I got the t-shirt! I am so happy!! I went in the post office before work and I went and got it, thank god.
There's not much to say really. Just that I got the t-shirt, hooray!

I was walking home today, thinking about my parkour t-shirt that still hasn't arrived, and when I reached my home I notice the orange delivery notice! Well I am ecstatic that I can go and collect it from the post office, when I notice that I won't be able to get it today. The post office is open till 19.00, which would coincide with me going to gymnastics - which would mean that I wold be waiting for ages...

That's my train of thought. Then I read more, it says please leave 24hrs before collecting. Darn. So I am like, well I have work, so I can collect it in my lunch break. My lunch breaks are usually at 1pm. The post office closes at 12.30 on a Saturday. So, I'll go before work.

But I can't, because before work isn't 24hrs (the item got delivered at 1.10pm.) So yeah. I'm going to go there before work anyway, demand my item, and if they say no because it's too early, I'll go at 12.25, wait inside until 1.10pm (after they are meant to close) and then pick it up. I have waited so long for this!!

Anyway, gymnastics tonight. I'm going to do decent stuff tonight, hopefully, because it is the last one before Christmas Holidays. So it really better be good. I'll probably go back to the rude gym after my haircut on Sunday, because the lack of exercise is killing me.

Oh, and B's coming today too! Last week the tons of guys there (most too young for her) were like, wolf whistling and whatnot. Haha.

Okay, I know that it's nearly midnight again. But I must update.
Today, F came up to me today.
"How's the parkour going?" Every day, I swear.
"Actually, really good."
"So, go on, flip for me."
"There's no flips in parkour."
Hahahahaha. Owned.
"That's free running." Me still owning him.
"What's the difference?"
"Bla bla (I filled him in, worry not.)"
Then we got onto talking about gymnastics and my visits there. I think he was pretty impressed, to be honest.
Gymnastics Friday. Last one for a while. I'm sad.

Hello blog. Oh, how the curse of the blogger be on me. I have gone from writing three blogs a day to one every three days. I'm sorry, it's not my fault - my life just got REALLY hectic all of a sudden.

You know I mentioned the t-shirt I ordered? It still hasn't arrived. I can't wait foreverrr!
I haven't been to the gym since the incident with the instructor and I haven't changed gyms yet - I'm saving that for New Year's. Though I am thinking I really really need to go to the gym again - I might have to pop in on Sunday afternoon (post hair appointment) just for light relief.

Parkour has not been active in these last two weeks except for my gymnastics visits It's a shame, I know, but once again I'm blaming it on the weather and my school work / work work / social life / fear.

I have noticed that there are a couple of major parkour groups in our county (through my research) and although I am nowhere near good enough to hang out with them I was thinking I might ask S to take me to spy on them and follow them round (In a completely non-stalkerish way ) just to see their ages, what they do, how many of them there are, etc etc.

Oh, I miss parkour. I must find out if B is coming to Friday's session of gymnastics - it's the last one before Christmas, and I really want to go.

Wow what a chaotic weekend. It's 23.38 on a Saturday.
Gymnastics yesterday (Oh, was it only yesterday?!) was great, as I went with B, we did some rope work haha, and I found out the bar I could vault over last week I now can't do. Next week is the last week before Christmas, and then it's a new year and then it's time to take it outside. I think I'm ready to hurt myself
I played a horrible trick on S the other day. When I first told him about my parkour-learning-ness he was all upset cause he thought I would break a bone or something, then recently I hadn't talked to him for ages and then he asked me how I was and I told him I was fine except for the leg I'd broken and the wrist I'd sprained during parkour. It was hilarious, mainly because he believed me.
(I honestly really didn't.)
Tomorrow is Sunday and who knows what it will bring. But right now I'm going to have to severely apologise for my lack of blogs recently - I have been overloaded. Well guys, I'm off to bed, before 12! For once.

Hm.
I went to bed at midnight.
But I was allowed to, I was put in a little bit of a crisis.
Gymnastics tomorrow!

Wow, my twentieth blog. Is there a prize for that?
Anyway. At the moment I'm in the conditioning phase - I'm building strength and sorting out my diet.

I'm on a temporary ban of fizzy drinks until tomorrow. I want to see if I can make it. I'm drinking more water this way.
I also need to get more sleep. Since the computer has been moved up to my bedroom I'm going to sleep at about 12/1am? It's silly. Tonight I'll be off by 10.30. Promise.

I ordered a tee-shirt from urbanfreeflow last night. It cost a total of £21 including postage and packing, but hopefully it will be worth it! (It is a really cool top!). I don't know when it's going to come. Maybe tomorrow?

On a parkour related side-note, I was just slipping into my business studies class when I heard F shout my name. I turned, quickly because I was late, and about to run into the door.
"Hey. How's the parkour?" he said. A hint of sarcasm? Disbelief? Patronisation?
So I walked off without saying anything. I really couldn't be bothered.
But, here's your reaction. "It's great thanks. I've learnt a lot."
There. No sarcasm, no jokes. Just...truth.

