Tough Mudder!

I made it through my first Tough Mudder!

My brother ran with me. To be more accurate, he skipped in circles around me and kind of shoved me through the obstacles. There was an obstacle called the Wounded Warrior Carry, where he pretty much threw me over his shoulder and started sprinting.

Despite being completely shown up by my incredibly athletic brother, I’m very happy with my performance, especially considering how little training I’ve done over the last month or so. I think we finished in about three and a half hours. I was able (with some help) to complete most of the obstacles. I struggled a bit with the cold- it was rainy and windy for part of the race, which is not ideal when you are soaking wet and dressed for warm weather. Now I’m excited to get back into pole training. Which might take a few more days, I’m still really sore.

Notice the purple on my arm? That's from a log I had to climb over. I will update with actual race day pics as soon as I get my camera back!

Notice the purple on my arm? That’s from a log I had to climb over. I will update with actual race day pics as soon as I get my camera back!

Here is my advice if you ever decide to run a Tough Mudder:

  1. Commit. If you are going to run it, make sure you finish the damn thing. Don’t allow failure to be an option. This is pretty much my standard advice for anything you want to achieve. Do not have a back up plan. Just do what you need to do.
  2. Run in a team. Preferably a team that has someone really strong to motivate you and help you with obstacles.
  3. Be a team – the promotional stuff say that everyone running is a team, and it’s true. I got help from all sorts of people besides my brother, and my favorite part was giving people a hand out of some of the obstacles. It’s nice to help others, even if they only need help because they are crazy like you and signed up for it…
  4. I read that you should wear compression pants instead of baggy shorts, which is what I did. I didn’t feel like they helped at all, but I did feel like it was impossible to put them back on after stopping in the bathrooms. If I did it again, I would go with baggy shorts.
  5. Watch the rocks under the water. I scraped up my calves pretty thoroughly.
  6. If you have an inhaler or anything else that needs to go with you, put it in a plastic bag and tuck it into your bra. Works perfectly.
  7. They do have a bag check, something I really, really wish I had figured out before because we were frozen by the time we got out and really could have used dry clothes (my brother was shivering so much he couldn’t even hold his free beer!)
  8. Run on Saturday. We did it on Sunday, and then had to rush off to drive home. It would have been way more fun to run Saturday, go and party with all the other runners Saturday night, and then head home on Sunday.
  9. If you are on a diet, make sure your running day is cheat day. If I could have injected hamburgers and pizza and ice cream into my body post-run, I would have done it. As it was, I shoveled a hefty portion of food into my mouth.

10. When you train, train on hills, not just flat. It matters.

11. Smile while you run, or at least try not to look miserable. You smile when you are winning and being successful. It really helps.

12. Get your own spectator! My brother’s wife cheered for us the whole time, took pictures, and helped us figure out how to function after we were done. She also drove home, which I am sure was much safer based on my lack of fine motor skills post-event.

13. Make sure to take your camera back from your spectator. I didn’t, which is why there aren’t cool pictures up. I’ll get it back and update next weekend though!

Watch for rocks! My elbows also look like this, and I've got some good bruises and blisters. Still fun though.

Watch for rocks! My elbows also look like this, and I’ve got some good bruises and blisters. Still fun though.

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by Kim on June 18, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on June 18, 2013

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Three things I wish I would have known before starting pole

1.    Take photos and videos early.

One of my biggest regrets (OK, one of my only regrets) about pole is that I did not start taking photos and videos of myself earlier. One of the most rewarding things about pole is watching yourself progress, and the earlier you start taking photos and videos, the clearer you will see that progression. Watching videos of yourself will also help prevent bad habits, like failing to point your toes.

Here is one of my first jades. Not pretty.... I'm pretty sure it's better now, but I can't actually find an after picture. Perhaps I should specify both before and after photos and videos are good.

Here is one of my first jades. Not pretty…. I’m pretty sure it’s better now, but I can’t actually find an after picture. Perhaps I should specify both before and after photos and videos are good.

