lot of time at the ball diamonds, miniature golfing and of course fishing.  I practiced doing little pieces of forms in the lake, but was told by the kids that I was “kind of embarrassing them.”  So I changed it up and sat on the beach visualizing the moves as I watched the kids try to drown each other (good way to relax and not work up a sweat at 32 degrees above; very cool). 

The week and a half was a great time, with the highlight for me, being that our youngest son finally caught his first fish.  He has come home empty handed every time, but this week he pulled in more than his share.  The look of excitement on his face was a total Kodak moment.  He caught the first fish of the day, in less than an hour on the lake.  Totally awesome!

So after some rest and relaxing, it is time to get back to some sort of routine.  I am starting to feel a little anxious as I look at the calendar and realize that we are already well into July.   Our race day is coming up in just under 3 weeks and September is coming up fast.  So much to do!

Alana Regier

Take Me Back to the Mountains

Usually as soon as the kids are done their exams, our family takes off to the mountains.  This year we changed it up a bit and headed to the Ponoka Stampede. 

 As kids my family use to go to Ponoka pretty much every year, as we had grandparents and aunts and uncles who lived there.  However, as a child I saw only the flashy lights, horses, cotton candy and mini donuts.   I have tons of great memories spent with family.  However now as an adult I have a much different perspective.  I see the crowds; garbage everywhere and very intoxicated people off to find another party.  I think I’m realizing that my appreciation for the peace and quiet in nature outweighs the crowds and noise more each day.  Don’t get me wrong, we had a good time with family and friends, but next July long weekend, I think we will take them with us west to the mountains. 

We are now at Slave Lake to do some fishing.  Now this is more my style.  It’s not the mountains but its spending some quiet relaxing time with friends and family, what could be better than that?  We spent the last couple of afternoons out on the lake fishing.  The sun is shining and tonight it’s another fish fry!  There is something to be said about what relaxing and rest can do for a person, both physically and mentally.   I haven’t slept this well in months.   We are still racking up kilometers and spending lots of time at the ball diamonds and the beach every day.  It’s a different kind of training but one that has incredible benefits.  Well,  back to the lake again, it is soooooo hot!

Alana Regier