Groups.
To be updated.
Facebook
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Current mood: PI**ED OFF.
Excuse the language but I'm not too happy right now.
Today, I went to the gym. All was fine. I was doing my thing, found the rowing machine has a cool little fish game thing, and was showing signs of serious improvement in strength, when an instructor came over.
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah?" (Kinda panting cause it had been a long workout)
"Can I make a suggestion?"
"Mmhm."
"Start with these." He hands me the 3kg weights, as opposed to the 8kgs I was using.
"I've done those." A loooooong time ago mate. A really long time ago.
"Yeah but you don't want to turn into popeye. Girls look silly like that. They shouldn't lift weights at all."
*thinks - what?!* "Uh, right. But I want to build strength."
"No you don't. You want to tone."
*IRRITATED AS* "No, I want to build muscle. I need to be able to lift myself up." My arms are pretty toned to be honest.
Basically he just wound me up to no extent.

On my way home, I notice another gym and I remember it from a conversation I had with a friend of mine. I go up and explain to the lovely receptionist the horrendous behaviour at my current gym. She says they get that a lot. So the main man, G, comes out and shows me round. It's smaller than my current one, but the machines are a lot more advanced, and it is more friendly. The price works out the same in the long run and I might try going for an hour or two this week or next.

I'm still going to go to gymnastics at my current gym, if I do decide to change. Especially since my membership there doesn't run out until next July.

In other news, the work I did at the gym before Mr. Rude decides to intervene was pretty impressive. I did 15 minutes on the cross trainer, 25 minutes on the rowing machine playing the fish game, 10 on the treadmill - would have been longer but I didn't have any headphones so I got bored -, then I lifted myself up (for about three seconds)! then I went and did circuits on the cardio area. Cue Mr. Rude.
I lifted up to 9kg free weights, 7-8kg on the machine with no name, 7 on the assisted dip/curl machine (a new record) and about 15-30 reps on the hip adductor & abductor. Not too bad.

But yeah. Angry at them.

While at school during a free period, I was helping B do her Biology coursework and looking up training schedules and methods. I found a really useful website. I was going to copy it all in here but then you wouldn't get the handy animations.

So here's the link: http://www.parkour.co.za/training/

I also found this following article:

----

PK Basics - Warm Ups
By Demon (UK)

One should always warm up before doing anything physically demanding like PK. Warming up should be taken seriously, as doing so will greatly reduce your risk for injury. People often wonder what the best way to warm up before PK or other exercise is. Some of you may think you know, but keep reading and you may be surprised.

Important Facts to Know About a Proper Warm Up

Stretching is by far the most important part of a warm up. The main types of stretching are (list and explanations are very simplified):

Static - Holding a stretch (splits, touching toes, etc.) for time.
Dynamic - Repeated gentle stretching motions (high knees, lunges, butt kicks, etc.).
Active - Holding a stretch using only your muscles (holding a kick over your head).
Ballistic - Forcing a stretch and tearing muscles by bouncing.
Isometric/PNF - Stretching a muscle, releasing, and going further.

Important Things to Remember

Do not overdo static stretching before any physical activity. Overdoing this can cause:

Mild fatigue
Decreased coordination
Decreased agility
Decreased quickness
Decreased strength
Performing active and isometric stretches before physical activity can result in these negative effects too.

Always do dynamic stretching before physical activity. This improves:

Coordination
Stability
Body awareness
Balance
Agility and quickness
Warm Up Routine

Warming up is literally the process of warming up. A proper warm-up should raise your body temperature by a couple degrees Celsius and is divided into three phases:

General warm-up
Stretching
Sport-specific activity
It is important that you perform the general warm-up before you stretch. It's not a good idea to attempt to stretch before your muscles are warm.

Warming up can do more than just loosen stiff muscles; when done properly, it actually improves performance.

General Warm-up

The general warm-up is divided into two parts:

1. Joint rotations

The general warm-up should begin with joint-rotations. This facilitates joint motion by lubricating the entire joint with synovial fluid. Such lubrication permits your joints to function more easily when called upon to participate in your athletic activity. You should perform slow circular movements, both clockwise and counter-clockwise, until the joint seems to move smoothly. The following joints should be included in this part of the warm up:

Fingers and Knuckles
Wrists
Elbows
Shoulders
Neck
Trunk
Hips
Knees
Ankles
2. Aeroic activity

After completing the joint rotations, you should engage in a few minutes of aerobic activity such as jogging, jumping rope, or another similar activity. The purpose of this is to raise your core body temperature and get your blood flowing. Increased blood flow in the muscles improves muscle performance and flexibility and reduces the likelihood of injury.

Warm-up Stretching

The stretching phase of your warm-up should consist of two parts:

1. Static stretching

Once the general warm-up has been completed, the muscles are warmer and more elastic. Immediately following your general warm-up, you should engage in brief static stretching. Try to stretch all muscles for about 10 sec., but the following are the most important for PK:

Back
Trunk
Wrists
Triceps
Chest
Buttocks
Groin
Quadriceps
Calves
Shins
Hamstrings
Some good static stretches for these various muscles may be found in most books about stretching. Basic stretches for these muscles are generally widely known and will suffice for this phase of the warm-up.

