pictures
Best Portrait and Art Photographer in Boulder, CO!
23/01/13 14:07 Filed in: Other | My experiences
I have to say, I’m a bit subjective in this post. The subject is our business neighbor and my wife, however the truth has to be told!
My wife owns Julie Kate Photography in downtown Boulder, CO. She specialized in Intimate Portrait Photography, which is mostly boudoir, maternity, newborns, engagement etc. She also does events and other photo shoots but the above are her passions and strengths!
Julie also sells art work, framed or matted that will blow your mind! She does different things but is very well known for her Aspen Collection, European Architecture and Beach photography.

If you need any pictures taken or want to decorate your house with beautiful prints and frames, check her out at:
www.JulieKatePhotography.com
Art Work:
www.Etsy.com/Shop/JulieKatePhotography

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Class Pictures
See more pictures of some of our classes earlier this week on Facebook.com/DefineDefense


Pictures by www.JulieKatePhotography.com
Define Defense at Tough Mudder Colorado 2012

I had a great time since I've been looking forward to it for a long time and was fortunate enough not to have any injuries or limitations. It's great to find new challenges and this particular one would challenge my endurance, balance, coordination, problem solving skills and especially: mental toughness.
Some of the obstacles were especially mentally challenging, such as the ice bath (water with 1.5 feet of ice and you had to dive under a wooden board before exiting), and the electroshocks. There were not one, two but three obstacles with live wires this year! The first we had to crawl in water, second on an ice sheet and the third is the well known one running through live wires. Of course, not all wires are charged but that makes it even more nerve wrecking. I was shocked a total of 7 times. During the last obstacle, right before the finish line, I got shocked twice on the head and it dazed me pretty well. However, I was fortunate enough not to drop (we have seen other people go unconscious for a few seconds). Even though the shocks aren't fun, it's part of the game and it added to the experience. Obviously, if you have medical issues you shouldn't go through the electroshocks.
I did all the obstacles of the course and they were all great for different reasons. A few objections I have with the challenge though are:
- Some of the obstacles that require physical skills, such as climbing, ducking etc. were too short. They should have been longer in length.
- The course was reasonably tough and despite the fact that Tough Mudder needs to accommodate the general population of may different levels, I thought it would be harder. The hardest part of the course was absolutely the altitude changes. You had to run uphill, downhill, hike etc. which was GREAT! That makes it a lot harder but I would like to see harder physically challenging obstacles. Perhaps they should do the course as it is and do some extra things for an 'Elite Tough Mudder'?


P.S. A big thank you to the team and the people who came out to support!



By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Bolder Boulder & Tough Mudder
31/05/12 10:45 Filed in: Other | My experiences
The last few weeks, I have been preparing for the consecutive races I had planned.

Either way, I had a great time and hope to be able to do it many more times. Maybe I should aim to finish under 50 minutes? I have done a 10k before around 45 minutes but that was many years ago and when my body was more designed for endurance sports. That should be a very realistic goal as I didn’t train specifically on running but also on biking, swimming, strength and cross training. Nonetheless, running is a great workout and boosts your cardio. A quality that is important for many athletes. I like to maintain a healthy balance of strength, cardio, speed, flexibility etc. That also means I can’t be a purely competitive endurance athlete but that is also not my goal at this point in time.
I was supposed to do the Sunrise triathlon this coming weekend and Tough Mudder next weekend. However, I will be forced to pass on the triathlon for following reasons:
- I have a wound on my arm that I don’t want to swim with in the Boulder reservoir. It is probably fine but I don’t want to risk any bad infections. I am sure you have heard of the horrible stories that have occurred lately with bad bacteria in lakes (not the reservoir but nonetheless, I’d rather be safe than sorry).
- By having a booth at the Boulder Creek Fest and a big yard project, I haven’t had a chance to recover in weeks. Therefore, I will pass on the triathlon so I can attend the Tough Mudder race. I don’t want to risk pushing my body too much and having to pass on Tough Mudder. We are doing it with a team and I want to participate. Too bad because my training was going fantastic but I don’t want to overtrain.
Unfortunately, the Sunrise Boulder organization was not very helpful in refunding my registration fees because of the wound that may get infected. Apparently they claim they never refund any fees under any circumstances, including medical conditions that may be dangerous to the athletes, whether it’s by own doing or infecting each other. As a business owner myself, I understand you need to reinforce rules but at the same time, also make exceptions. What if someone can infect other athletes, what if I get a heart attack a few days before? They would not refund an athlete? That doesn’t make any sense to me so I believe they should revise their policies as this is not fair or morally correct. I know for sure I won’t be registering with this organization anymore. When someone is unable to train with us because of a valid reason, we modify their membership to accommodate. Simply because it’s the right thing to do.
This week is all about recovery for myself with some cross training sessions to keep my body sharp for Tough Mudder. My cardio is great and I don’t expect an issue with Tough Mudder. And if my body were to let me down for some reason… I tend to be very determined (or stubborn?) in training & races. A quality that people around me don’t always appreciate that much :)
Also check out some pictures that our neighbor Julie Kate Photography took during the Bolder Boulder!
Bolder Boulder & Tough Mudder
31/05/12 10:45 Filed in: Other | My experiences
The last few weeks, I have been preparing for the consecutive races I had planned.

