"If I seek to live my life by any words, it is these: Grace Under Pressure." - River Emrys, Bay Jiu-Jitsu

Guy Behind the GI: River Emrys advises us all to laugh more.

Read:  Jiu Jitsu University, by Saulo Ribeiro
Watch: Roy Dean
Train: Bay Jui-Jitsu, Oakland, CA; Sangha Training Center, Elizabeth City, NC; Crossroads BJJ, Waterford, CT

Day 8 - 2346

Revelations tonight...

The Scorpion and theFrog

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back.

The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion says, "Because if I do, I will die too."

The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog.  

The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough time to gasp "Why?"

Replies the scorpion, "It’s my nature..."

Nature of Things

Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticed a scorpion that was drowning.

One monk immediately scooped it up and set it upon the bank. In the process he was stung. He went back to washing his bowl and again the scorpion fell in. The monk saved the scorpion and was again stung. 

The other monk asked him, "Friend, why do you continue to save the scorpion when you know its nature is to sting?"  

"Because," the monk replied, "to save it is my nature."

Day 7 - 2359

How quickly old routines and immediate desires halts progress.  Of all new commitments made this week, I've only achieved 100% on writing these entries daily.  Something to hold on to.  Still a chance tomorrow to make 4 of 7 on all the rest, succeeding more than not. 

Sleep, the top commitment, remains the hardest to achieve.  Intense evening exercise classes don't help.  Trying to quickly squeeze everything in the evening hours not a good bed routine either.  Will have to figure out a new routine for next week.  One that's more calming in the evening.

Perhaps this order next week: class, spinach smoothie, guitar, shower, relaxation pose, bed.  Still seems too much.  Perhaps certain activities on different weekdays instead of attempting 7x/week.

Six minutes over.  More later. 

Day 6 - 0002

Just BJJ and tending to kids tonight.  No studies or music.  Not even close to hitting 10:30 pm turn in time.  Will review, reflect, and adjust over the weekend.  Movie trivia: "Progress, not perfect."

Day 5 - 2220

Getting later.  Falling behind.  Took night off from normal routine to kick back with kids and watch Young Justice League, Season 2.  Right choice for middle of the week.  Got up early this morning for scriptures and work.  Skipped Parkour to share dinner out with MK.  Right choice.  Fit in guitar practice and reading as well.

TUNING IN TO YOU, Scott Belsky: www.scottbelsky.com

"Take time to experience the flip side of connected, intentional activity- to disengage from the stream and truly be present in the now - is crucial to the well-being and performance of creative minds."  No music, no electronics, no company.  Try it.  Learn from Jeff Bezos' example of carving out unstructured time to explore, learn, and think.  Casually explore.  Follow your whim.  Think big.  Preserve pockets of time to unplug - perhaps a couple of hours in the morning a few days a week.

Cultivate serendipitous moments.  "The greatest value of any experience is often found in its seams."  Recognize when you're turning to your device for the wrong reasons. Become more aware of the insecurity that pulls you away from the present.  Leave your phone in your pocket.  Be in the moment.  Be uncomfortable.  Unplug from your portable distractions.  Plug in to the present.  Discover, recognize, and train yourself to see potentially life changing encounters. 

Seven minutes over blog time.  Thirteen minutes (and counting) past bed time.  Signing off.

Day 4 - 2210

Awarded first stripe by Austin Massei, head BJJ instructor at Sangha Training Center.  Felt very accomplished.  Great group of people to learn, train, and roll with. 

Holding fast to 2230 bedtime this week, so won't be able to meet scriptures, reading, guitar, or solitude daily commitments today. 

Will try something different tomorrow.

Day 3 - 2156

Racing against the clock.  Need to make this flow.  Good day meeting all objectives.  For this week it's daily scriptures, reading, writing, guitar and bed by 10:30pm.  That's the kicker.  Reinforced through my readings.  Other things reinforced through today's readings:

> Schedule time for creative thinking, Cal Newport: "In a world filled with distraction, attention is our competitive advantage. Start with small blocks of focused time (1 hour) and then gradually work yourself up to longer durations (add 15 min to each session every 2 weeks)."  www.Calnewport.com/blog

> Banish multitask from our repertoire, Christian Jarrett: "Creative minds are highly susceptible to distraction, and our newfound connectivity poses a powerful temptation for all of us to drift off focus...The very act of resisting temptations eats up concentration and leaves you mentally depleted....Strive to remove distractions entirely from your field of attention or you'll end up using half your mental energy just keeping yourself from breaking your own rules."

>Understand our compulsions, Dan Ariely: "The basic combination of these three things: (1) that the world around us tries to tempt us; (2) that we listen to the world around us; and (3) that we don't deal very with temptation...is a recipe for disaster." Create progression factors that show how much progress you're making to keep from getting distracted by random reinforcement activities like email that pull our attention from highest value activities. www.danariely.com

Three minutes over.  Thirty minutes from lights out.  Signing off to stay on track.

2015, Week 1

Working on sleep fitness this week.  All stop at 10:30 pm to ensure at least 7.5 hours of sleep (5 cycles).  Will be a challenge to keep other daily habits going.  As for blog posts, time box each day is 15 minutes max for consistency and limits.  We'll see how things go this week.

New start

It's been over 3 years since my last post. Since then I pretty much shunned social media. Stayed active with fitness and family.  Stopped flying.  Traveled less for work.  Connected more with family and friends.  Made significant changes in 2014.  

