Showing Up

It's not about the number of hours spent in training. It's not about the exact number of rounds logged. It's about commitment and staying in the game, about showing up for training.

Life's sorta, kinda insane right now with my law practice getting busier (yay!) and my upcoming move. As such, it's easy to find excuses not to train. Today was one of those days. I felt an intense wave of what Steven Pressfield would call "resistance." (Pressfield elaborates on resistance in his book, The War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles--a very good read, by the way.)

What can I say? I went to the mat with resistance and managed to get to the gym for a short workout. It really was brief:

• 14 minutes of roadwork
• 5 rounds of shadowboxing
• 2 rounds of stretching

That's it. Of course, it's not about the amount of training time I can post here; it's about showing up to do the training.

Friday Roadwork

48 minutes today.  Nice, easy pace.  Great day to be outside.

Thursday Morning Training

Today's gym session was a great start to my day. Chad was there, cheerfully putting one of the members through an intense workout. I trained on my own. Due to my need to do some errands and get to an appointment by 10:30 a.m., the workout was a bit shorter than I would have liked, but it still got me focused and feeling great for the rest of the day. Here's the breakdown.

• 55 minutes of roadwork (this was after the gym session, later in the day)
• 4 rounds of shadowboxing
• 4 rounds on the heavy bag
• 3 rounds of stretching
• 1 rounds of abs work

Not a bad workout, just a little short on time. I'm glad I have been doing more stretching and emphasizing flexibility. That's going well and I'm already noticing less post-workout soreness. In the comments to this previous blog entry, fellow boxers Robert and Marc agreed about the importance of flexibility. With their encouragement, as well as that of my local friend, Mark, I can't go wrong.

Mike Tyson Training Video Courtesy of MarksTraining.com

Marks has a good blog post up with an embedded video of Mike Tyson training. Check out the video and Marks' commentary about it; it's worth seeing.

I might disagree with Marks about whether Tyson "was the greatest boxer to step into the ring." Then again, I might not. These are fun debates to have over a few beers with friends, but as far as answering who was or is "the greatest," I find the debate itself is a lot more important than whatever conclusion one reaches (which is bound to be different from the other guys talking about it).

It's helpful and inspiring to see a masterful presentation of some of the things my coaches have been trying to get me to do over the years.

Also, I hope you'll spend some time at the rest of Marks' blog. He has a fair amount of boxing content, along with the various other martial arts and MMA.

Training Continues

Not a lot to report here.  I've been doing the roadwork consistently and working on solidifying the gym routine and improving it.  It's getting where I want it to be.  Life is nuts right now.  Work is very busy and I am juggling various family issues and am preparing for a move.  Training keeps me grounded.

Monday's Training Update

Over the last two weeks, I have been to the gym a few times and had several roadwork sessions that lasted for an hour or more. I don't try to log all my training here, but I like to mention some of the workouts. Doing that helps me stay motivated and allows me to post about some other topics related to boxing. Also, my blogging here has been sparse because work has been very busy--unusually busy for July. Of course, being self-employed, that's a pretty good "problem" to have. I've been networking like a madman and have been hustling to get some new clients for my law practice. I'm also pursuing a few more writing gigs, so yeah, it has been a busy, and unusually productive, summer so far.

Here's today's training breakdown.

• 32 minutes of roadwork
• 4 rounds of shadowboxing
• 4 rounds on the heavy bag
• 4 rounds on the double-end bag
• 4 rounds of stretching
• 1 round of sit-ups and crunches

I did more stretching today than I had been doing because I want to focus more on flexibility. Over the weekend, I was talking with my buddy, Mark, about the challenges of the, ahem, "aging athlete," particularly in the area of preventing injuries. (Mark's a southpaw, pretty much ambidextrous as a boxer, and a fellow forty-something guy, so I am looking forward to sparring with him when his ankle heals.)

Flexibility is the component of fitness that seems to be overlooked most frequently. That's a shame because it's easy to practice and maintain and is a huge help for staying healthy and relatively injury-free. As long as I live, I want to remain committed to health and fitness. Of course, I don't know how long that will be. But there's a lot of longevity in my family and if I'm going to be on the planet until I'm 85 or 90 years old, I want to be healthy and fit for it.

Quick Update

Some brief periods of roadwork after Friday's training:

Saturday, June 28: 26 minutes
Monday, June 30: 24 minutes

Also, some good news: Chad at GoTime said he will help arrange some sparring for me. Since my training times have varied a lot recently, it has been hard to get much sparring practice, but I am hoping we can change that soon. I have been working on various improvements to my technique and would like to do some sparring to practice them under "real" conditions.

Sending Condolences to an Online Boxer Friend

My friend Marc's dog passed away on Sunday. I hope you will please join me in offering condolences to Marc. Thank you.

Friday Morning Workout

I did the morning workout again.  It was great.  It's still a bit difficult to get the timing of the workout down, but it is getting easier and I'm enjoying it.  Upon completing today's workout, I felt a lot of joy and peace--probably the rush of endorphins to my brain! The exact explanation doesn't matter; I'm not going to second-guess wholesome good feelings.

