One down. Nine to go.

Before this week started, my thoughts went in the direction of ‘I’m going to die’ and ‘I really should not have spent the last two weeks eating and sleeping’. Today during 3.5 hours of training I only thought I would die once. Then the endorphins kicked in and I couldn’t stop smiling.

What drives someone to put their minds and bodies through two weeks of, after no physical activity for two weeks past, what I constitute as hell?

Ask me in two weeks.

I’m kidding. It’s not really hell. It’s a challenge, sure, but one that everyone has volunteered for. The difficulty is why I’m doing it. It’s something I’ve never done before and this is the furthest my mind and body will be pushed to the limits. Mainly the mind.

My goal for this intensive: get rid of thoughts like ‘I’m dead’ or ‘I can’t do anymore I need a rest’. These thoughts are poison and do not have a place in my head. For me, this intensive is about strengthening my mind, and maybe regaining some of the muscle lost over the break. Putting your mind and body through something like this is what makes or breaks a person. You either quit, or come out stronger.

While body and mind will suffer, this fortnight I refuse to break. This is the next part of my karate journey and it’s time to tackle it with gusto.