x Valkyrie x

My dad and I watched Alien when I was about 8, and I was terrified that face huggers would be under my bed! My favorite zombie movie is....Zombieland...so typical, sorry lol. Though one time in high school my big brother took me to a Halloween midnight showing of the original Night of the Living Dead, and that is one of my favorite memories what did you cut down to, Jon, and what led to that decision? (Sorry if you talked about it earlier and missed it?) I ask because, as a recovered chronic undereater (as you may or may not recall lol), I am now eating 2500-2700 calories a day and I don’t workout near as much as you do and I’m not a dude (darn men pretty much automatically requiring more food than women...), so I wonder if you might be a little bit low to sustain your level of activity? It’s none of my business and you know yourself what’s working for you, but I thought I’d ask.

Training Notes: Excellent training today! We skipped (we is fiancée and I) the early class, we were both tired, but I went to the 11 am class, which is 90 minutes of pure craic. We drilled takedowns, escape from side control and the counter to escape from side control, and flow in full guard: arm bar->omoplata->triangle choke. My arm bar is really good IF I can actually get the arm. Thus far, I’ve not been strong enough to get the arm across and keep it, but maybe against girls it’ll work, I tend to be on the strong side when I fight girls. My usual plan when fighting guys is to get mount and go for Ezekiel choke or armbar or americana, I don’t usually try to play a full guard game with men, I don’t have the brute strength to control the arm and I waste a lot of energy there. It will be interesting to see what happens Sunday! Anyway, did some free rolling with two of our super light guys, I actually outweigh them, which is delightful lol, and there were all kinds of reversals and sweeps and attempts on both side, which is really fun. Then I rolled with this guy who is also pretty light but who’s technique was beautiful and the word “dominated” doesn’t even do it justice. I was like a fish out of water being squashed by a boulder; couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, and tapped like 3 times in 5 minutes. Rounds like that force me to master my emotions because I get frustrated and my logic goes out the window as I get more frustrated and flustered under the pretty relentless pressure (this guy weighed 150 lbs and it felt like 300 lbs!), so it sucked but it was good for me. Nothing like being completely owned to remind one to be humble. My professor Alex asked if I was coming to class tomorrow, I told him I wasn’t planning on it, but did he think I should? He said I should come for an active recovery day, just to drill and make sure I’ve got the sequence and steps of things down, for confidence. I don’t need much encouragement to train more, so I will be there in the morning! Poor fiancée, always getting ditched for BJJ...I’m lucky he understands me so well!

Our biggest priority, besides getting married, is getting a car in Ireland, and Will getting his license, so we can drive in each other’s countries and go less crazy. Hello! Thank you!

That is so exciting!! I saw you have plans for a marathon, too, that is fantastic! I’m well, Ireland is really good The first month was a bit rough, but I acclimated and it’s been great, and really flown by. BJJ has been a lifesaver for staving off cabin fever while I’m not working!

Make Weight: Checked myself with the gi today a couple hours after breakfast and water, and I make weight as of today! (I was a smidgeon over until now! Phew!) To make sure I still make weight on the day, I have adhered to the protocol today as detailed in the first post! + Sodium: 1870 + Water: 127 oz + Sleep: 8 hours + Steps: 8524 Focus On Flowers, Not Weeds (FOFNW from now on): + I wrote my 3 things I’m grateful for today in my bullet journal. For Fitness: + Daily ab exercise: plank x30”/40”/60” Going to bed shortly to get my 8 hours before BJJ in the morning!

Things are going well! Well done on all your events, you’re a racing machine!! I will do my best, Wolf!! Yay, hi Tank! Hi Miaulin, good to see you! Your wish is my command, I will definitely do a follow up write up when it’s all said and done! Thanks!

Oh my goodness, I didn’t know about baby wolf #4!!! Congratulations!!!!

You’ve gone to Disneyland, wasn’t it? (or am I remembering wrong?)I hope you had/have so much fun!

