Well, after committing to posting some more, a few things happened that have left me posting less (and training a bit less too) The main one was this:

What a spectacular shiner I had! Strangely enough it didn’t hurt much, but the cut in my eyebrow and all the bruising got me a bit off track, not to mention missing the rest of the match where an opposing player mistook my head for the ball (which I had already headed away!). Accidents happen when you are competing hard on the same field unfortunately.

As winter has started closing in, and the mornings are so dark and cold, finding the motivation to train has become more difficult. Having some events to look forward to does light a fire under me just a bit though… Some great progress towards those events:

• Attending black belt grading preparation sessions at AMA. Working hard to get my 1st dan in only a few weeks. More practice required with the kamas required. I look pretty uncoordinated right now, and in my last practice I dropped them at the start of the routine and promptly completely forgot the rest!!!
• Getting some swimming coaching – a quick session with the fabulous Sarah Maguire from Concord Tri Club has given me some fantastic tips on improving my swimming. I really appreciated the amazing support from the club community on their Facebook page. People are so very lovely!

Other goals, like a successful football season, and the half marathon in September, these are all still in train. It feels like I’m making progress and  they are all motivating me to get out of bed in the morning and just do some training!