Tag: fencing

Serfo was good. I had an amazing Saturday and a pretty good Sunday. I made it out of pools but not out of elims. I had really good fights and did good fencing. I coached others from my group who got further than I did. I didn’t practice any of the headspace stuff I’d been working on.

Castle Wars was the following weekend. By then I was a few days into taking Wellbutrin, and I could see a big difference. My champion won the Invitational Tournament, and I was on the winning side of some awesome melees.

Since then I’ve gone to Krav twice and fencing at least twice. Even with medication, I’m scared to ask people if they want to fence with me. I don’t know what my problem is. I’m pretty sure everyone would say yes.

Krav classes have been small, but I’m making a point to go until the Christmas holidays because once my work schedule changes in the spring, I won’t be able to come regularly.

Last but not least, I’ve come back to the gym. I’m focusing on cardio for now because I want to improve endurance, and I don’t want to change the way my clothes fit. I ran 2.5 miles on the elliptical in 33 minutes this week. It was a struggle, but that’s my starting point.

I’m apprehensive about the Christmas break because the gym will be closed, and it’ll be easy for me to stay inside in a nest of blankets by the fire. I talked to Tiny Nick about working on combative, though, and I’m excited about that.

This semester’s #30daysoffencing is going rough. I’m dealing with some depression stuff, and this week, just in time for my birthday, I’m sick.

I had to miss a Krav seminar. I’m sleeping all the time, and I got winded putting on pants. I’m trying to rest up for Serfo (and my birthday do-over) next weekend.

Regarding my mental health, I’ve seen a shrink, and she intends to prescribe Wellbutrin for the depression and an as-needed anxiety medicine that I can’t remember the name of. I had my blood work done Thursday, so I should be able to get my prescriptions soon. I’m looking forward to enjoying my hobbies again.

Looking back further, Gatalop was fun. I did good fencing and enjoyed the melees. I talked to a Master of Defense about some of the hurdles I’m overcoming and how to work on that.

Fencing has been challenging for me lately. I don’t know if it feels like a chore because I’m trying to grind through 30 days straight or if it’s a symptom of my disease or what. I don’t know what’s next for me, but I feel like after Serfo and Castle Wars, I may need to take a step back (temporarily).

I suck at updating my blog, but I do not suck at working out. I’ve been hitting the gym almost every day. On the days I don’t go to the gym, I take a walk outside or do something else active (like yard work).

I’m 10 days into #30daysoffencing leading up to Serfo. Today I slept through practice but did drills. I’ve been having problems with timing, so taking a couple days to do drills is helpful.

I’ll try to post some set lists. I’ve been not posting because I haven’t had pictures of them on my phone. Silly, huh? Most of my weights (that I lift) have increased. My body weight went down when I was tracking my caloric intake and focusing on cardio. I put some weight back on when I started lifting more, so I think I’m doing some body recomposition.

I’m excited to teach self-defense at a ladies only event at the gym on campus tomorrow. I hope this opens some doors to teach more Krav in my area instead of driving the better part of an hour to do it.

I’ve been diligently going to the gym. Last week I had a lazy Saturday but felt pretty good about it. Other than that, though, this has been my motto.

Monday ended up being a rest day. I went to Krav, but no students came, so Mike and I made plans for this weekend’s seminar instead of working out. I didn’t have time to work out when I got back to Pensacola.

The rest of the week, though, I at least walked the track. One day I did elliptical and then walked to cool down.

I discovered that the fraternities play volleyball some nights, and if I walk the track, I can see the game. Last night I tried something new: I walked the track when I could see the game, and I ran in the places where I couldn’t see the game. It was comfortable interval training.

Tonight is fencing. Nik is away, so I said I’d take lead in his absence. I’m looking forward to integrating some conditioning into my lesson plan. I may or may not go early to get some gym time in; it depends on my energy level. I haven’t been sleeping well at night lately, so I nap a lot – I sleep frequently but for small amounts of time. It’s inconvenient, but I’m managing.

Today I had a good day at fencing. I loved running around and playing freeze tag during the warm up.

After that, I took the new students (1 or 2 practices in) aside and went over the basics. I really like going over the fundamentals, and I had a great group today.

I got to fence with Nik a bit. I geared down because practice was wrapping up, but we didn’t leave right away.

Instead we stayed late so that Nik and some of the others could practice ringen. I didn’t participate in the wrestling since I don’t trust myself not to deck somebody. I did answer some questions about practical defense and tumbling. We stayed later than I wanted too, but we had a nice night.

The day after my return to the gym, I did cardio but didn’t have time for much else. Here are my set lists for the following days.

There was a hurricane last week, and the karate studio was closed for Labor Day, so my routine was off. I went to fencing Monday (since the college was open) and Wednesday.

The gym was closed Tuesday for the storm. Nik didn’t feel well on Thursday, so we declared a rest day.

I was exhausted on Friday, so I slept through the gym and fencing practice, but Nik went.

On Saturday I got back into the gym. I had a panic attack on the elliptical, so I left early. I finished my run but didn’t lift. This is the second one in just a couple weeks, so I’m going to the community clinic tomorrow to look into treatment. I can’t keep having panic attacks when I try to do what I love.

Today I got back for real after working on longsword. We ran through some drills and did free fencing. It was the most fun cardio I could have done.

Hiatus = over

Aside from a few stray Krav Maga classes and my walks on the beach, I didn’t work out all summer.

Today I went back to the gym. Here’s the set list.

I also competed in a fencing tournament last weekend. I didn’t win any tournaments, and I had a panic attack after lunch, but I got back into the ring and finished strong. I did good fighting, and I was proud to watch my kids do good fighting.

Depending on my insurance situation in the upcoming months, I’m going to look into seeking formal treatment for my anxiety. It’s keeping me from doing the things that I love (things that keep me from being depressed), and my little tricks aren’t cutting it anymore.

All in all, though, I’m feeling pretty good. I think that being active and eating well will help. I’ll just need that extra nudge to be my best self.

This morning I walked to the pier and back (I did on Monday too but forgot to mention it). Every step was murder on my shins and calves. I guess I was away from the coast for awhile because I am not used to walking on sand. I also went for a swim, but that was less exercise and more splashing around and cooling off.

This evening I went to fencing. I got to fence almost everyone at practice. I’m still readjusting to concepts like point control and keeping my weight balanced, but it’s coming along. I didn’t hurt anyone, but I’m also hesitant to come in quickly or otherwise be aggressive. I did short sets and took frequent breaks (legs were killing me – from not fencing or from beach walks?). I’m really glad to be back.

Last weekend was the Weekend of Tactical Decision Making in Atlanta. Nik was invited to teach on Sunday, do we traveled up for that. I wanted to go for more days, but we couldn’t work out transportation.

His class was really good, and it felt good to have a sword in my hand again. After lunch we had free time. I sparred a little bit, but I was having a rough time. I wasn’t necessarily doing poorly, but I didn’t feel in my element, and I kept crying for no reason. It really cramped my style.

I’m back home now. I went to Krav this evening. I had intended to teach defense against chokes from an angle, but we had a lot of new faces, so Eddie took lead. Plus I was late, so he already had the class warming up when I got there. I’m glad we followed his vision tonight. The class had a great energy.

I’ve made arrangements to fence on Wednesdays, and this will be my first practice in months. I’m looking forward to being there.