Geezer's Long March Toward the Elite Sneaking Up On the Finish Line

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 248.5

You're welcome Bill.

Your are right on point about knives spar. I've done some anatomical research in recent years about key points with respect to knives and as you say, a 4" or even 3 1/2" blade is plenty. The key artery bleed outs are all within range of that length and even the heart is. It's just tricky to miss the ribs and not jam up the blade so find a better target. The kidneys bleed you out in a few minutes, not quite as quick as the femoral or carotid arteries but the sudden blood pressure drop takes you under fast. Add to the instantly lethal CNS disconnections at the back of the neck or behind the ear, even those are well within reach of these blades, especially if driven in with force. Your friend sounds like he showed you some things like one of our 7th degree black belts demonstrated based on Okinawa-te knife techniques. The knife becomes an adjunct to the weaponless hand striking arts with one open hand performing attention getting misdirection for the blade in the other which is never seen soon enough to realize just how weak your shit is about to become. I know it scared me.

Anyway, now to the main event.

5 minute warmup on the bike (Medium Day)

Overhead Press: 170 x 5 x 5. Rep #5 of set #5 was a squeaker. I juuust barely locked it out. But the shoulder is still feelin' good.

Power Clean: 95 x 3, 135 x 3, 155 x 3, 175 x 2. I was scheduled to do dumbbell rows and back extensions today but I said what the Hell, I want to have some fun. I'll kill two birds with one stone even though I suck at these. It was especially fun doing these next to a guy about my size and a good 20-30 years younger who was deadlifting 185 for reps.

Foam roller and stretching.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 247.5 Damn, being 60 and having an accurate scale makes weight loss a pain in the ass!

No jujitsu for this bonzo since it's a black belt only class up in Northridge, so I did something I haven't undertaken in a while, a 30 minute walk. As is usual it was along the 30' bluff overlooking the Pacific and there were a larger number of people out and about than usual. The June gloom and overcast has lasted most of the Summer so far and kept us in the low 70's by the beach. Man that global warming is a bitch. Lots of joggers, skaters, and more SCUBA types down by the Redondo Pier than I've ever seen. I'll get in some more foam rolling and stretching later when Dearly Beloved and I go to Golds this afternoon.

[Oldster]

Some very good lifting of late, Mark. Nice.

170x5x5 will definately strengthen that shoulder.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thank you sir.

Weight: 247

5 minute warm up on the bike (Medium Day)

Bench Press: 200 x 5 x 5. Not too hard with 3 minute rest intervals. I did more reps in my warmups as you recommended Oldster, and I felt a lil' suthin' suthin' in the delt, but if I hadn't been so alert for any signs of problems I wouldn't even have noticed in the past. So I think I'm pretty much back to scratch now. But I'm saving my best efforts for that 225 OHP. Arrgh, see ye be watching, Moby. I be comin' fer ye, says I.

Squat: 310 x 2. My back wasn't really bothering me but a healthy sense of caution after a veeery slow rise out of the hole on #2 said, 3 next time.

I did a running GXP today. Nice change of pace since I haven't had any foot, knee, or ankle problems. Finished with foam rolling and stretching.

Yo, Bill. While I was oot and aboot yesterday (with a friendly nod to our neighbors in The Great White North) and mourning the loss of Borders I stopped in at the surviving Barnes and Noble. Rory Miller has a new book out that is not bad in a lot of ways. It's titled Facing Violence. In it, he addressed some of what I saw of the shortcomings of his first book. There are some valuable insights and advice in this new one, but you have to filter it. He is talking a broadly mixed audience of professionals in law enforcement as well as citizens along with an occasional nod to specific and unique women's issues. The nuggets for each discrete group get a little lost in the mix. Also his very analytical approach while useful in dissecting the hows, whats, and whys, should be read and then put to the back of the mind while concentrating on a few simple basics.

My own approach has been to narrow cast to a specific audience or audiences. Mainly citizens at this point, because I don't have the LEO chops in terms of credibility for that community. Although I know plenty that is superior to what I see and hear is being taught to cops in the academies these days. Miller hails from around your neck of the woods Oldster, in and around Portland.

Those basics that I see as fundamental, and they hold for both genders are:

Stay alert, don't multi-task
Stay away from hot spots
Know how to look for weapons and boogie when you see or feel the level of intensity rise
Don't get isolated
Run if you can, deflect and run if necessary, block if there's no other choice, but keep mobile and quick
If you have to fight, don't take a stance, hit, stomp, low kick, and split
Make a lot of noise to draw attention and bring help

There are a few others but those will get or keep you out of harm's way or the hand's of all but less than 5% of possible criminal engagements.

[tertius]

Good advice, and something I've none instinctively for a long time (as a skinny guy weird guy who had to learn to manage conflict early on, or get beat up). Also what I've heard many times from the good MA instructors I've had.

Also, while I admire your pursuit of that press, maybe Ahab isn't the best role model? I mean, I'd hate to see you end up lashed to a barbell for eternity due to your unwillingness to give in. Though it would prevent the spider monkey geezer dude bros at your gym from using the bar for curls, I guess.

[Mark E. Hurling]

You're right about Ahab, in fact I'd been thinking about that since the entry. Maybe Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp (brilliantly supported by Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday and Sam Elliott as his brother Virgil) in Tombstone, "You tell 'em I'm comin', and Hell's comin' with me!" Yeah, that's the ticket. The geezer dude bros weren't there this morning. No doubt on a road trip for their semi-annual road trip to Vegas to get their graying ashes hauled. Instead today, I got to listen to strange woman singing to herself off-key with her I-pod and ear buds on the elliptical while I was squatting. Like some wraith or banshee calling to lost souls. It positively evoked the old Michael Moorecock goofy shit I used to read in high school.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 248

5 minute warm up on the bike. (Light/Speed day)

Overhead Press: 135 x 8 x 3 + 14. I was scheduled for 130 on this, but I was both lazy in terms of loading and also wanted to start using the Power Systems bumper plates for consistency in plate weight variance as I close in on my next max effort single.

Hammer High Row: 270 x 8 x 3 +10.

Claw Grip: 180 x 2 x 5, PR! The cable weight stack only goes up to 190 which of course I can jerry rig at least 10 more pounds to, but I may compelled to find another way of loading this move.

Foam roller and stretching. I wore my heart rate monitor and kept and average HR ar 133 bpm for 83% of MHR for 36 minutes total. This is figured from warm ups to final stretch. Also today is one year since I started this log. Normally I would have some lessons learned, but the only ones that come to mind just now are:

* Don't trust one source of information like your home scale for assessing your progress or lack of it. The disappointment in some respects can be devastating.

* Inspiration and encouragement from others makes all the difference, compared to solitary toiling away at the iron with zen like inner concentration and no whooping in the background to fire you up.

[DoctorWho]

PR! Keep that up and I will never catch you, you strong bastard.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

PR! Keep that up and I will never catch you, you strong bastard.

As long as he's out front he can inspire us.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Who me? I cede pride of first place to Oldster. You what they say, "If you ain't lead dog the view never changes."

I barked up the wrong tree for a lot of years. I wasn't exactly a howling success. My doubts about what I was doing often gave me paws. I had to follow my nose to get here. OK I'm done now. Back in the dog house for me.