Valkyrie approaches Trinity College, a beautiful establishment of scholarship and the quiet pursuit of knowle- what is that sound? It comes again: thud! Whomp! “Oof!” Valkyrie hastens, drawn by the sounds of people engaged in combat of some sort. She steps inside a building whose door is just ajar, and is confronted by many people in pajamas, rolling around on the ground! How silly, what are they thinking- Oh! Not pajamas! Gis! And they’re not rolling around without purpose, they’re grappling, playing the human chess game of Brazilian jiu jitsu. The Irish Winter Open for gi BJJ is commencing! Valkyrie steps up to the scale to weigh in, she’s a solid middleweight, scraping by just under 69 kg with her gi on. She can’t help a flutter of excitement at the prospect of testing her skills against other women, and reviews her game plan: take down to full guard or take the back, which decide whether she plays a full guard game or goes straight for the submission via rear naked choke. Of course, she thinks wryly, things never go to plan. Adaptability and fluidity is the key! She who can think on her feet will prevail! —————— Sunday, October 22nd, is my first tournament in Brazilian jiu jitsu! All my efforts the past month have been to prepare for the tournament and make weight (didn’t cut any calories, but boy do I miss salt!), and Sunday I finally get to play! After that, it’ll be my last couple of weeks in Ireland, before I return home to the next adventure and my goal is to just continue what I’ve been doing and have a little more flexibility once the tournament is over. Goals for this challenge: 1. The Weigh In -I will make weight at under 69 kg (or 152 lbs), in my gi, on the morning of the tournament. I will accomplish this by keeping sodium low, water, sleep and steps high. - Sodium: <2000-2500 - Water: >100 oz - Sleep: 8 hours - Steps: >8k 2. Focus On Flowers, Not Weeds - I will write 3 things for which I am grateful every day. If attitude is everything, then mine should be positive and resilient. 3. For Fitness - I will run or perform some other form of conditioning on Tuesdays, and perform 3 sets of ab exercises every day I don’t train BJJ.

Monday+Tuesday 10/9/17-10/10/17 Macros: ++ Sugar:+- Sodium:++ Steps: ++ Monday’s Training: One on one instruction with my professor. Tuesday’s Training, because my prof said on Monday, “make time tomorrow to go for a run. For fitness.”: Zombies, run! Mission: 1 Distance: 3 miles Duration: 34 minutes I would like to cut that down to 30 minutes, but mostly just proud that I actually did it.

EG! I’m glad you found me! Yeah, turned out I was worrying for nothing. The first month was really tough, but I’ve adjusted and just decided to relax and enjoy myself, and it’s a lot better than making myself crazy with what-ifs! (shocking how that works, isn’t it? :p) jiu jitsu has been a big part of that, for sure, it’s been my outlet I hope your Fall season is going wonderfully! I had to google that word, now I know it’s a Judo term! #lernin haha I am probably going to be an adrenaline-hyped mess, but I’m just gonna do my best!

Being a genuinely nice guy has been tainted by the smaller but more visible number of “nice guys” of the world that think being nice should be rewarded with sex. Maybe I’m naive, but I think most people of either gender are genuinely nice...but the multimillionaire James Bond astronaut is definitely gonna get more action than your average Joe, because...space travel capabilities are hot, just look at Starlord.

Friday and Saturday: Training: ++ Macros: ++ Sugar: - - Sodium: ++ Training notes: Class kicked my ass today. I was a bit tired from the week of training, and then today was a much higher intensity than usual with a larger amount of time spent on free rolling vs drilling, which was fun, but omg exhausting. We had an odd number of students, so for the first couple rolls we alternated who sat out, and then our professor decided to get in on it and just as I was like, "oh, pick me, pick me, I'll sit out!" He's like, "come on, Kate." And laughs at me, because I'm pretty sure my face said it all, to which he responded, "tournaments are not something to mess around with, come on, let's go, 5 minutes, stay on top." Of course, I didn't stay on top, but I tried really hard and did better than I used to. We did about 7 five minute rolls, alternating partners every time, and when we had about 3 left I was already exhausted, my limbs were tired and I really struggled because I was expending so much energy because I end up fighting to escape the whole time, but it was really good for me to train tired. At the end of the class, my prof said, "you're doing very well, but we need to practice a little bit more...a lot more...on your takedown at the start. You need to be more confident and go for the grips straight away, and don't run away and wait for them to grab you. Have your game plan in your mind, and every time you train remember what you're going to do." Nailed it, professor, and challenge accepted. I know that if I can attack first, and be really strong with that (tight grips, decisive action, know exactly where I'm trying to go, use my momentum and leverage so I don't have to use brute strength), I could get somewhere and expend way less energy. "Operation: Get A Grip" is a go.

When I’m not watching my sugar levels (AKA: October 23rd), I will immediately resume putting a tsp of brown sugar on mine! It’s delicious

it’s so versatile and full of carby deliciousness! Yum!! I will have to try that! I love rice and milk warmed up with a bit of cinnamon or bananas as a bedtime snack.

