Training Log: July 30, 2009

Video link from yesterday's taping here (thanks for manning the camera Laura!):


Training today included:

-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-2lb Vaults
-Sprint Vaults
-Hell Passes
-Traveling Kongs
-6" Beam Run
-Rolls
-Landings
-General Conditioning

1" Wall Walk:
Picking the speed back up to how it was before. I dunno why I was slowing down.

1" Cat Walk:
I failed at making the red line today, 2 posts away. My muscles just couldn't take it anymore, perhaps that's the result of not really doing them for four days straight? I could barely do it yesterday too. Guess I'll be building back up.

2lb Vaults:
10 Speeds, 10 Kongs, 10 Lazies. Still easy, but they're harder in the Vibrams. I've found the weight band digs into the top of my feet. I'm just going to deal with the pain because I don't really feel it while doing vaults, but I have to keep the abrasions in mind. 2lbs also puts a lot more pressure on the vault landings, and it's causing me to land differently. I'm sure this will fix itself as I adjust to the weight more, but it's another thing to watch.

Sprint Vaults:
5 Lazies, 5 Speeds, 5 Kongs. I'm more prone to stutter-stepping with the additional speed, I'm going to need to iron that out.

Hell Passes:
Made 20 today to make up for the last few days. Excluding time at the cabin, it's where I should have been. And then I did 5 more after a rest just for good measure, because I felt like I might have been doing them a little too slowly. I still never stopped moving, but I know I could have gone faster.

6" Beam Run:
Happened. These are getting increasingly faster and easier. I've found if I don't lift my feet so much in the run and turn it more into a glide, it's easier.

Rolls:
These are getting better. Keep the legs tucked, roll over the shoulder, and stay tucked for longer than it feels like I should. The momentum carries so much better and allows me to use my hands on the roll-out. I feel like the rolls are much improved by running and jumping off the table, the speed forces me into good form.

Landings:
I know it's been a long time since I drilled these, but I felt like I should still continue. Just did ten jumps in the air, landing as quietly as possible. It's a hell of a workout too.

General Conditioning:
10 pull ups palms away, 8 pull ups palm towards me, 20 push-ups with feet on the table bench, 40-30-20 crunches.

Training Log: July 28-29, 2009

I've gotten lazy with the updates! I won't go into detail, but here are some highlights from the past two days of training:

-I learned doing Parkour immediately after a full stomach is a terrible idea. I only made the kong-to-speed rotations (from here on out called "Hell Passes") 10 times, and clipped my feet four times. This, of course, meant I had to do 10 more since I didn't get the required 18.

-2lb weights are harder on landings, so I'll definitely be sticking with them for now.

-Laura recorded Matt and I today for critique videos, which have been created and are uploading as I type this. I'll edit the post and link them in the morning.

-The Vibrams are good and broken it. It's great to have them on my feet again.

Training Log: July 24-27, 2009

Training over the weekend and yesterday included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-2lb Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations

I won't go into detail since none of it was very regimented, but I'll cover some of the highlights. I konged and speed vaulted my biggest table yet, a taller and wider picnic table than ever before (and it was easy). I got 17 kong-to-speed rotations. I'm no longer terrible at left footed lazies (though they do need work). And I got a new pair of Vibrams I'm breaking in. That is all.

Training Log: July 23, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-2lb Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Sprint Vaults

Biking:
On my way to the park today more skater punks decided to jeer at me as I passed Cherry View. This would be number 2 from one particular kid who called me a "fag" before and I ignored it. This time it was a, "Hey. HEY. GET A LIFE." So I turned my bike around, whipped off my helmet, and we had a short conversation in which I asked if he had a problem. I also said one of these days he was going to insult the wrong guy. Someone who couldn't control their temper, and would beat the living shit out of him, and that he was lucky I wasn't that person. We'll see if he does it again, and if he does...well, maybe I'll have to be that person. Only time will tell.

1" Wall Walk:
Yep.

1" Cat Walk:
Red line.

2lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. It was still really easy, but I think I'll keep it at 2 for awhile just the same.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
Made the 16. To think, at first I could only do 5. That's an improvement of 22 total vaults, it's hard to believe I can do 32 now. I'm not looking forward to Monday, because I'm fairly certain I won't be able to do that many. I'll have to work up again.

