6k and 25 poomsae, a good way to spend a couple of hours

[darren_stranger]

 
I did another run home tonight, the first time i've done it two nights in a row (or twice in one week, for that matter).  I noticed as i went that, while i was sweating like a pig and my arms and legs were tiring, my breathing was still quite slow and deep into my abdomen.  Looks like it is improving my cardio fitness at least, and maybe doing all that yoga breathing is helping too.

When i got home i found Elaine was working late, so i stretched for a bit then went up to the reserve to do some patterns.  It took exactly 40 minutes to go through all the patterns i know once each, through the Palgwes and Taegeuks, then Koryo One and Hanryu, then Koryo through Chonkwon.  While tonight i was doing them in the more 'martial' style and going just a little faster (though this time being careful not to kick too hard and jar my joints), i also tried another approach of doing a few moments' standing meditation to clear my mind before a couple of the higher ones (again inspired by one of those Kim Soo articles, mentioning the idea of 'emptying your cup').  That really did seem to give a different feel to performing the pattern, more relaxed and with better presence of mind, and helped me clarify my thoughts about the way we peform junbi. 

There's always something more to learn, and looking into ideas from related arts does give some good insights some times. 

Bet my legs will ache in the morning, though.