Green!!!!!!

I had a difficult run today. It was super windy, and my legs were heavy and tired. I barely made it through two miles.

But, I have the best reason for my bad run.

Last night I had testing for tae kwon do. I'll apologize now if this is a long, rambling post, but last night was incredible. I'm still trying to process it.

Testing was brutal. It started with a terminator (7 jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, then 6, 5, 4, etc.), and it didn't let up for over an hour. I don't know if I've ever worked that hard, but I loved it. The black belts put us through a crazy workout including conditioning, kicking, blocking, and sparring. There was very little time to catch a breath. I was sweating 5 minutes in and drenched by the time we finished.

Then we did our patterns. It went well. I'm lucky to have two awesome people in my group, and we work well together. It definitely felt better than it did at the tournament.

We got to my favorite part next - board breaking. I love it. We got to choose our breaks, and I went with the spin hook kick that I did at the tournament. I love this break. I got it first try. One of my favorite moments during testing was watching a red belt attempt her break. It was really difficult, and she tried over and over for a solid ten minutes. She fell on her face, got up and tried again. It was incredible and very inspiring.

At the end, we lined up. Normally, we have to answer some TKD trivia questions. I was mostly confident but nervous about what I would be asked. I even learned to count to 10 in Korean - just in case. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of testing. He didn't ask us trivia questions. He asked us about various things depending on the person. Some were about strengths that the person possesses. Some were about weaknesses (which can be turned into strengths). I was asked what success in TKD means. It was difficult to answer. I think I said something about never giving up and not getting frustrated when things didn't go well. And, that there is no end to learning.

I can definitely see this as a strength and a weakness. I will always be trying to improve, but I think I need to also give myself a little credit for how far I've come. Because Michelle and I are TKD partners in crime, he talked about both of us, our hard work, and how we're sometimes too hard on ourselves. Nailed it, Master Snyder.

Finally, I got my green belt. I'm so excited. Green is officially intermediate. No longer a beginner. I know this means I'll have to step it up and work harder, but I am really looking forward to it. This is the most proud I've been of myself in a long time. I'm also super excited because now I can start weapons in the fall!

My family came to watch, and it was so nice to have their support. The kids kept talking about how good I did. The Artist told me over and over how proud he was of me. Melted my heart. Today, it's the kids' turn. They're both testing, and I am so excited to watch them. They've worked really hard this year, and they've really started to love it.

I feel so incredibly lucky to be involved in TKD. My classmates are awesome. The black belts are helpful, patient, and super supportive. Master Snyder knows when to push and when to back off. I was terrified to start the family class two years ago, but it was one of the best decisions I've made. Life changing.

So, I had a bad run today, but I don't care. I'm a green belt!!!!