Sprint Vaults:
5 Lazies, 5 Speeds, 5 Kongs. I tried just jumping over the table today instead of doing a straight Speed Vault. It was stupid easy. I'm still going to keep putting my hand down just so I'm not out of practice for different obstacles, but there it is.

Training Log: July 22, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Traveling Kongs
-Sprint Vaults
-6" Beam Run
-General Conditioning
-Rolls

Biking:
FALCONE--PAUNCH! >.>

1" Wall Walk:
Happened.

1" Cat Walk:
I fell off today. A lot. Sometimes after 2 steps. In the end I did make it to the red line, but it was still frustrating. Not sure how I was so off my game.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. I forgot to increase the weight again. They were still easy.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
New PR, as per my rules. 15 today.

Traveling Kongs:
Still fun, still easy. Matt made it over the table with these kitty-corner today, I'll have to give that a try.

Sprint Vaults:
5 Lazies, 5 Speeds, 5 Kongs. Still a lot of fun, though I don't think I need to put my hand down on the Speed vaults going that fast...I barely tap it. I'll probably keep doing it just because it make me feel safe and doesn't hurt my speed, but there it is.

6" Beam Run:
I accidentally a coke bottle...is that bad?

General Conditioning:
ha-CHA!

Rolls:
I finally nailed it today, or at least...close. I barely felt the roll, turns out I just needed to stay tucked longer. It solved both my shoulder and hip bone impact issues.

Training Log: July 21, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Sprint Vaults

Biking:
Mhmm.

1" Wall Walk:
Really relaxing today, just took my time.

1" Cat Walk:
As I said I was going to do yesterday, I pushed myself today. My arms and legs almost gave out from underneath me, but I made it to the second blue line! Personal Record. From now on, only the red line is acceptable to fall at instead of the first blue.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. I forgot to add weight today, so they were still easy.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
It was such a beautiful, cool evening today I managed to do 14 without keeling over. Again, new PR.

Sprint Vaults:
I decided I would do 5 Kongs, 5 Speeds, 5 Lazies at full sprint. Something clicked today with these. I became completely and utterly relaxed. My strides were near silent, my hands made quiet contact with the table, everything just felt more natural. It was effortless and wonderful. It's probably the closest I've ever come to "no mind." It's a feeling that's stayed with me even now, an hour later.

Training Log: July 20, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Sprint Vaults
-6" Beam Run
-General Conditioning

Biking:
Hooray for biking!

1" Wall Walk:
Still fine.

1" Cat Walk:
Somewhere between blue and red. I'm going to force myself to go beyond the red line tomorrow, this lack of progress is becoming frustrating. I should definitely be to the end of the wall by now. I'm getting faster...but I want distance.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. I'll be upping the weight tomorrow.

Lazy Vaults:
I tried the starter drills left footed. It was really difficult, and really awkward. I'll keep trying but it's uncomfortable.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
The heat was definitely the factor that kept me down yesterday. Thanks to cloud cover and a slight breeze, I made the PR today. 13 is the new set bar. It still almost killed me, but it's good.

Sprint Vaults:
I haven't put a number on it yet, but I've decided I need to practice doing these at full speed. It's a lot of fun.

6" Beam Run:
Yep.

General Conditioning:
Happened. On a side note, gave another handout today.

Training Log: July 19, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Traveling Kongs
-6" Beam Run
-General Conditioning
-Rolls

Biking:
I really need to get my tires pumped to full. This can't be good for my bike.

1" Wall Walk:
Some kids were playing baseball in the rink, so I told them to just keep playing and that if I got hit by their ball it was, "my own dumb fault." They said okay, and then stopped playing once I started the walk. The conversation went something like this to begin with:
Kid1: "How's he doing that?"
Kid2: "Special shoes."
Me: "Nope, just tennis shoes."
Kid1: "You in gymnastics?"
Me: "Haha, nope."
Later questions following vaults included:
"Are you going into the Army?" "Are you training for football?" Eventually I just told them it was Parkour, and gave them my two hand-outs. Which the 3 of them then fought over. Good times.

1" Cat Walk:
I actually fell off today. Sticking with my goals, even though I fell off just a few beams before the blue line, I forced myself to start over and go to the blue line again. Really, really painful.

1.5lb Vaults:
Really easy today. Maybe I just can't take a day off from them?