Either way, I had a great time and hope to be able to do it many more times. Maybe I should aim to finish under 50 minutes? I have done a 10k before around 45 minutes but that was many years ago and when my body was more designed for endurance sports. That should be a very realistic goal as I didn’t train specifically on running but also on biking, swimming, strength and cross training. Nonetheless, running is a great workout and boosts your cardio. A quality that is important for many athletes. I like to maintain a healthy balance of strength, cardio, speed, flexibility etc. That also means I can’t be a purely competitive endurance athlete but that is also not my goal at this point in time.
I was supposed to do the Sunrise triathlon this coming weekend and Tough Mudder next weekend. However, I will be forced to pass on the triathlon for following reasons:
- I have a wound on my arm that I don’t want to swim with in the Boulder reservoir. It is probably fine but I don’t want to risk any bad infections. I am sure you have heard of the horrible stories that have occurred lately with bad bacteria in lakes (not the reservoir but nonetheless, I’d rather be safe than sorry).
- By having a booth at the Boulder Creek Fest and a big yard project, I haven’t had a chance to recover in weeks. Therefore, I will pass on the triathlon so I can attend the Tough Mudder race. I don’t want to risk pushing my body too much and having to pass on Tough Mudder. We are doing it with a team and I want to participate. Too bad because my training was going fantastic but I don’t want to overtrain.
Unfortunately, the Sunrise Boulder organization was not very helpful in refunding my registration fees because of the wound that may get infected. Apparently they claim they never refund any fees under any circumstances, including medical conditions that may be dangerous to the athletes, whether it’s by own doing or infecting each other. As a business owner myself, I understand you need to reinforce rules but at the same time, also make exceptions. What if someone can infect other athletes, what if I get a heart attack a few days before? They would not refund an athlete? That doesn’t make any sense to me so I believe they should revise their policies as this is not fair or morally correct. I know for sure I won’t be registering with this organization anymore. When someone is unable to train with us because of a valid reason, we modify their membership to accommodate. Simply because it’s the right thing to do.
This week is all about recovery for myself with some cross training sessions to keep my body sharp for Tough Mudder. My cardio is great and I don’t expect an issue with Tough Mudder. And if my body were to let me down for some reason… I tend to be very determined (or stubborn?) in training & races. A quality that people around me don’t always appreciate that much :)
Also check out some pictures that our neighbor Julie Kate Photography took during the Bolder Boulder!
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu pictures
21/11/11 18:01
Check out our new pictures from the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu seminar in our picture page or on our Facebook page!!



Some new pics
14/09/11 16:14 Filed in: Other | Martial Arts
Check out our photo album to see some new pics! Or visit our Facebook page at Facebook.com/DefineDefense


Second day of opening weekend + pics
03/04/11 09:09 Filed in: Other
Tomorrow Sunday April 3rd is the second day of our opening weekend. Come by this weekend to secure your discounts for 2 weeks! You can join a free class at any time and still enjoy your discounts with the coupon given this weekend. We're on 11th between Canyon and Walnut in the back of the Arete building (entrance in the alley towards 10th).
Take a look here for the latest pics of our finished studio:




Take a look here for the latest pics of our finished studio:



Construction pics 03/20
20/03/11 16:29 Filed in: Other







