| At the horse races. |
It's been a busy week here in Rio. We
had a wave of new arrivals from all over the world come in, plus we
were working on several projects around CR (add to that training) it
made for a packed schedule. As a result Nicole and I decided to make
the most of the weekend and get some good R&R in. On Saturday
afternoon we decided to head to Rio's famous Jockey Club, Hipodromo,
in Gavea. Built in the 1920's the track and grand stands look like it
was straight out of The Great Gatsby.
The buildings are all granite with marble flooring and wood seating
and betting counters. The club itself is free to get into and if you
are betting there is a 3R bet minimum (less than 1.5 USD) so you can
have a good time for a fairly low price. Nicole and I decided to use
going to the races as an excuse to get dressed up, so we ditched our
normal attire of shorts and tshirts for nicer clothing. We met
several friends there and we spent the afternoon placing small bets
and drinking a few cold beverages and overall enjoying the day. At
first we really had no idea about making bets and how to pick a
“winner” but by the end we could at least make a more educated
guess (even managed to pick a couple of winners). Overall on the day
I think I left about 7R down but it was more than worth it. After the
races we headed over to a small restaurant and split a couple of
pizzas before heading back to Barra. We all had a ton of fun and I
think we are going to make a trip to the horse races a monthly thing.
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| Nicole and I at the Jockey Club. |
On
Sunday Nicole and I got up and did our normal thing of going for
breakfast and the farmers market. After going to the farmers markets
for so long the vendors know our faces and often times make sure that
we get some of the best fruits and veggies that they have to offer.
When we got back to the house we relaxed and read, trying to wait out
the hottest part of the day. About mid afternoon we headed down to
Joatinga beach. Joatinga is a small semi-private beach located about
a 10 minute walk from the house. Tucked away in a really nice
neighborhood, the beach is a small patch of sand surrounded by rocks
and cliffs, when the tide comes in the beach itself disappear under
the waves so you have to time it just right to enjoy the beach. It's
a very relaxed atmosphere where you see very few non Brazilians and
most people are spending their time tanning, surfing, or kicking
around a futebol. Nicole and I spent a few hours relaxing at the
beach before heading out as the sun was setting and the tide was
creeping up the beach. There is no better way to recharge the
batteries and get ready for another hard week of training, than to
just sit back and enjoy what Rio has to offer.
Week
Training
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| Showing some technique. Photo by M. Viera. |
Even
though it was a busy week I still put in plenty of time in at the
gym. Things clicked a bit more for me this week grappling wise, I was
still getting it handed to me but overall I felt a lot more solid and
smooth in my rolling. I have been spending a lot of time thinking
back over my rolling and trying to analyze a few things and I have
really found a few gaps that I need to work on closing. BJJ (like
most martial arts) is incredibly humbling, you think that you are on
a certain level and then BAM! Someone serves you a slice of humble
pie and you realize you have a long way to go. That's kind of where I
am at with my jiu-jitsu. I could look at it with frustration (it's
VERY easy to do), but I am trying to embrace it with open arms
because I know in the end that is what will make me better.
It
feels really good to be getting back into hard training. Training in
general is never easy, but I'm talking tough, taxing-- both mentally
and physically-- training. This past Friday's sparring session was
one of those. It was probably close to 37C day so you almost started
sweating as soon as you stepped on the mat. We warmed up and drilled
striking combos and takedowns for about 45 minutes and then moved
onto sparring. We did three five minute rounds MMA-- strikes and
takedowns with quick stand-ups if there was any static positions in
grappling. Each round we rotated to a new partner. The first two guys
I sparred were bigger than me and I had to try to use speed and
movement to avoid being out muscled or eating heavy shots. The third
guy was was a little bit smaller than me but lighting fast so I had
to find ways of slowing the pace down so I could get in range to land
solid strikes and takedowns. The toughest spar was my second one
against a big, tough, and experienced fighter. I started strong and
landed a hit, a couple of nice takedowns, and was holding my own on
the feet. As the round wore on though he used his strength to wear me
down and tire me out. My punches and shots got slower and my hands
got lower and he started to put it on me a bit more. I didn't wither
away though, I used getting tired to piss me off and I kept battling
(although sloppily) until the end of the round. It wasn't a great
round for me, but I used it as a gut check; a test of my gameness.
Instead of curling up letting the guy pummel me I kept fighting and
throwing until the end....I do have a nice black eye to show for it
though. After the MMA sparring we took off the gloves and rolled two
five minute rounds of nogi submission. I felt the best I have rolling
in awhile and was able to pull some good things from the training
session. Just sitting here writing this is getting my blood pumping,
I am excited for Monday to come so I can get back into the gym and
continue to get better!
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