Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Best laid plans

Oscad and I were going to Nutley last week. I was napping at home, having finished my final day at Paragon. Oscad was getting his armor together at BAT. about 6:30 we talked as he was leaving, and just before I hung up I asked "did either of us check to see OS Nutley is in this week?" The answer was no, so I checked and, sure enough, it doesn't resume till tomorrow. Then Irene came to town and the subway was taken offline. No BAT Sunday. So I have lost two practices already that I was planning to go to. Have to make those up somehow. Anyway, I will be at Nutley tomorrow.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Crown prep

There are 77 days until Crown Tourney.

I have begun my new training regimen in ernest. I will not be able, due to circumstances like living in NYC and not owning a car, to practice twice a week as I would like. I have worked out what I consider to be the ultimate SCA training regimen, (next post) but it requires a midweek practice, and I can't get to Nutley every week.

Today I want to talk about two things: tracking workouts and scheduling.

I've started using the imapmyride app to keep track of my workouts and my nutrition (which can always use some help). Up until now I've just been playing with it, but from now on I intend to use it every day to record what I am eating and how I am training. The workouts show up on www.mapmyfitness.com and on facebook. It is a well designed app that will also track my runs and bike rides via gps (the main reason I got it). It is how I know, for instance, that it is 13.9 miles from my house to City College, where I teach Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was making that ride once a week (twice for one week) in July. Biking will be nearly all my cardio. I will also be lifiting, mostly kettle bells, doing yoga, and using my indian clubs. Fighting will show up as "miscelaneous martial arts". In this way I hope to keep myself honest as to how much work I am putting in this year.

It is important to make a schedule when you are training. I will be travelling a bit between now and Crown, and I'll hit the field once or twice for the early hunting season, so I won't get to as many fight practices or events as I would like. Currently my plan is as follows:

Fight at Barleycorn

BAT (or another sunday practice) every week but October 9 and October 30 (that's 9 practices). At least one of those should be at Andre's practice in South Jersey and two at Iron Bog.

Nutley on 8/24 (or 31), 9/7 & 21, and 10/12, 19, & 26.

I won't make King's and Queen's Champion at arms. I will try to make at least one more fighting event before Crown.

Crown is on November 5.

So between now and Crown I plan to be in armor 16 times. If I can stretch that to 20 I should be in good shape.

My goal in every crown is, of course, to make my lade queen. But my personal goal remains making it to the round of 4. Under the format for this crown that will be really hard, because it will likely take 26 to 31 fights to get there. That's a lot of fights for a crown tourney. So my wind better be up.

Next post I will talk abut the ultimate SCA Training Regimen TM.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Penndic correction

Correction her name was Roisin Ailill.
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Friday, August 12, 2011

Last Day of Pennsic

This has been a great war. I haven't fought as much as I'd like, but I fought a lot and partied a bit and great things happened.

We had three new fighters in our group, Duncan, Deklin, and Shandar, plus Thormundr, a midrealm transplant, to go with Me, Cian and Gui. Amalric fought with us a bit too. We fought well.

There were three knightings and two of them were the guys I have been pushing, Gui Avec Cheval du Guise and Oscad de Segovia. They are the two guys who basically run the Brooklyn practice. Gui is also about to become Viceroy of Ostgardr. They are both great fighters and I have seen them as knights for a long time.

Gui's vigil was particularly cool. He got called out of Scotch and Cigar party and we marched him to a pavilion on the side of the field, striped him naked and poured ice water over him. Cian was in charge of setting it up. The new guys formed his guard. It was awesome.

The third knight was Roger Stockton. That was a controversial knighting but in the end I'm happy with it.

I just finished my sixth day in armor. I did pickups every day and fought in every battle save the bridge (I had to take Hanna to the airport). I also fought in the Atlantian speed tourney. I went five round and lost to Duke Edmund and Douglas Henry, who eventually won. Not a bad showing really.

My pickups were fantastic. I fought a lot of easterners but, today at least, they were form Tir Mara so I had never seen them before. The two pickup opponents who stand out for me were a lady knight from North Shield, I thing her name was Roshamund, and Dongal a knight from Atenveldt. In both cases the key to winning the fights that I won was patience. As I figured, I am losing my leg more with the heater than I did with the center grip kite. I successfully used an upsilon leg shot, a hook thrust, a hesitation wrap, and a wavy-rising snap. But the real trick was a wrap that basically threw itself when my opponent closed on me. That was awesome.

Camp was also fantastic. We have a great bunch of people this year. I even made it to the Bardici party last night, which is truly up to all the hype. It was the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen at Pennsic.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

pennsic prep

Well I leave for war this Saturday. My shoulder is healed, my ribs are mending and my back is fine so long as I don't work retail. My armor is repaired and I have a tent. I've been biking, including a 32 mile day yesterday. Feel ready.
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