my US Open hat that I keep nearby with my poster and Black Belt to remind me each day of what I am working toward!

O.K., so today has been rough physically.  Main reason why is that I was up past 4:30a.m. this morning not being able to sleep.  I went to bed early enough to unwind, worked through my mental relaxation, and as I was dozing I suddenly, and really like a mental machine, began going through each step of every event that I have been practicing for…over and over and over and over.  I found myself at one point actually breathing heavy with my heart racing as I was imagining the effects of competing in my events back to back, hearing the crowd, feeling the pressure in the room, executing each technique with my training partners…  It was quite a surreal experience.  I could very nearly feel as though everything was happening in the room with me last night.

Sometime shortly after 3a.m. I sat straight up, drank the whole glass of water I keep bedside and tried to shake it off.  Holly woke up, realized what was happening and so she got up with me and began talking me through each and every family vacation we have ever been on together, beginning way back in Southern Germany, across the U.S., down in the Keys, and tried focusing her words on things like peaceful waters or our quiet hikes through the mountains.  I’m glad she didn’t go through the vacation where we spent a summer traveling the East Coast riding every roller coaster we could find…I might have been sick at that point.

It was actually a chore, but eventually we were able to switch my thinking to peaceful scenes and away from the tournament.  I looked at the clock for the last time at 4:36a.m.

A personal journal entry from a couple of years ago where I listed my goals for the U.S. Open (I marked off other things as there are some other big things getting ready to happen on that page too). WOW! From a couple of years ago writing it down to being a week away from it happening!!!

I suppose this is what it means to eat, breathe, drink, and SLEEP what you are involved in…for me, it the U.S. Open World Martial Arts Championships.  The struggle came just a couple of hours later when I had to be up to take Michael to a school evaluation, and then straight to a couple of hours of training with the team…outside…in the sun…and humidity…in full gear…waaaaaaa!  I know, I know…stop whining! 

I’m kidding really.  It was tough, but well worth it all for what will be taking place one week for now…ONE WEEK AWAY!  I really believe I mentally switched another gear last night during that experience where I am now in full-on “get it done” mode for the tournament.  Pumped!  Not that I haven’t been getting it done all along, but this is a very different level now…does that make sense?  I feel very different today, even beyond being tired.

I have some more people to introduce you to later, but for now…I am taking a NAP!  See ya!

P.S. – Take a look at yesterday’s post and meet the rest of the team if you haven’t already…cool stories coming out of our Quest!