2. Dynamic stretching

Once you have performed your static stretches, you should engage in some light dynamic stretching such as:

High Knees - 15 yds.
Butt Kicks - 15 yds.
Kareoke - 15 yds.
Lunges - 10 yds.
Power Skips - 10 yds.
Front to back and Side to Side Leg and Arm Swings - (10 "there and backs" per appendage per exercise)
Remember that this type of stretching is the most important for warming up. Take the time and effort to make sure these stretches are done with good form and are achieving the full range of motion. Generally one "there and back" for exercises such as the high knees will be enough, but you should do as many sets as it takes to reach your maximum range of motion in any given direction. However, be careful not to work your muscles to the point of fatigue.

Some people are surprised to find that dynamic stretching has a place in the warm-up. But think about it, you are warming up for a workout that is going to involve a lot of dynamic activity. It makes sense that you should perform dynamic exercises to increase your dynamic flexibility.

Sport Specific Activity

The last phase of a warm up should consist of the same movements that will be used during the athletic event but at a reduced intensity. Such sport specific activity is beneficial because it improves coordination, balance, strength, and response time, and reduces the risk of injury. Useful movements to perform for PK may include a few sets of a few reps of:

PK rolls
Broad Jumps
Jogging Long Jumps
Vertical Jumps
Basic Vaults
Recap:

Joint rotations.
A few minutes of aerobic activity.
Brief static stretching.
Dynamic stretching.
PK specific movements.
There you have it! You now know the truth behind warming up and the keys to doing it right. Performing this warm up should take no more than 10-20 min. and is definitely worth the time so that you don't get an injury that could have been easily prevented!

--
Yes, it was a long article. But it was useful, was it not?

Also, is having specialist parkour clothing defeating the naturalness of it, and marketing a sport for profit? Is that wrong?
Check out: http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/online_store/

Okay, so last night I was practicing my rolls and they are pretty humiliating. I have to practice.
I'm going to the gym tonight, after school, so all will be well. And gymnastics Friday. I wonder when I'm going to be able to take this outside. Probably Spring, because the weather is SO CRAP it's unbelievable.
Soon it will be Christmas, and soon it will be February, and then soon it will be Parkour Time!!

Right. School.

Okay, so I'm glad that not everyone was aware of parkour before me, haha.
The conversation between a member of our faculty and I went something like
"Have you heard of parkour?"
"No?"
"Free running?"
"No."
"Okay, thanks."
Phew.

Also, our librarian, the darl that she is, is trying to find me books on parkour. Anyone got any suggestions?

It's time for that blog.
These videos are ones that I believe might help. A couple aren't too great but sometimes the stupidest ones help you learn the most.

Tutorial videos.
(Two handed vault/passement):http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=y9nLby7XKlk
(Monkey vault): http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yKboEO5YJOw
(Precision jump): http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CgSn0qa0H2g
(Landings and rolls) : http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=49qszULPvpM
(Simple basic rolls) : http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2OnrS3awx4Q
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=imXH7PqpfSY
(Dive rolling): http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QJE36D3igwQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ortkYgEBTmk
(Wall running): http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TmyTaVSI9xQ

Training videos.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hgFKMKaIX3s
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wBoS7O6e7pw
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GeyqCPsbaAQ

Other weather training videos.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cy2aw_JRz
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=STcHtwyP5vc
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G0IuAxBnxcQ

Parkour compilations.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TPIw3cv8Zls
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WEeqHj3Nj2c
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6qhgIdP3l3I

More to come, probably.

Now, I'm slightly superstitious. This is my thirteenth blog. Oh, well.
Anyway, the dance last night was fabulous. I got chatting to D. It went something like, "..sport."
"I love sport."
"Me too!"
"What's your favourite sport?"
"Football. Yours?"
"Well I'm learning parkour." (Cue not knowing what parkour is. Oh, wait. He knows?)
*Giggles*"You're a freerunner?!"
"Not really. And not yet. But, yeah, basically."
Yeah. Bear in mind that I was almost slightly a little bit drunk by then. But does everyone know about parkour and freerunning? Man I think I need to get out more!

Don't reply to that, haha. It was a good night.

Chaos. Today. Wow.
I'm off to a Christmas Ball in about two minutes.
Anyway.

Who knew so many people knew about parkour? I was speaking to N, a guy at work, and we were discussing the gym, and I mentioned the gymnastics gym trip and parkour.
"Oh yeah," he says. "I used to do that."
And I still can't get over all the people at the gymnastics gym (excuse the half pun) who do parkour / free running (whether they know it or not.)

Well after tonight, and tomorrow's trip to see S and people, it's going to be Monday, and it's back to school. I don't know when the next time I will get to practice parkour will be. Probably next Friday's trip to gymnastics. I will probably go to the gym on Tuesday, which will give me another chance to work on my upper body strength - roll on being able to lift myself up!

Darn this weather. If it was summer, it wouldn't be slippery, and the nights would be longer and we'd get to practice everywhere, and we'd have the holidays .. shame. Oh, well, I'm sure it will be here soon enough.

Right. I think my carriage awaits....