Here's the recap of today's workout.

• 1 hour 25 minutes of roadwork
• 5 rounds of shadowboxing
• 5 rounds on the double-end bag
• 3 rounds on the heavy bag
• 1 round on the uppercut bag
• 3 rounds of stretching
• 1 round of situps and other abdominal exercises

That's 18 rounds plus the roadwork--not a bad way to begin a Friday.  I believe this kind of experience is what my friend Marc has in mind when he refers to the "joy of training."  How sweet it is!

Roadwork and Shadowboxing Update

Thursday, June 19: 45 minutes
Friday, June 20: 34 minutes
Saturday, June 21: 35 minutes
Monday, June 23: 23 minutes

Monday's Workout

Ever have one of those days when work consumes more time than you thought it would and you come close to talking yourself out of going to the gym? Today was such a day. As I was scrambling to finish various projects and get on my way, I began to think, "Maybe I'll just take today off and go in early tomorrow morning." Doing that was tempting, but I am glad I got to GoTime this evening.

Here's a recap of the workout.

• 35 minutes of roadwork
• 3 rounds of shadowboxing
• 3 rounds on heavy bag
• 2 rounds of stretching
• 7 rounds on double-end bag

I spent a lot of time on the double-end bag to work on my speed and timing. I'm trying to improve some combinations with it. I love that bag--it's like a close friend--because, as frustrating as it is to use, it always teaches me a lot.

I'll write more about my routines with the double-end bag soon. I'm trying to make the practice as interesting as possible so that I'll stay with it.

Saturday Roadwork

45 minutes on Saturday.

Wednesday's Training

I'm posting this (as well as the entry that immediately follows it) a few days after the fact, but because it mentions a slightly different approach to training, I want to post it.

On Wednesday, May 21, I tried something new: I did my training in the morning before work on a weekday. I haven't done that in a while and it was a great way to start the day. I got over to GoTime, talked with Chad for a few minutes, and then got to my routine. Here's the recap.

• 35 minutes of roadwork
• 3 rounds of shadowboxing
• 3 rounds on the heavy bag
• 6 rounds on the double-end bag
• 2 rounds of stretching
• 1 round of situps/abs

It was nice to do a morning workout. If I am going to continue doing them, I'll have to start a little earlier than I did on Wednesday, but I am still pleased with the results. Having some variety in the training program helps me stay interested.

JD Bliss Webinar with Carolyn Elefant: "From BigLaw to YourLaw: The Secrets of Starting and Growing a Successful Solo Law Practice"

Attention all lawyers:

Many of you know that I am a guest blogger and regular contributor at the JD Bliss Blog. I'm thrilled to post this announcement about Carolyn Elefant's upcoming webinar.

---

JD Bliss is proud to announce a new webinar on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM EST:

From BigLaw to YourLaw: The Secrets of Starting and Growing a Successful Solo Law Practice

with

Carolyn Elefant, Esq.
Attorney, Author, Blogger and Consultant

During this 60-minute webinar, Carolyn Elefant, Esq., successful solo attorney, author of Solo by Choice, and publisher of the popular MyShingle blog for solo lawyers, will cover the nuts and bolts of starting up and growing your own successful solo law practice.

Attendees will learn:

• The 9 reasons lawyers leave law firms to start their own practices


• How to evaluate whether starting your own law firm is the right choice for you


• How to write a business plan for your new firm


• Techniques to identify potential clients and markets


• 3 easy marketing tools to help build your reputation


• How to negotiate an amicable departure from your current firm without "burning bridges"


• And much more. . . . . .

Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 pm EST

Location: Participate remotely from the comfort of your own office or conference room via a webex connection!



We look forward to greeting you!

---

I'm reading Carolyn's new book, Solo by Choice, and am thoroughly enjoying it. I recommend that you read the book and attend her webinar on June 3 to take advantages of these opportunities to learn about solo practice from Carolyn's extensive experience and clear, practical, and interesting way of presenting information about this exciting sector of our profession.

Preston Halliburton: Another Lawyer-boxer

As many of you know, I'm also a guest blogger at the JD Bliss Blog. A few days ago, I posted about yet another lawyer-boxer, Preston Halliburton of Buckhead, Georgia. Here's a link to the story.

http://www.jdblissblog.com/2008/05/in-this-cornerp.html

I'd like to say that the number of us lawyer-boxers is growing. I've blogged before about other lawyer boxers, and about law-student boxers. However, I don't know if our numbers are increasing or if we're just getting more press and blog coverage. It doesn't really matter, though, as long as we're enjoying the sport. Keep training, everyone!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

On May 5, 1994, I set out on my own to establish my solo law practice. It's hard to believe that was 14 years ago, but that's how quickly time flies. I can honestly say that I have had no regrets whatsoever; I am blissfully self-employed. I have certainly learned many things along the way, and I would probably do some things differently on a second attempt, but no regrets. It's a great feeling! 14 years--woohoo!