2.    It’s OK to ask for help.

When I first started training for pole, I had the idea in my head that I should only ask the instructor for help. This is really limiting, because there are so many things you can learn from your fellow students. Asking for help is what ends up helping you make friendships, and it also helps your technique. Being asked for help forces you to think about where you are connected to the pole and how to do certain moves. Everyone wins if you ask. Don’t wait so long to start.

Make friends by asking for help with pole or stretching or pretty much anything. Ask sooner rather than later.

Make friends by asking for help with pole or stretching or pretty much anything. Ask sooner rather than later.

3.    Don’t be so cautious to try new levels

I was really hesitant to move up to new levels at first, because I wasn’t sure if I “had” stuff from the previous level well enough. This ended up limiting me, and there wasn’t really a reason for it. Make sure you have the minimum requirements, obviously, but don’t wait until you can do every move from the previous level perfectly. A better option would be to move forward, skip anything you can’t do yet, and continue to train at the previous levels at the same time.

This is part of a blog hop! To read other blogs about things people wish they had know before starting pole, please click here.

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by Kim on June 10, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on June 10, 2013

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Acrobatics in Beijing

I had big plans for visiting a pole studio while I was in Beijing. I wanted to say that I had pole danced internationally, and, honestly, I wanted something to write about since I’ve been gone for a while. I even found a studio online (you can check out their website here.)

The problem was that there’s a lot of cool stuff in Beijing. I wound up doing a lot of famous tourist things, like visiting the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Pearl Market, and 986 Art District. I did some homework, because I was there for school after all. I visited Fragrant Hills Gardens and accidentally ended up climbing a mountain, which made me feel better about not dancing because I was definitely getting a workout. Ditto for the Great Wall. I also dutifully stretched every couple of days, and I even ran and did pull-ups once.

The one pole-related thing that I did do was to go to a performance by Beijing Chaoyang Theater Acrobatics World. I’m counting it as pole related because it included dance, crazy acrobatics, hand balancing, and a woman with a really gorgeous toe point. Some of the team exercises made me really want to do a doubles routine with some of this badass stuff (are you reading, Harper? I’m talking to you). I didn’t get a lot of photos or video because I was busy gaping with my mouth open, but I did get this segment.

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by Kim on June 3, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on June 3, 2013

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10 Pole Dance Questions


For this month’s blog hop, all the participating bloggers are answering a set of questions about pole, which is a really cool opportunity to compare notes with other dancers. Check out some other great responses here.

  1. How long have you been pole dancing? I started in February 2012.
  2. What is your favorite pole dance move? Anything that requires lots of strength and not so much coordination. I tend to be partial to knee grip moves, like the jasmine or the marley.
  3. What pole move is you nemesis? Handsprings! I know that I’m strong enough to do this move, so I think it’s purely psychological. There are so many fun and beautiful things you can do from a handspring though, so I really want to nail this one.
  4. If you had to classify your dance style, what would it be? This question kind of makes me chuckle, because it causes so much angst for pole dancers. I constantly see blogs about if you are more dancy or trixtery or sexy or gymnasticky. It seems like popularity of one style or another changes all the time. I think this stems from a conflict about how we want people to identify pole, and on a deeper level a conflict about how we want people to identify us as pole dancers. Personally, I’m happy there is so much debate. I love that pole is new and it still has space for all styles. If I had to pick one to describe what I like to do, I think I would have to say trixter. I hope that I am also someone who can tell a story through my dancing. I love the pole moves that are really hard. Suits my personality. I wish I was better at the transitions and grace.
  5. Why do you dance? I started pole because it is unique and different and I tend to be attracted to unique and different things. I keep dancing because pole is a new medium to tell stories and an opportunity, in some situations, to advocate for others. I love my dance community too!
  6. Is pole dancing, which is a hobby for most, worth the investment? I hope so! Pole dancing is expensive, even if you do it on the cheap like me. It is worth the investment of time and money if you are getting more out of it physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally than you are putting into it. Only you can decide if you are getting out more than you put in.
  7. If you have ever performed, how do you usually prepare for your performance? I just had a wonderful guest post by Natasha Wang on this subject. For me, the most important thing is to listen to the song as often as possible, and mentally review combinations and where your performance hits the music. I’ve only done two performances, so I am by no means an expert, but I feel like mental preparation is the most important part.
  8. Any tips for training? Be serious. If you are there to train, stop bullshitting and start training. Video your free dances. Take strength and flexibility conditioning seriously so you don’t injure yourself. Push yourself to get the most of all of your training and conditioning- don’t slack off. Don’t take too many classes in a row- a lot of people take multiple classes, and then half ass their way through them. Don’t do that. You are more prone to injury and you are also wasting your time. Doubling up is fine if you can handle the workload, but make sure you are really busting it the whole time.
  9. What is your favorite post on your pole blog? Fuck Loving Your Body.
  10. How often do you train, dance, or attend class per week? Right now only about three times a week because of pressures with work and school. Previously (and starting again in July!) I trained about 10-14 hours per week.
I really enjoy strength moves, like this one!

