Frustrated

I don't know where the days are going. I seem to be doing something every minute of the day. I was hoping that this semester would be easy, especially given that I've taught this course for years and last year my lesson plans/power point slides were really good. However, I found out last week that the book that we're using has been changed -- that means that all my plans from last year are useless. I mean, a few things are salvageable, but it still means putting in several hours a week preparing for class.

Last week I got back to my Kajukenbo training. That felt really good. The class is full of new faces - all new to the class. This whole week I was the only yellow belt that showed up, so I was used a number of times to demonstrate some of the moves. There are a few things that I'm good at and others that I struggle with. Thursdays class involved kicks -- my kicking sucks. I just have no power behind my kicks. I left class with tears in my eyes, totally dissatisfied with how I performed in class. Even my coach's words of encouragement didn't lift my mood. I know I'm hard on myself -- I get frustrated. What can I say?

On Wednesday I started my morning gym routine. I'd like to hit the gym 4 times a week plus do my Kajukenbo 3 times a week. I still have my Brazilian Jiujitsu training to work into the mix - I haven't been able to do that so far. However, I'm meeting with my coach next week and we'll see what can be arranged.

It felt great to get back to the gym albeit still very frustrating because I can't use my arms/upper body. On Wednesday I focused on legs (what else could I do?). I really pushed myself and I was pleased with how my workout went.

However, when I woke up on Thursday, I could barely walk. Every step was painful (the good, but torturous kind of pain). I got myself to the gym and got on the treadmill. Somehow I managed to push out an HIIT workout. It's been a long time since I've sprinted. Given how sore my legs were, I don't know how I stayed on the treadmill. After that I decided to do some core work - plank, crunches, reverse curls etc.

Again, I'm frustrated because although there are lots of exercises I can do without my arms, I feel like it's a bit of overkill on my legs. I know that I'm just getting back into the routine, so initial soreness is to be expected, but what about later? Suppose I still can't use my arms for another month? How much leg work can I do while still being effective?

That night at Kajukenbo, as luck would have it, we ran, worked on sprints, and did all sorts of leg exercises plus focused on kicks.

Seriously?

It was hard enough going down the stairs to get to class, but then to focus on legs? It was tough. Really tough.

I know that added to my disappointing performance. However, I don't want to make excuses. I don't want to say that my kicks sucked because I was sore. I need to find a way to get past this.

I need to find a way to schedule my workouts so I'm not exhausted and that I can give 100% in whatever I'm doing. I haven't figured out how to do this yet.

To help me get over my frustration about class, my brother was kind enough to be my tackling dummy this weekend. I feel much better now that I've put in a few more hours of practice. I still have so much further to go though. It's ok - I just have to keep at it.