Lazy Vaults:
Full sprint now. I need to remember to start trying these left footed, I mention it all the time here and continually forget.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
I only got 8 today. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the heat? Who knows, but I punished myself for not getting to 12 by doing 8 more afterward. I tried to make myself do yet another 8, but I only managed 4. Sad face. Anyway, I've decided that will be the norm now. Every time I fail to make a PR, I have to do a second set of however many I made it to.

Traveling Kongs:
Still easy, still strange.

6" Beam Run:
Yep.

General Conditioning:
Cooelle.

Rolls:
Completed 5 today with zero pain or impact! Excellent, excellent news. Hopefully it'll be the same case tomorrow. It's just taking more concentration now that the other parts are muscle memory. I need to make sure I roll over my right arm instead of collapsing it, and tuck my legs tight.

Training Log: July 18, 2009

Training yesterday included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-Traveling Kongs
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-6" Beam Run
-General Conditioning

Biking:
It was cold.

1" Wall Walk:
Can almost put my hands at my sides, I dunno if I'll ever be able to run it though.

1" Cat Walk:
This was really hard yesterday for some reason. I still blue lined it, but I got off right afterward.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. This were really difficult too. Maybe it was just the cold, gloomy weather getting to me? I managed to do them anyway, and didn't miss any, so at least I know I can perform under those conditions.

Lazy Vaults:
I'm letting these get a little too lazy. Starting to lose my form, even though I do still clear the wall with ease.

Traveling Kongs:
These are really strange. It feels like they're vaults that should happen on accident, I dunno. Not having a take-off but still getting my feet high enough to clear the table and diving into it...like I said, strange. Easy! But strange. I don't think I'll be able to get any more distance off these than I am though. That is, unless I can run on my hands for a few slaps...that'd be interesting.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
Keeping it up, new PR of 11. The space I give myself from table to end line is getting smaller and smaller, which I guess is a good thing to practice as well. It still beat the shit out of me, doing that many is really exhausting. If I think about it though, that's actually 22 vaults in a row. Up from my original 10. That's huge.

6" Beam Run:
Yep.

General Conditioning:
It happened.

Pseudo Training: July 17, 2009

Messed around near an apartment complex and park on Burnsville Parkway and Nicolette Ave. I got to really mess with a parking lot for the first time. Pop vaults off a rock into it, there's opportunity for cat leaps onto the second level (though I didn't try), wall runs on the slanted wall...all sorts of fun stuff. The small man-made creek created a lot of fun for jumps, plenty of benches available to vault, I dunno. Just a really pleasant place to mess around, I'm excited to go there when I can use my left hand liberally.

Training Log: July 16, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-Cat Walks
-Kong Vaults
-Speed Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-Cat Leaps
-QM
-General Conditioning

Biking:
The wind sucks. A lot.

1" Wall Walk:
The wind still sucks. A lot. But I didn't fall.

Cat Walks:
Did these at both Cherry View Park and Lake Nakomis. At CVP I got between the blue and red line. At Nakomis I cat walked my first bridge and up a slanted, slim, rounded railing a fair distance. Great practice.

Kong Vaults:
I did picnic tables at CVP as usual. At the North Park-esque place Matt, Laura, and I went to I konged tables wider and taller than the ones at CVP (which was really scary, and really fun). At Nakomis I konged a few benches.

Speed Vaults:
All the same objects I did with the kongs, plus a few rails. I also did a few of these with my backpack on, which is a ton of extra work. I barely cleared each time I did it, and over railings I would normally have no problems with.

Lazy Vaults:
CVP and the North Park-esque place. Easy. Wewt.

Cat Leaps:
Had a ton of fun with these at...I'll just call it NPE. NPN? North Park North? NPN it is. Jumped from tier to tier of railings as quickly as possible, easily the most entertaining part of our time there in addition to the new kong vaults. Ripped up my hand (I had to stifle a scream with the peroxide this evening it hurt so bad. Then again, that'll happen when I'm a moron and do QM through the dirt with an open wound).

QM:
It was short, but it was done.

General Conditioning:
Went up stairs backward and forward in QM, some slanted rail arm only climbs, push-ups, pull-ups, crunches...yep.

Training Log: July 15, 2009

Training today included:

-Wall Runs
-Lazy Vaults
-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Traveling Kong
-6" Beam Run
-Rolls
-General Conditioning

Wall Runs:
Went up to MCAD today for some financial shtuffs, used the opportunity to blow off some steam on the walls. I managed to get up a 7ft marble, slick wall with no problems, which felt amazing. There was a mother and her kid going in to check out the gallery as I was practicing them, and the little guy laughed every time I went up the wall. Pretty much made my day, they stood and watched for awhile.