I really enjoy strength moves, like this one!

 

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by Kim on May 9, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on May 9, 2013

http://poledancecompetition.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/10-pole-dance-questions/

Finishing

I’m experiencing a new and different type of pain in my pole dance classes. Instead of the typical bruising and missing chunks of skin that I (and most pole dancers) have grown to know and love, this is pain of a more psychological nature. Specifically, I’ve started videotaping my free dances.

It’s pretty terrible. I rush through things, my toes aren’t always pointed, or my knees aren’t straight. And sometimes I try things that just plain don’t look good.

All of which has led me to a new goal- finishing my pole moves. I’m still a little vague about what I mean by “finishing,” but the general idea is that I will extend into the full move, hang out there for a few counts, and then do something artistic and graceful to come out of the move. Stopping is probably the hardest part- it’s really easy to rush, and I would like to get out the habit. It will be much easier to not rush through a performance if I don’t rush through my practice.

A long time ago I took a workshop with Alethia Austin. One of the things she said that stuck with me is that she practices getting up smoothly so much so that her body “doesn’t know how to get up any other way.” In other words, she practices exiting pole moves in a way that is graceful and beautiful (and for Alethia, probably sexy too). She practices it so much that she doesn’t think about it- her body automatically knows that she needs to finish the move out instead of just standing up.

I love this idea of practicing enough that you literally cannot get what you are doing wrong. I’m working on getting out of my pole moves with grace and style too.  I am not there yet (which is why I’m not sharing my videos. Too embarrassing. Sorry.)

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by Kim on April 21, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on April 21, 2013

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Children Are The Future

Reblogged from Flying Spinner's Poling Adventures:

  • Click to visit the original post
  • Click to visit the original post

I've always been very vocal about the fact that my small stature gives me an advantage in pole. The less you weigh, the less to lift. Shorter height equals lower center of gravity. At 4'11" and 92lbs, I can be mistaken for 14 years old (if you ignore my face).

But what about the actual 14 year olds? Doesn't it make sense that those that never knew of a time before the internet would kick our butts at pole as they do gymnastics?

Read more… 434 more words, 1 more video

I love this! I would love to see more children's classes opening up.
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by Kim on April 18, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on April 18, 2013

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Clean up Your Diet, Starting with These Three Steps.

  1. Commit, commit, commit. Make up your mind why you want to eat healthier. Choose small, specific changes you want to make to improve your diet, and then don’t make exceptions.
  2. Focus on eating more vegetables. Instead of cutting stuff out of your diet, focus on adding more vegetables into your diet. If you really make an effort to eat a lot more vegetables, you won’t have as much room for junk.
  3. Only eat junk food that tastes good. You can really cut a lot of junk food out by following this rule, and you are only depriving yourself of disgusting tv dinners, substandard candy, and fat free ice cream. You get to keep the junk that is actually tasty, at least until your commitment to your diet deepens and you are ready to make more changes to your diet.

For more detailed information about diet, check out my original post here.