Training Notes: Class was absolutely class today! The other girl in the club came to the early session and we had so much fun rolling together! And the 2nd session was just super fun for some reason, things were clicking and I felt like I was moving well, escaping things with good technique, and my buddy that’s my size was there, which is fun cuz we’re on par with each other skill wise, makes for fun free sparring. I tapped a bunch of times as always, but I also took my buddy’s back twice and escaped a tight triangle from a much bigger dude purely based on stamina and a smidgeon of calculation. I was able to keep my grips on his knee and brace my elbow and forearm into his stomach to stall him getting my arm for the choke and kept my head up, and I also remembered vaguely how to break out of triangle. It worked because he was getting tired faster than I was, or else my shoddy technique would never have worked, I was definitely forgetting a step in there somewhere, but still felt like a win haha. I rolled with my professor and there were parts where I was so completely controlled it made me want to laugh, but he’s kind; he tends to let me be successful in my attempts if my technique is correct, even though he could destroy me in 2 seconds no matter my efforts, and tap me out mostly only when I make a mistake. All in all, I felt really successful and pumped at the end of training. I can’t wait for class tomorrow!

There is a huge discrepancy in skill levels! I like to be graded hard, because I’d hate to be promoted and not actually have the skills for it...it would be so awkward lol. theres a black one with blue embroidery that I’m eyeing. It’s beautiful AND functional, which is much how I see myself i looked into it, but realized it’s actually embroidered straight onto the fabric. I talked to my prof and he said not to worry about it. I have seen a huge improvement from simply having the opportunity to practice the same two or three techniques with my prof for literally hours over the last couple of weeks, the attention to the details you can have when drilling with someone who has mastered it makes a huge difference! Honestly, if I weren’t trying to cut just a little bit, I wouldn’t care about the sugars, but I’d like to go down about 3 lbs so that my weigh in isn’t stressful. I’ve spent the last 7 months building up my calories from, initially 1400/day before ETP, to about 1900 when I started ETP, and now about 2500-2700, and my carbs are fairly astronomical (280 g on my low days, 370 on my high days), and I feel great with it (though eating is a fecking full time job some days lol) and I see the difference in my body composition. After the tournament I won’t care if my sugars are 100-120, because I’m happy with where I’m at and just want to keep building muscle. I wouldn’t even mind doing the next weight class up next time, if the weight gain is muscle mass! But for this time, I need to be down around 145, and I’m maintaining right around 148, which means a ton of oats, rice and potatoes for the next 3 weeks to keep sugar and sodium down. -.- lucky that I like rice a lot haha the fiancée prevents me from going full cult-mode! But he’s so supportive of me going 4x a week for the next couple weeks before the tournament.

Monday: Training: - Skipped to go to Dublin with my honey Macros: - Blew carbs but stayed within calorie goal Sugar: - Not even sure, but definitely high Sodium: + actually good! Tuesday: Training: Accessory training for BJJ with sit throughs and agility ladder work and a short 1.5 mile run because the sun was shining. Macros: + Sugar: - 103...I was so close Sodium: + nailed it! Macros have been pretty good the last couple days, but weight is staying on the high end of the 140s. Hoping I get a small decrease in my plan so I can get back to 140-ish and not worry about weighing in with my gi. Wednesday: Training: + BJJ 2 sessions: 60 minutes class, 90 minutes private instruction (no one else showed up, so just me and the professor, I'm so spoiled) Macros: + (I mean, so far so good...it's a bit early still, but the projected macros are good lol) Sugar: - Yeah...cake. I guess I'm not super invested in this particular goal... Sodium: + more invested in this one. So, my gi is from my old club at home and has my old club's patches on it...I told my professor I was competing and he said I need to switch out the patches, cuz he usually doesn't let students train at his club with another club's patches, and he just made an exception for me because I'm kind of short term, but that he'd really like it if I changed them so that I represent our club at the tourney...I'm gonna call around some alterations places and see if they can help me out. Otherwise, if it's that important to him, he can lend me one of his A2's, cuz I'm not buying a new gi just for this. (I'm hoping for a Fenom kimono for Christmas, but I'm not gonna buy one right now!). It feels a bit disloyal to change the patches, but at the same time, I'm not gonna even train at that club anymore when I go home, so I guess it doesn't matter, and, for that matter, this gi is staying in Ireland, so it extra doesn't even matter cuz it's never going on US soil again anyway. I just hope an alteration place can take the patches off without messing the gi up, cuz they're really well attached patches...