Lazy Vaults:
Again at MCAD, I got a chance to do lazy vaults over walls about 6" wide. Excellent practice.

Biking:
Wewt.

1" Wall Walk:
Another windy day defeated.

1" Cat Walk:
3 pillars after the red line.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. I'm thinking about upping it to 2lbs even after just two days.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
I did it, managed 10 this time. It's really, really difficult though.

Traveling Kongs:
Still easy, still fun.

6" Beam Run:
It happened.

Rolls:
I'm starting to get really frustrated with these, but I think I'm still progressing. I didn't go on cement as I said I would earlier today, but all the parts are finally clicking together. Tight tuck, roll over shoulder instead of collapsing it, exit as forward as possible... GAH.

General Conditioning:
Yep.

Training Log: July 14, 2009

Training yesterday included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Traveling Kong
-6" Beam Run
-360° Underbar
-Rolls
-General Conditioning

Biking:
It gets harder the more shit I throw into my backpack. Go figure.

1" Wall Walk:
Ridiculously windy day. Still made it to the end, but I took my time.

1" Cat Walk:
Farther than the blue line, shorter than the red.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 Kongs, 10 Speeds, 10 Lazies. Still really hard, still really good. I'll definitely be doing these everyday. It forces me to perfect my vault technique, because if I don't do it right my legs will clip. I'll keep it at 1.5lbs for now, but I think I can put enough weights in to do 5lbs per ankle? Plenty of room to improve.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
Another personal record, 9. I've decided the goal is to try and do one better than the day before every day. These destroy me though, so I can't say I'm looking forward to it.

Traveling Kong:
New vault! It's easy. Nailed on first attempt, though admittedly learning the Kong Vault first is what made it so simple. I'll keep practicing these just because they're new and fun.

6" Beam Run:
It happened. I'm never going to keep track of how many times I run around it, I'll just go until I'm tired.

360° Underbar:
This was a weak attempt, and I'm supposed to start these at a low position instead of high. I had watched a tutorial video earlier for it, just decided to give it a try. A lower railing some other time, perhaps.

Rolls:
I feel like they're getting worse again. I'm going to try and do nothing but concrete until I get it right. Man that's gonna hurt.

General Conditioning:
Table push-ups, pull-ups with hands both ways, crunches, blah blah blah.

Training Log: July 13, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-1.5lb Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-6" Beam Run

Biking:
Yeap.

1" Wall Walk:
I got jeered at by some skater punks while doing this today. I believe the words were, "LOOKIT'IM GO! AAAAAAAAND FALL!" I ignored them, didn't fall, finished my walk, and they promptly shut-up when I started doing the cat walk. Good feeling.

1" Cat Walk:
Blue lined it.

1.5lb Vaults:
10 kong vaults, 10 speed vaults, and 10 lazy vaults with 1.5lbs on each ankle. Ridiculously tiring, but I feel like it will vastly improve everything. Not to mention how much easier vaults were after I took them off.

Lazy Vaults:
Still lazy.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
New PR again, 8 times. I almost threw up afterward, but it's good to know it was my endurance that failed me instead of my muscles and vaulting form.

6" Beam Run:
These are actually a lot of fun. Tiring, but fun.

Training Log: July 12, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Lazy Vaults
-Rolls
-6" Beam Run
-General Conditioning

Biking:
Cooelle.

1" Wall Walk:
This has gotten to the point where it's really just mind focusing, meditative exercise. Great warm-up.

1" Cat Walk:
Again, jumped off voluntarily from muscle fatigue. Still good, getting faster.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
Personal record, 7. I found there's an optimal distance I have to get for a kong to truly waste less energy. If I'm only 2 steps away, it takes a lot more energy than 5. This should be common sense, but then I have to remember that taking steps after a vault is also wasted energy. Gotta find a happy medium. I tried doing both at a full run, I nearly missed the hand plant on the speed vaults because the table passed so quickly. For the kongs I had to slow down a bit or risk flying over and missing the hand plant there too.

Lazy Vaults:
Like the 1" Wall Walk, this has become meditative. I just practice and drill it, there's really no thought process involved. Many times today I barely remembered the process of going over the wall, just the before and after were particularly vivid. I tried one at a full run today, maintaining balance is probably the hardest part. I had to have gone at least another 5 feet forward from take-off until I managed to redirect my course.

