New website

I now have a new website at http://www.anitalim.moonfruit.com
I've got out of the habit of updating this blog, so I've decided to add a blog page there instead.

Some very sad news

Chris Jarmey (principal of the European Shiatsu School & author of many books) passed away suddenly from a heart attack on the 9^th November. More information about him can be found at the shiatsu school website.

I count myself very fortunate to have been taught shiatsu & qigong by him.

He was a vibrant man with a liking for making lots of puns! My thoughts are with his family, & all those that will miss him.

Getting back to blogging

I've now done my first 2 races, which were in May & June.
I did my 10k in just under 1 hour 8 minutes, which I'm proud of. Despite being told on the start line not to set off too quickly, I did any way & the first 6K flew by. Unfortunately, I then had 2 stitches & really heavy legs, so had to slow down. I ambled up to the finish line, & only thought about speeding up when encouraged by some one shouting, "Come on, chicken!" (And yes, it was aimed at me)

It was amazing to see all the different types of people running. I was overtaken by a small dog, & came in round the same time as a guy carrying a hod full of bricks!
I think the weirdest thing was that I seemed to get the post race blues, & just felt blah afterwards. After doing some reading, it appears to be quite common, but not some thing I even considered.

I raised £365.00 for the 5K Race for Life for Cancer Research, woo hoo!
Unfortunately, I still had some bug on the day & didn't feel so good during or after the race. I'm pleased I managed to run the whole way & it showed me what I can do, even when I'm not 100%. The atmosphere was great & it amazed me how many people's lives are touched by cancer.

I've been struggling a bit recently with my running, so have been leaving my watch at home & just running about 3.5 miles. Even though it's been hot I've been enjoying it. I think I started to get a bit too focused on increasing my mileage & speed, plus not running regularly due to illness. This meant each run felt hard & I couldn't imagine running 10K.
I've signed up for a 10 mile race in October, but I'm just going to work on enjoying it & building my stamina back up.

Running update

Well, I started running at the beginning of February, but feel I haven't progressed as much as I might have due to a dodgy knee. At first, I thought it was just a bit stiff due to my body getting used to this new exercise. However, I then realised it had some thing to do with my pelvis being out & visited my chiropractor. Yup, pelvis was waaay out. Great, I thought, give it time to settle down & then I can get back out there running. My knee had other ideas & spent over 2 weeks being swollen. If I'm honest it's still not 100%. Running & cycling are fine, but when I kneel it isn't comfortable to put all my weight on that leg.

Injury aside, I'm still really enjoying running. I want to do more, & when it's sunny I find myself glancing out the window at work thinking, "Yay, I'll go for a run".
When I ran Monday, it was further than I've done to date & found it a bit hard going on the way back. So, I started to play around with where my focus was. First of all, I focused on my breathing, but found it just made me more aware of how loud it seemed. Then I tried focusing on when my feet hit the pavement & thinking of running more lightly. This seemed to help & next thing I was at the part where I walk back. I've tried thinking of my centre when I run, but I'm not sure how that felt.

I'm going to do the Woodley 10K run on 18th May, & the Race for Life on 1st June.
I admit I'm a bit nervous about the 10k as I haven't yet run the distance. I'm sure I'll be fine, as I seem to be fitter than I think I am!

I passed my final theory exam!

Our final theory exam was originally scheduled for 21st June. At our last week end of study, our principal asked if we wanted to take it early to get it out of the way. If we failed, we could consider it a mock, & if we passed, fantastic!

There was a lot of 'umming' & 'aahing', & we decided to sit the exam, which was a bit scary considering none of us had revised. We marked each other's papers, & I found this a really good 'class' as we discussed the questions & answers in depth.
I got 81.5%, which I am so proud of! Again & again, there's hard evidence that I know more than I think I do. It's given me a big confidence boost, & I feel like I'm that much closer to graduating.

I now have left to do:

• Point location exam
• 100 treatments
• 2 case histories from the above
• 2 practical exams
• Receive 2 treatments.

That's still a fair amount of work, but it now feels a lot less to handle.
I'm also thinking more positively about practising professionally.

A positive day

I know I need to improve my skills regarding talking to people about shiatsu. I haven't done any advertising & need to practise advertising both myself & shiatsu.
When I had a haircut today at a new hairdressers, the opportunity just fell into my lap! The chap asked if I knew of any where local he could get a massage (or some thing), so that he can relax & feel fresh for the next week at work. And this was before I mentioned shiatsu! I didn't immediately respond that I could help; my brain seemed to working 10 to the dozen about how to phrase it. So, I briefly explained about shiatsu & the level I'm at, & then gave him my details when I went to pay.
He seemed really interested, & even mentioned he might give Facial Aculift Massage a go.
When I left I felt great!! :) Almost like I don't care if he doesn't get in contact, it felt so good to be excited & confident about it. It's how I need to be. I know people will seem interested & never book a session, but it's a start, yay!

I also had a great aikido class tonight. I've been struggling slightly since I changed classes, but I know that's partly because the 2 teachers' styles are quite different. I nearly decided to change classes again, but think there's a lot for me that I need at this class. I feel I need to be challenged, & also to improve my positivity in my practise.
I practised with another green belt for a bit, & then Sensei said we both were going off to do some thing 'a bit different'. We practised randori, with the help of one of the teachers. Usually in class we practise kata, which means we both know what's expected of us, & take turns attacking & following. Randori in comparison is free-style practise, which I haven't done huge amounts of.
I started off thinking way too much, which ended up in me moving out the way, going, "Um" & not finishing the move. Frustrating, as I know I can do stuff. Then it started to happen, & I loved it. By the time Sensei came to watch I was quite happy with my progress, & he congratulated me for improving. I wanna do more!

Running & Race for Life

I know it's not about shiatsu or aikido, but...
I'm going to do the 5k Race for Life in June, & I'm really looking forward to it!
I did my first training session on Monday night, & we ran 3.3 miles.
So impressed with myself, & the 2 other beginners training. It's made me realise that my fitness level is much higher than I thought. I'm extremely lucky to be getting some time with a personal fitness instructor, who will run with us on the day.

I think it's good for me to have another goal, other than shiatsu & getting qualified. I also definitely believe that physical activity complements the study for me. When I've been overworking the Spleen, I can go out for a run! :)

The race is for Cancer Research UK. If you would like to sponsor me, please see the Just Giving box on the right.

Off topic picture

Just liked this picture.
http://usera.imagecave.com/kcammack1/deer.bmp.jpg