LOL skipping promotions to stay blue...the thing is really just time on the mats, who cares what color the belt is at the end of the day...my professor here in Ireland is a very tough grader, I doubt I'll get a stripe from him before I go home in November, and then I'm starting over with a new club in Utah because my old one was just way too expensive for the amount of training they offer, oh well, still getting better every day! I'm sorry about your shoulder, that's a major bummer. I hope it heals quickly!

Nice job on getting the workouts in. I hope you can get some good sleep this weekend

Saturday, 9/30 Training: + Macros: + Sugars: - 110 Sodium: - 4399 (thank you, entire Domino's Mighty Meaty medium pizza...I waited for you all week, and it was worth it) Water + (4.5 Liters) Training Log: Drilled arm bar from full guard and variation for a quicker arm bar. Variation: 1.Clinch with an undertook and pull down to break posture (my partner has 20 kg on me and when I tried this I was basically a koala climbing a tree, he didn't even have to try to stay upright, but I figured out how to get the leverage and break him down) 2. Keep underhook tight on shoulder to force him to posture up with opposite arm 3. When he postures up, control arm at tricep and pass leg over for armbar Literally easy as 1-2-3, if you can be quick and decisive about it. Really nice for me because if I've got a tight hold, he is gonna expend a lot of energy trying to posture up while I'm just letting gravity do the work, and I don't have to be strong for very long because I go straight into armbar. Drilled progression for if he escapes the armbar: Fast armbar -> omoplata, then if you can't submit there -> take the back, and if he defends against your hooks -> twister submission (though this is a tricky one to actually get into the right position and I don't see that happening for me very much) It was SO fun! I really enjoyed drilling omoplata because it's one I forget about and one that I could use a lot of the time, because people are always getting out of my armbar (maybe not so much now that I've drilled it 8,742 times), and you don't need much to submit from omoplata once you get that arm around their back to stop them rolling away, and I worked on fine tuning things, like bending the wrist the right way and keeping my base stable. I haven't felt overly involved in my club because I come to the morning and midmorning classes where there's not many people, often I'm the only one, but rolling on Saturday makes me feel part of the group because I'm starting to know those guys and they're getting used to seeing me around every weekend, so that was really nice! I told them I was going to do the Irish Open and my training partner said he would probably sign up too. =D He's a 16 year old heavyweight of pure lean muscle mass, and would absolutely dominate, I hope he does sign up!

I reckon it'll take me a long time to reach blue because I train half my time in the States and half in Ireland, so I reckon I'm less likely to get promoted, but I'm ok with that, as long as I keep learning and improving I'm happy. And it is SO fun haha. I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder, how did it happen? I knew I should have been doing it from the start, it's such a good learning tool! Haha so far, striking doesn't appeal to me. I like the chess game of grappling, and I'm a wuss about hitting people and getting hit (knee me in the face while you're passing guard, that's fine, hit me in the face on purpose? No thanks! there's no logic, but there it is lol). Maybe someday... Exactly. I actually feel that if I were in a dangerous situation with some jerk in real life, I'd be able to extricate myself from the situation, or at least that I'd be a hell of a lot more likely to! I would love to take a self-defense specific course sometime. OMG I have much envy of those ladies' night classes! What a wonderful sight!

Good luck tomorrow!!!

Um...that's not "patriarchy". That's "there are bad people in the world and there is safety in numbers" also "I can break a bad guy's arm or choke them out, but I'm totally ok with you walking me to my car so I don't have to do that, thanks." And last but not least, when it comes to possibly rapey-kidnappy/muggy scenarios, "better safe than sorry" when it's simple and easy to do the safe thing. To me, that's being a decent human being, well done you!

9/29, Friday Macros: + Sugars: + 90 g Sodium: - 3,200 -.- Sleep: - 9:45 instead of 9 -.- Water: + My label for cottage cheese that I scanned into MFP lied to me. 1 mg it said. I believed it. It's 1,000 MG!!! -.- a LOT of Irish foods I've scanned in have been lying to me about sodium content. No wonder the weight isn't trending back down like it should (I went off the rails about two weeks ago for about two weeks and am back on track now), I've been having a salt lick every day and didn't realize it. -.- I carb cycle with Eat To Perform, and today is my low day, which has the lowest carbs and lowest calories, and highest fats of the week, and it's about 1,000 calories more than I used to eat when I thought I could starve myself skinny with 1200-1400 calories a day. Tomorrow is my super day, and it's about 1,500 more calories than I used to eat. More food = more work, and I like it I just need to rein in my sodium and make sure the things I'm entering are accurate, because lying barcodes wreck macros. Low Day Macros: Carbs: 260 Fat: 77 Protein: 130