Image

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by Kim on April 17, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on April 17, 2013

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Fuck Loving Your Body

I just read a blog about how people feel a lot of pressure to perfect their bodies, and then feel more pressure because they don’t love their bodies, and they should. The blog implied that people should feel free to love their bodies, or not, as they preferred.

Seriously? Grow up. Get over yourself. It’s not about you. I get so tired of reading this drivel. Yes, advertising is designed to lower your self esteem so that you buy more products, which supposedly will increase your self esteem. Stop reading the magazines.

Probably, your body has a lot of parts that really suck. Either they look bad, or they are prone to illness, or they are sensitive, or whatever. You might have parts of your body you like too- I personally happen to have a fantastic ass.

Let me let you in on a little secret- no one other than you gives a shit. And you shouldn’t either. There are way more important ways to spend your time and energy. Invest a small amount of time in hygiene and flattering clothes, and then move on with your life.

Instead of focusing on self esteem, loving your body, holding hands and world peace, you should focus on how you can make someone else’s life better. What have you done, today, during the last hour, that makes someone else’s life better?

If you start focusing on other people, you won’t be so sucked up into pointless conversations about how fat your ass looks or how zit infested your forehead is. Not only that, but you will have better things to talk to other people about then how ugly you think you are. Surprise! Talking about that bullshit brings other people down. It’s a count against you. By indulging in talking about your body, you are making the world worse instead of better. Be better than that. Get over yourself. Do something with your time that matters, instead of reading Cosmo or looking at Facebook ads. You have it in you to contribute something to the world. Get to work.

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by Kim on April 10, 2013  •  Permalink
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Natasha Wang on Competing

This is a guest blog post from Natasha Wang. Originally it was posted for competitors in the Pole Sports Organization Competition in LA, but I think it is fantastic advice for any competition. For a complete biography of Natasha Wang, click here. To see her website, click here.  To follow Natasha on Facebook, click here. To see a kick-ass video of Natasha Wang, click here (or just search her name on Youtube). To read more excellent blogs about competitions, check out the blog hop here.

Natasha Wang on Competing

Having been there a few times, I know how nerve-wracking it is preparing for a competition. All those sleepless nights dreaming of choreography, the countless bruises and muscle strains, and our significant others wondering when they’ll have their wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend back! So I wanted to share a few pre-comp tips for those of you in the home stretch for Pole Sports Organization‘s PPC in Los Angeles this weekend. I’ll be rooting for ALL OF YOU this weekend! Bring it!

1) Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s best to take the last few days off before a competition to ‘rest’ your body. Yes, take it easier – no more marathon 12-hour training sessions – but remember to run your routine at least twice per day in the days leading up to the comp so the movement is fresh in your muscle memory. It’s also important that you focus during these training sessions. Instead of spending 2 hours mucking around on the pole before you run your routine, thus wasting what valuable remaining energy you have, once you arrive at the studio, do a proper warm up, put on your music, turn on your video camera, and GO! Refine the passes and tricks AFTER you’ve done your run-throughs and can evaluate your performance on camera.

2) Make sure and run your routine in full, in costume, to ensure there aren’t wardrobe malfunctions. And if there are, there’s boob tape for that. No excuses for point-deducting nip slips — or worse — on stage!

3) Visualize your routine every second you get. In the car, in the shower, before you sleep, in the loo…lots of studies have shown that visualization dramatically improves your physical performance…and you can do it in your pajamas.

4) Eat properly the day before and day-of the comp. If you’re competing in the morning, eat a carb-heavy dinner the night before and a light, easily digestible breakfast 2-3 hours before the comp (my mainstay is oatmeal on day of comps). If you’re competing in the afternoon, eat a hearty breakfast and a light carb-based lunch 2-3 hours before you hit the stage. If you’re competing at night, have a hearty breakfast and lunch, and a snack 1-2 hours before performance. Some good tips can be found here.

5) Pack up your competition bag the night before. Make sure you have your costume, grips, snacks, bottled water, boob tape, post-comp outfit, warm-up sweats, yoga mat, iPod with music, foam roller, etc.

