NinjaKitten5

Hello! Necro-posting just to see if any of you are still in the area. I moved to Brevard last year and would love more workout buddies.

Well, I now live in Florida, so not me. But hopefully some more Indy folks will see this.

Ok, I gave a short intro in the other Monk thread as well as the main intro thread, but I'll flesh it out here. NF Intro: https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/96244-hello-my-fellow-nerds/ My interest in martial arts started as a kid, but I didn't really do much about it until high school. I loved Jackie Chan movies, the Karate Kid, etc., and Mulan was my favorite Disney princess. But when I was younger, my personality was very shy and quiet. I was bullied a lot in grade school, and in high school I dated a guy who eventually became abusive. At the beginning of the relationship, he was very kind, of course. He was also part of a karate school and when he heard that I had an interest in that, he invited me to come train with him. I really took to the sport, and enjoyed the challenge. I got through several ranks before my relationship with that guy ended, and he left the school shortly afterward to go to college, so I was ok continuing to train there. The instructor at the time knew nothing about how he had treated me. After three years of training, I had progressed to 1st degree brown belt (1st kyu), but then I had to leave for college. After that, work and other life responsibilities kept me from continuing, but it still hung over my head that I had gotten so close to the next belt and had to quit before reaching it. There were a couple times over the years I tried to go back, but I was embarrassed by how much I had forgotten (even though the instructors were nothing but encouraging), so I didn't stay long. Nearly 10 years later, I was in another abusive relationship, this time much worse. When I had gotten away from that guy, it became my motivation to get back into karate. I no longer cared if I was embarrassed, I knew I needed that confidence and skill back. So I returned to the school finally and stuck with it. It took another two years of training to remember what I had forgotten and then continue forward to earn my black belt. Amazingly, most of that old knowledge was still in there - it just took several months of "refreshing" to bring it back out again. I had not been patient enough before. But those 15 years (total) were worth it. I am only the 5th female in our school to pass the black belt test (thus the "5" in my SN), and my confidence is back. I even lost my fear of that former b/f from high school, who has recently returned to classes from time to time (I did eventually tell the instructor everything, and she has been very good about dealing with both of us). What all this experience has done for me is given me a passion for other women in abusive situations, and the skills to do something about it. I volunteer with some anti-human trafficking groups now, and my instructor has been giving me private lessons focused on things I need to know to teach self-defense seminars on my own. I am hoping to eventually become an instructor myself someday, so I am in the process of earning my 2nd Dan (hopefully in the next year - we'll see!) and continuing training. Oh, and the technical stuff: My style is Okinawan Shorin-Kenpo karate, a combined style that includes techniques from Okinawan Shorin-Ryu and American Kenpo. Our head instructor is a 6th Dan master in both OSK and Shuri-te karate, as well as a 4th Dan in Jujitsu. Her husband holds black belts in a wide variety of styles, including Kung Fu, karate and even street fighting. I love that all of these styles get brought into our training (more for the advanced students than the kids, but every once in a while we let them see some of the fun stuff as motivation). They are also known for teaching self-defense classes for our city prosecutor's office and battered women's shelters, and the Wall Street Journal once did an article on us due to our uniqueness of being a Christian karate school (we do the majority of our classes in churches). In addition, one of the things I've enjoyed about learning is that there is never a point where you are an "expert" as there is always something new to learn! Shihan once told a story about when training with a grandmaster: he had all the students (who were all instructors themselves) spend a whole weekend on basic punches & kicks to point out subtleties in technique that many often overlooked in favor of the more "advanced" moves. This is part of why I enjoy sometimes dropping in to other dojos or self-defense classes when I travel and playing the part of a total noob. I like learning to look at basic things from a new perspective from time to time. I am going to be moving to a new state soon, and if I don't find a dojo of our same style out there, I may pick up a new, completely different discipline to supplement my first training, even while continuing to grow in my own. So this story is still to be continued...

Definitely recommend! I've run six halfs, three fulls, and a bunch of shorter races using his method, and I've only been a runner for two years! I went to one of his training schools, and he even encouraged me to work toward getting a BQ after seeing my progression so far (we are looking at 3-5 years out, though). The planned walk breaks are as much of a mental boost as they are a physical one. I use the 4min:30sec plan in races (or, 30-sec every half mile to be more specific), so in an average marathon I walk 1.2 miles and run 25. 95% of the race is still running yet the benefits are significant from those little walk breaks!

Does anyone have a good plan for returning to running after an injury? I have been down with a stress fracture for the past month. Going for an MRI tomorrow to tell if it's healed yet. Once I am cleared to run again I need to ease back into training for the fall marathons, without reinjury. Has anyone done a "return to running" plan that worked well for them?

Soooo.... are most of you folks still here in Indy after all this time?

Congrats! When is your race?

Haha, and here physics was my worst subject in my majors! LOL Thanks everyone else for the welcomes!

The only challenge is I'm not online every day... Mr.Six - I am a 1st dan (black belt). I still have quite a ways to go for my 2nd degree, but I'm working toward it! Red1263 - Chemistry. I'm currently working in quality control/analytical, because that's where the jobs are. But probably my favorite is organic chem. I also have a degree in biology but have never used it out in the "real world". Elastigirl - YASSSS! Bean Sidhe - Thanks so much!

Hi! I'm from Indy, and I also have family in Valparaiso so I visit the region a bit as well. Nice to see so many folks in the area!

Greetings! I am into ALL THE THINGS! For work, I am a scientist. The rest of my time is spent with leading stuff at my church, running, karate, music (I sing and play guitar), photography, writing, reading, and travel. I have interests in practically anything outdoorsy (from hiking and horseback riding to whitewater rafting and archery), but don't have a ton of extra time to pursue those things except on vacation. So far I've been to 11 countries and way too many states, and have studied several languages (though I wouldn't consider myself fluent in any except English). Oh, and if you bring up anything Harry Potter, Star Wars, Sailor Moon, or Chuck, I will love you forever. My alter ego is Sarah Walker from Chuck. Goals... my fitness goals are to continue advancing in rank in karate, and get faster in running. I am considering adding in strength training, so I would be a total noob in that area. I'm also considering a sprint tri, just to shake things up. And maybe parkour, because it looks awesome. Life goals... I am looking at the possibility of moving to another state this year, and moving to another country within a few more years. Life is too short to not go adventuring. Nice to meet you all!