So why start blogging again?  Before it was to capture and share my adventures, stay connected with family and friends.  Not this time.  This time I'm going to try to write as if nobody but I will ever read these posts.  I want to push myself to read, write, reflect, practice, learn, fail, succeed, and grow. I want to capture my journey as a way to fuel it. Though the entries and quotes are old, they still work for me.  Live adventurously.  Make a commitment.  Prepare.  Practice.  Train like no other.  Accept the consequences.  Live fearlessly.  Make mistakes.  Laugh.  Learn.  Love.  

For 2015, I've sketched out the areas I want to focus on this year:

Faith
Family
Friends
Fitness 
Finances
Fulfillment  
Fun

Not so different than years past.  This year I want to weave these areas together holistically, create supportive habits and routines, strengthen my foundation.

Faith: daily prayer and scriptures, congregation and fellowship weekly.  

Mental fitness: daily music practice, reading, writing.  

Physical fitness: Jiu-Jitsu 3x/week, Parkour 2x/week, running, skating, cycling, swimming, skiing, surfing, strength training, and yoga in between.  Sleep.  Ah, yes. Well, failed spectacularly in that area of fitness on Day 3.  Off to rectify.  Hope to return here tomorrow or at least before 2018!

The Once and Future Way to Run

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html

2011.10.22: Battle of the Albermarle 5K Run

Grace (3rd from left)

1st, 6th-8th graders

Rob (4th from left)
1st, 36-45 Age Group





Parkour Training with Travis Graves at Primal Fitness, D.C.

Just completed the 4-day, Parkour On-Ramp course last week at Primal Fitness in Washington, D.C with Travis Graves.

Awesome fitness and learning experience! Opens a whole new dimension to running. :)

Check out the video of Primal Fitness instructors "at work":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8peilQ4bh18.

Skating with MK

Steep and Deep!

President's Day Weekend 2011
Epic day at Squaw Valley with guide, Robb Gaffney (right)

Getting to McConkey's

Finding: Steep and...

Deep!

Robb, thanks for the adventure!  Looking forward to many more. 

Ski safely. - Rob

"I was myself again. Not the woman behind the man...a woman who walked hand-in-hand with her husband because she loves him, believes in him and, most importantly, believes in herself." - Gayle Glomski, "The Winemaker's Wife," Arizona Vines & Wines Magazine, Winter 2010 (page 9).

Learn more about the Glomski family, their wines and mission at Page Springs Cellars.

10-Mile Milestone

Barefoot 10.5 miles. All asphalt, 44 deg. Longest & coldest yet. Faster running means warmer feet, but SNOW?! Chapter 10 holds the secrets. Goal for now is barefoot Derry, NH's 5k Turkey Trot. Maybe Anthem Half in March.

Barefoot Running by Michael Sandler

Reading Michael Sandler's new book, Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth.

Summary from Introduction:

Had near death experience, told never walk again. Started crutching, then walking. Running? Not so much, continuous injuries.

Read barefoot article (fewer injuries in less expensive shoes, higher impact WITH shoes, perceived safety of cushioning actually harms feet, better balance and control in thinner/less cushioned shoes, children in 3rd world countries far less likely to have fallen arches and foot problems, etc).

Started barefoot running - 100 yards first day, ice two days, 200 yards third day, ice again, 300 yards, 400 yards...

Adapted to roads within 3 months, running 10Ks faster than ever. Now running 10-20 miles/day without shoes on trails, gravel, hot melting asphalt and SNOW!

Snow?! Now I'm REALLY interested! Check out the video.

Barefoot Running Program

Started getting serious about barefoot running yesterday. Five minutes a day for 1 week, 10 minutes the next, 15 minutes/day the 3rd week, etc.

Once again, overdid it yesterday with 25 minutes of shod barefoot running technique. Made today's 5 minutes of barefoot running rather difficult due to right shin tightness. No matter. Will cut the shod running, more patiently stick to the few minutes of barefoot running at beginning or end of longer runs.

Goal is to work steadily towards barefoot 5K, 8K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon. Should be ready for 5K by end of May.

Exciting science project!

Dismal Swamp Stomp 1/2 Marathon Splits

Pace/Heart Rate - Mile
7:12/154 - 1
7:15/161 - 2
7:20/160 - 3
7:23/160 - 4
7:29/161 - 5
7:24/162 - 6
7:19/165 - 7
7:17/166 - 8
7:11/169 - 9
7:20/169 - 10
7:28/167 - 11
7:23/168 - 12
7:08/172 - 13
6:45/179 - 13.1

Average Pace/Heart Rate
7:21/168

Dismal Swamp Stomp 1/2 Marathon Results

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: KaleRunning.com
Date: Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Subject: Dismal Swamp Stomp 1/2 Marathon Results
To: robertft3@gmail.com

Robert Fredric Taylor,

Congratulations in finishing the Dismal Swamp Stomp 1/2 Marathon on April 17, 2010. We hope you enjoyed this event. in its second year, and that you will make plans to come run with us again For your records, the weather at the start was overcast, 64-70 degrees F, 77% humidity, West wind 8 mph.

There were 59 finishers in the Male 40 to 44 age group and 816 finishers in the 1/2 Marathon division.

Your overall finish place was 50, your age group finish place was 7 and your gender finish place was 46. Your time 1:36:13.71 gave you a 7:21 pace per mile.

Your 3M time was 21:54.70 for a pace of 7:18 per mile
Your 6M time was 44:11.24 for a pace of 7:25 per mile
Your 10M time was 1:13:30.55 for a pace of 7:20 per mile

For a full listing of results please visit http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventLinkageID=71649

Event photos will be posted at http://portraitsbycris.com/sessions.php

Happy Running,

Team Dismal Swamp Stomp