6) When you’re at the event, be nice to your fellow competitors backstage and help create a supportive, convivial atmosphere. No cattiness or competitiveness! This will help you GREATLY in reducing pre-performance jitters, and thus will help your on-stage performance in the end.

7) Before you go on stage, reduce nervousness by taking slow deep inhales and exhales. I also always remind myself that I am so lucky and blessed to have a healthy, functioning body when there are so many in the world who do not. Celebrate how blessed you are by giving the judges and audience your everything on stage.

8) Finally, once the results are announced and if they are not to your liking, do not ruin the triumphs of your fellow competitors by saying you were robbed, or the judges’ decisions were flawed or biased. We’ve all felt the disappointment of not doing our best, or not winning that trophy, but a sore loser isn’t inspirational for anybody. If this wasn’t your time to stand on the podium, use this as ammunition for your next competition, to work harder and more focused! Hard work will always be rewarded – even if it’s not a trophy, it’s the satisfaction of knowing you did your best (and having a killer video for YouTube.)

And if today was YOUR DAY, celebrate! And make sure you thank your choreographer, home studio, trainer, costume designer, friends and family, because they’ve all helped you get there.

Good luck everyone!!!!

Super-pole competitor Natasha Wang shares some of her competing secrets

Super-pole competitor Natasha Wang shares some of her competing secrets

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by Kim on April 8, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on April 8, 2013

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10 Ways to Recover from an Evil Cold of Doom

I’ve had this really nasty throat bug for the last several days, which is really putting a damper on my training. I’ve been experimenting with trying to be actively well instead of crashing in front of the tv, which is what I usually do when I’m sick. It seems to be helping. Here’s what I’m doing:

  • Drink lots of water and herbal teas with lemon and honey. Usually I drink tea without honey because the sugar is not ideal for training, but honey is the best thing I know for a sore throat.
Tea, honey, and lemon are good for getting over sicknesses. Ginger and peppermint teas are my favorite.

Tea, honey, and lemon are good for getting over sicknesses. Ginger and peppermint teas are my favorite.

  • Sit up straight and breathe as deeply as possible for a few moments. I feel like usually when I’m sick I end up slouching on the couch for most of the day, and I’m trying to make sure that I get enough clean air into my lungs to help me recover. I’ve been trying to do this a few times every day. If you really like this, try meditating.
  • Oranges. I used to buy orange juice, but eating the orange is healthier. Citrus generally is helpful when you are sick.
  • Chicken Noodle Soup. When I’m sick I don’t feel like cooking, but luckily I recently discovered a spicy, Asian-inspired version of chicken soup available for takeout. I ordered that twice. My point being take-out is good for not having to cook and chicken soup is a classic for healing colds and other ailments.
  • Gargle warm salt water a few times a day.
No, I am not drinking wine to feel better- I just have an obsession with wine glasses. That is definitely warm, salty water in there, prepared for me to gargle.

No, I am not drinking wine to feel better- I just have an obsession with wine glasses. That is definitely warm, salty water in there, prepared for me to gargle.

  • Light stretching. Do not confuse this with flexibility training- Mostly I mean things like arm, wrist and hip circles a few times a day to keep your blood circulating.
  • Rest. No work, no strength training, no flexibility training. No pole. No running errands. No running. I try to continue to rest even as I’ve started to feel better, so I can make sure that I’m really healed and I don’t make myself sick again.
  • Sleep. Take lots of naps in addition to lounging around all day. You have to shut off the tv and the computer to make this happen.
Doesn't bed sound nice? That's where I'm headed as soon as I post this. Sleep helps you recover.

Doesn’t bed sound nice? That’s where I’m headed as soon as I post this. Sleep helps you recover.

  • Stop talking. It agitates your throat. It probably also agitates the ears of your listeners. Rest your throat.
  • Stay home. Don’t share with your friends.

If you want more, another awesome blogger happens to be sick right now too. For her ideas about making yourself get better, click here.

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by Kim on April 6, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Kim on April 6, 2013

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