Rolls:
Today I finally discovered the difference between collapsing my arm and rolling from it. I don't think I'll hit my shoulder hard again, now I just have to work the hip bone some more. I'm also thinking about trying to exit my roll off the blade of my left foot instead of onto the heel. This is going to take ridiculously careful timing, but it might also solve my hip bone problem. After seeing John do it yesterday, I realized how loud a sound (and how heavy and impact) that heel is actually taking. I'd prefer that not happen on a concrete drop. It works, but I think the foot blade would be better.

6" Beam Run:
I ran for a very long time today across this, several times around the perimeter. Great coordination practice.

General Conditioning:
Push-ups with my feet on the table bench and hands on the ground, crunches, pull-up, etc etc. I also realized how much harder I push myself training alone. I was out there for an hour today and could barely move after-wards, whereas we trained for an hour and a half yesterday and I didn't feel like I'd done anything. I'll have to change that.

Training Log: July 11, 2009

I trained yesterday, didn't blog. Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-Rolls
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Lazy Vaults
-Cement Grabs

Biking:
Yep.

1" Wall Walk:
After doing it around the North Park perimeter with the ups and downs, this was really easy.

1" Cat Walk:
Also much easier after doing it around North Park. Another PR today, only fell off when my muscles couldn't take it anymore.

Rolls:
Did a few on asphalt again, I'm impacting the back of my shoulder really hard. I'll have to just keep bashing it over and over until I get it right. It hurts, but it's bearable. At least I'm not hitting my spine.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
I tried to focus really hard on doing them with proper form regardless of how tired I was, I think it was successful.

Lazy Vaults:
No butt scrapes or toe taps at all today. Great news. Next goal is to perfect it left footed.

Cement Grabs:
Yep. They happened.

Training Log: July 9, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-New Location: North Park
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Kong Vaults
-Speed Vaults
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-Landings
-Lazy Vaults
-Precisions
-Traceur Vision
-QM
-6" Beam Run

Laziness ensues! Matt and I did a bunch of stuff. Pretty sure I used everything I've learned aside from rolls. We both messed up our shins, Matt rather badly, but North Park was a lot of fun. It felt more like messing around than active training, but it was definitely a good workout. With time I think we'll get something a little more solid down for the sake of training aside from just going around the park, seeing what we can do. One thing new I did pull off today, I managed to Kong a low railing on several occasions, which was cooelle. It's good to know hand placement isn't nearly as hard as I thought. I've definitely got the distance ability and split-foot take-off down, now I need to work on my vertical.

Training Log: July 7, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-Kong Vaults
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Lazy Vaults
-6" Beam Run
-Rolls
-Wall Climb
-General Conditioning

Biking:
Pumped tires are great.

1" Wall Walk:
Still easy, even bending down to close and lock the gate someone left open before continuing on my way.

1" Cat Walk:
Spider caused me to fall off right before the blue line, so I got off and got to the blue line again. No progress, but I did essentially do it twice.

Kong Vaults:
I was in two locations today, the first was Cherry View Park where I just did these over picnic tables. Those are almost getting lazy now. The second, and much more exciting, was at Aaronson where I konged my first non-table; several boulders. I got to test my vaults at differing heights and distances, one of which was longer than the normal picnic table width. Rocks with no give are a completely different feeling, but a good one. Next step is a small target vault, like a rail.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
Still can only do 5 before I feel like dying. I'll push it for one more tomorrow. Considering both Kongs and Speeds are cake now, this shouldn't be a problem.

Lazy Vaults:
They're lazy. And easy.

6" Beam Run:
I still can't take these at a dead run, but I can do a fast jog.

Rolls:
Something bad happened to these, because I had no impact before but a little pulled muscle. Now I have impact on my shoulder and hip. No good. More video watching, here I come.

Wall Climb:
Climbed a pillar above a Korean War fighter twice. Relaxing, easy.

General Conditioning:
Raised leg push-ups, hanging sit-ups, assisted one arm push-ups, just a bunch of random stuff.

