Tag: fencing

I pulled a muscle at Krav on Wednesday night. I’m not seriously hurt or anything – I just had a Charlie horse.

I took it easy on Thursday. On Friday, instead of going to fencing, I went to visit my mom. We took the dog for a walk Friday evening and again Saturday morning. I did some swimming on Saturday as well. It was a chill, low-impact weekend.

I came back to Pensacola on Sunday for SCA fencing practice. We ended up chilling with our friends, sharing food and stories. I’m okay with that.

Despite taking it easy this weekend, I’m pretty tired today. I’d like to push through and go to Krav, especially since I’ve made up my mind about civilian instructor certification. I intend to pursue instructorship next year, so I need to train seriously. On the other hand, I can’t get anything done if I get hurt (which is more likely when I’m fighting tired). We’ll see how I feel this afternoon.

Talk about getting back in the groove! Wednesday night at Krav, we warmed up by doing a couple of songs’ worth of Zumba. The gal leading our class is very skilled and kept things hyped up. After that, class lasted about an hour. After helping some of the P1s, I got to work on sideways break falls, which involve using one leg to lower yourself down if you’re shoved from the side. My thighs were feeling that for a few days!

On Thursday Nik and I went to New Orleans to see Beck. It’s not really a workout, but we did walk around the Big Easy a lot, and I was dancing (as much as I could) during the show.

We drove back from NOLA on Friday and got back to Pensacola just in time to do a joint fencing demo with the SCA and UWF Fencing Club (plus more walking around downtown).

Yesterday it was too rainy to go to the beach, but I did want to get out and move around. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and when I turned on my computer to do some homework, nothing happened. That machine has been on its way out for awhile now, so Nik and I headed to Best Buy to get a new one. We had a little PokeWalk at the mall right before closing and called it a day.

Today, once again, it’s too rainy to fence. I have enough homework to keep me busy, though. I’m looking forward to Krav tomorrow. I think I’m back to myself!

Last Wednesday I went to Krav and helped students in my more active teaching role. I feel completely out of my element.

On Friday I got to go to UWF fencing practice, and I actually got to DO some fencing as well as teaching.

Saturday involved some beach yoga and a walk to the pier and back. I’d say I s wam, but I mostly just floated around.

On Sunday I resumed SCA fencing practice. Introducing a new student to rapier was a welcome break from the heat. One disadvantage to training indoors is you forget how to train outdoors. I emphasize lots of breaks and lots of hydration.

Yesterday, however, I decided i needed a break. I’ve been feeling kind of down lately, and I wasn’t up to any sort of challenge. I stayed home and worked on an art project instead. Yoga is cancelled tonight, which is kind of a bummer, but I’m looking forward to actually being in my house for some time before class. Tomorrow, though, I’m getting back into the groove!

Last week was the first time in a long time that I did all my activities (and then some).

Monday: Krav Maga
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: Krav Maga
Thursday: rest
Friday: fencing
Saturday: beach yoga, beach walk, nature trail walk
Sunday: dancing
Monday: fencing (since the gym where I do Krav was closed)

I felt more than a little rusty during almost all of those activities at first, but it’s good to be moving again. I’m really really looking forward to yoga today because I need to stretch out all those muscles I used!

I skipped Krav on Wednesday night so that I could prepare for my weekend trip. I finished all the sewing, preparing, planning, and other things I needed to do.

This year at Tourney of the Foxes, I didn’t gear up at all – not even for pickups. I spent the event making sure that Nik had the elevation of his dreams, and it was worth it. I’m so proud of him, and he deserves the best.

Now that that’s over, however, I’m more than happy to get back into my routine. I’ll be at Krav tonight.

Monday at Krav Maga, a fellow came and interviewed some of the ladies for a project he’s doing with his young daughter. They make videos reviewing and exploring women’s fitness in the area. I’m excited to see my school getting some publicity.

Unfortunately I pulled something in my leg and scared myself. My knee really hurt, but I think it’s structurally fine. It holds weight and moves the correct way and all that jazz. I sat out for the rest of the class (so about half) and did some couch coaching.

Yesterday I went to my first yoga class of the semester. The knee seemed to like yoga with the exception of child’s pose. I’m thinking I’ll rest up again today partially to make sure the knee is fine and partially because I have a super busy weekend ahead of me with Nik’s elevation. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to fence or not, but I really hope I get at least a little blade time in.

On Saturday morning I did a 5K. I say “did” instead of “ran” because we walked more of it than we ran. Gaby and I called it interval training.

I spent my weekend sewing like a mad woman. Nik’s elevation garb is ready (minus buttons). My garb for his elevation is almost ready – I need to sew on one more piece and do my buttons as well.

We’re gonna make it. Holy cow, we’re gonna make it.

I passed!

I’m really excited and relieved because my training partner and I both passed our P2 tests. Last night’s class was pretty brutal, but I know working out harder and longer (now we help with P1 and P2 7-8 and train P3 8-8:30) will make me stronger and more adept. I am also very very tired.

I’m looking forward to yoga tonight. I’ve been working on correcting my posture this summer, and yoga really helps me keep everything aligned. I’m also trying to increase my flexibility in my hamstrings and lower back – that whole region can get super tight and (I think) cause cramps in my calves when I’m working out.

My Krav class is helping with a self-defense seminar on Wednesday. I’m thinking I’ll take the opportunity to fence that day at UWF, but I told my coaches to call me in if they’re short handed since the two practices will be close by. It would be kind of funny to show up in my fencing gear to Krav!

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!

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.