Category: Uncategorized

UWF Fencing practice was cancelled on Friday, and I spent Thursday resting up. I was still kind of recovering from the migraine I had after the test Wednesday night. After two days of rest, I finally made it to the beach, but the weather was lousy, so I didn’t make my walk to the pier and back. I did splash around in the surf a bit.

Fortunately my weekend wasn’t entirely inactive. I went to the gym with Nik on Saturday, and he helped me with some weight lifting. I discovered that I can bench press 95 lbs, which I think is pretty good for a first time (it’s more than half my weight)!

On Sunday I went to SCA fencing, but I didn’t get to do a lot of fighting – instead I mostly talked to new fighters and got some advice on another project. I did get to do a little dussack.

Tonight is my first night back at Krav since the test. I think I might be more nervous now than I was when I actually took the test. I’ll let you all know tonight or tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you in suspense, but I’m about to burst if I don’t find out!

Last night I took my P2 test for Krav Maga. I drilled and fought for an hour and a half with no breaks except for those precious moments of slugging down water when the proctors were adjusting the room for us.

I honestly don’t know how I did. I walked into the test feeling really good about it, but I know for a fact that I had some techniques backwards. I know I missed some stuff and went the wrong way a couple of times. I think I managed to fix the little screw-ups along the way, but I honestly have no idea whether or not I passed.

I find out on Monday, and I’ll let you know when I know. Honestly, though, even if I didn’t pass, I’d call last night a success. I did my best, worked hard the whole time, and left with my head held high. If I need to re-test, I’ll re-test. I hope, though, that I get to progress with my partner. We have a level of comfort with each other that I don’t want either of us to have to re-cultivate with a new person. 

There’s no point in dwelling on what went wrong last night or what might go wrong next week. I’m proud of myself for making it through.

Last night was our last Krav review before the test on Wednesday (I said “next Wednesday” in my last post, but I meant this Wednesday coming up – I guess my brain was still in weekend mode!).

Tonight I’ll go to yoga after work. Then I’ll go home, get some rest, and wake up rejuvenated for work and then my test. Wish me luck!

My P2 test is next Wednesday! Last Monday and Wednesday, we went over the material in P2 without much review. I’m feeling pretty good about the test. I have one more practice (tomorrow), and then we’ll test on Wednesday.

On Friday and Saturday I went to the beach. I did my usual routine of touching the pier and beach yoga. This time I brought my snorkel gear with me and looked at the fish under water. I spent more time in the water, but I don’t think I did much swimming – I mostly just float when I’m snorkeling.

Today Nik and I brought the dussacks to SCA fencing practice. It’s super hot (heat index over 100 degrees), so we wanted some options for practice that don’t involve getting all armored up. Dussacks count as arts & sciences, and they’re leather, not steel, so we didn’t need to wear all the layers. We also brought the plastic foils for youth – the blade mechanics aren’t much, but you can still do timing and distance. I’m hopeful that we can have more days at the park without necessarily frying our butts off.

Despite the pain last Wednesday, I was discharged from therapy on Friday. My therapist said that I might have flare-ups from time to time, but as long as I keep doing my stretches, I should be fine. I wasn’t in any pain on Friday, so that’s a relief.

On Thursday Nik and I hit the gym. I started training for the 5K next month (more on that in a bit). After that, we helped the UWF Fencing Club with an orientation demo. I got to fence some more and help teach some ringen at club practice on Friday.

On Saturday I walked and swam at the beach with my friend. Then I tried to go to the gym with Nik after. Going to the gym after spending the morning in the sun is a bad idea. Lesson learned.

I told Nik to run SCA fencing practice on Sunday, but there was an event that weekend, so no one showed. My neck really hurt – I’m not sure how I pulled it. I rested it for a day, and everything was fine, so I’mm thinking I did something silly like sleep on it wrong. I really don’t want this blog to become a catalog of my injuries, so I can’t stress enough that this one wasn’t a big deal.

In fact, I went back to Krav on Monday, and I feel pretty damn good about my test later this month. Tonight we’re going to drill like crazy (similar to the way the test is run). I’m optimistic.

Of course, yesterday after work I went to yoga to get my Zen on. I should probably make a point to do a couple sun salutations every day. I know I keep saying it, but man, it feels good to stretch.

So let’s talk about the 5K. When I did the Zombie Run, I did it cold. I didn’t train any more than my usual routine – I just showed up and did my best. Since this looks like a hobby that I’ll keep up at least from time to time, I’m going to work on getting better at running. I’ve been jogging on the track with Nik a little bit. The first time I tried, I didn’t really keep track. The next time I tried, I timed the first mile and got 11:45. I think that’s pretty good for someone who doesn’t really run. I kept moving for another two miles (so about a 5K) and spent less than an hour total on the track. I’m feeling pretty optimistic. I still have a lot to learn about running, though, so if anyone has any advice, I’d love to hear it. I’m a little less than a month out from my next run (a super soaker fun run), so I have some time to get my act together.

Last night my finger hurt so bad that I skipped Krav. The ambient pain was intermittent, at least. I was super bummed. I’m tired of being hurt, and I need to get ready for my test at the end of the month.

I did very little physical activity this weekend. I walked on the beach and swam in the gulf with a friend, but that’s pretty much it. Nik dragged me to the gym on Sunday, and it felt good to move around a little bit.

Last night was another review class in Krav. We trained for about an hour and a half straight. There are a few things I’m really having trouble with.

I need to practice my backwards rolls – I can do them pretty well over my dominant shoulder, but technically you’re supposed to roll over your non-dominant shoulder. I know it doesn’t matter much in a real fight, but I’m not in a real fight. I’m testing.

I also have an issue with leaving openings when I attack. I want to get in there and land some blows, but whenever I do, I almost always get hit. I know it’s unrealistic to expect to walk out of a sparring match unscathed, but I’m obviously doing something wrong with my defense. It’s pretty frustrating.

I need yoga tonight.

Last night was a wonderfully sweaty first night back at Krav class. We drilled through some of the P2 skills but decided collectively that we aren’t ready to test next week. I’m really working hard on this, and I want to succeed, so I’m glad to have the extra time.

That being said, it’s super hard to maintain my pre-test diet when the test keeps getting pushed back!

I survived the weekend!

On Friday I took my friend from out of town to the beach and made him go touch the pier with me. We swam out pretty far and saw a large sea creature. I’m hoping it was a dolphin because if it had been a shark, that would have been super scary. It was between us and the shore!

Saturday was Arabian Nights. I managed to get things started more or less on time, and while there were hitches, I did what I was supposed to do and was where I was supposed to be. I participated in one tournament, and even though I didn’t win, I had a good fight. I challenged myself and my opponent, and that’s really all I can aim to do.

Tonight I get back into the swing of things with yoga. I kind of stopped caring about my pre-P2 regiment this weekend because I had guests whom I needed to take to various food- and beer-related establishments, but I’m back on the wagon now. It’s time to buckle down! I’m looking forward to class tomorrow.