Preparing for Kangeiko…

Tomorrow morning begins the annual Kangeiko (spirit training) at the Denver dojo.  This event consists of early morning training (traditionally in the dead of winter) to rededicate one to a year of strong karate, and let me tell you: I NEED IT.  The training comes on the backside of a truly hellish few weeks at the office, with stress ramping up nearly as fast as the late night hours.  This led me to a deficit in karate training and therefore stress relief.

I would be lying to you all if I said I was looking forward to this.  I am still moderately intimidated by Sensei Yaguchi and the lack of a serious training schedule lately makes me feel additionally inferior.  All of this can be cured by knuckling under, training harder, and making time for it.  I need to channel my work stress into wanting to train more and strike a balance between relaxing at home and dojo-time.  Hopefully this week will provide an opportunity to reboot and get back on track.

Tomorrow is going to start early: I am leaving for the dojo with my buddy Paul B at 4:50 am.  Training starts at 6 am and goes until 7 am!  Expect it to be mostly a “blogging about karate” week.