Training Log: July 3-6

Training at the cabin included:

-Cat Leaps
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Cat Walk
-Wall Walk
-Wall Run
-Speed Vaults
-Lazy Vaults
-QM
-Finger/Toe Grips
-Rolls
-Run
-Banlieue 13

Cat Leaps:
Never really done these before, so I kept it simple. Just jumped off a rock onto a keystone wall repeatedly. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, I'm sure I could pull it off on a smooth wall. Grabbing the top of the wall without slipping was simple, for some reason I thought it was going to be extremely difficult. Admittedly this could be because the keystone offered better support from my legs? We'll see.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
Found a picnic table at the 4th of July fireworks wider than what I'm accustomed to, and made it over with ease. I only had 2 running steps before the take-off to make it over, and they were still easy. I recently read on a forum a way to work up to the length of the picnic table, suggesting that I add obstacles in front of the table. I'll have to give that a try.

Cat Walk:
Thick, round, wooden beam cat walk. It had to be done just to remain in practice, but it was extremely easy.

Wall Walk:
Same beam, same effort.

Wall Run:
Up the keystone again, same as last time I was up there. It was fun to do the two tiers one after the next again though.

Speed Vaults:
Did a few of these over a small railing to a 1' drop. Really just worked on muscle memory, I can't improve these over such a small obstacle. It was smooth though.

Lazy Vaults:
Same railing, same effort.

QM:
I did these beasts backwards up concrete block steps. It really, really, hurt my muscles but I felt great when I reached the top. I nearly slipped off to go headfirst down the stairs a few times (concrete block steps = short and high) so that was doubtlessly a driving force to complete it.

Finger/Toe Grips:
I stood in the middle of the keystone wall, gripping my fingertips and toes on the 1/2" available. Then, I did squats. Didn't notice the muscle burn as much when I was concentrating so hard on not slipping off the wall, but it was definitely a good workout.

Rolls:
There's still something wrong here. I don't have impact anymore, but my leg gets stretched really weird when I come out of the roll. I'm pretty sure it's not a flexibility issue, so I'm just going to have to play with its exit some more?

Run:
By far the most satisfying experience up north this long weekend. At the 4th of July fireworks there was an elementary school with a really nice North Park-esque playground on it. I won't go into extreme detail, but I basically started at one end and made my way to the other at a dead run while vaulting, jumping, and PK landing the whole way non-stop. So good. I can't wait to do this in an urban environment.

Banlieue 13:
Movie starring David Belle and a lot of Pakour with Martial Arts. I had it for 6 days, I watched it 3.5 times. It's not that it was an amazing movie with substance, they bashed me over the head with a giant morality pan liberally throughout, but the action scenes were amazing. Not to mention, I think the longest I had to wait for one was maybe 10 minutes? 15 tops? Anyway, Parkour + Ass-Kickery = Epic any day for me, so it's an instant favorite. Not to mention it's in French. Bonus.

Training Log: July 1, 2009

Training today included:

-Biking
-1" Wall Walk
-1" Cat Walk
-Kong-to-Speed Rotations
-Lazy Vault
-Traceur Vision

Biking:
First time in a few days, I think my tires are flat again. I don't know when the last time is they were completely full which is terrible for the bike, I should really look into that. On the other hand, it's a much better work-out, haha.

1" Wall Walk:
Still solid, just need to get even faster.

1" Cat Walk:
Acceptable. A little after the blue line. Not a personal record, but acceptable.

Kong-to-Speed Rotations:
I can do 5 in a row before I feel like dying (that's 5 Kongs and 5 Speed vaults every other vault). I did 5 repetitions of it. The great news is, I can do Kongs with minimal speed now just fine and I did it off the more stable slippery table this time. I can feel my vaults deteriorate with each pass though, muscle fatigue definitely kicks in. I still clear the object but get closer and closer to clipping my feet. It starts to take a lot more willpower and concentration.

Lazy Vault:
Still clearing just fine, but for some reason my left hand plant on the follow-through always pulls my shoulder muscle. I don't think I'm doing anything too strange with it, so it doesn't make sense to me. I stretch before I even do the wall walk, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll just have to pay closer attention to what I'm doing next time.

Traceur Vision:
I didn't do as much of this today, as my palm is not completely healed yet. The last thing I need is to send another wood chip deeper into the cut already there. I could wear my biking gloves to do it, but that just seems ridiculous. Band-Aids tend to come off mid cat-walk. I think I might be able to put this to use more in a different environment too.

Other Notes:
Going to the cabin tomorrow. This means no training log updates until Monday with an exception of a possible log tomorrow. Hopefully I can find some good spots up north aside from wall running up and jumping off the tiers to the beach. We're probably going into town on the 4th, that could provide some interesting opportunities.