Tag: sca fencing

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!

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.

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.

I’ve been super stressed and not getting enough sleep, so I skipped Krav yesterday even though I really could have used the study time. I won’t be meeting with Kita tonight either.

I’m really hoping that I can take tomorrow to chill out a little bit before I work the event this weekend. I don’t foresee myself doing a lot of fencing, but I want to make sure that the event runs smoothly.

Blind Krav went well enough. We focused on a handful of defenses, and then I met up with Kita on Thursday to work through the rest of the module. We made it about halfway through. I’m hoping to make some decent progress tomorrow.

On Friday and Saturday I went to the beach. Friday I went alone, so I did walking, swimming, and beach yoga. On Saturday I brought a friend, so we went for a stroll and played in the water.

I cancelled SCA fencing practice on Sunday because of the heat index. It wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t have to wear so many layers!

Last night I went to UWF fencing practice. We had some new students, so that was exciting. I helped a couple of our club officers get ready for Arabian Nights.

Today is yoga day, and that’s about all I’m up for.

I felt pretty good after yoga and went to Krav last Wednesday. We aren’t having official classes, but I worked on some skills with a friend. I was able to go to the beach and UWF fencing practice on Friday, and I even ran a 5K on Saturday! Okay, “ran” is a bit generous – it was a zombie 5K, so we walked when there weren’t any zombies around. When there were zombies around, though, we booked it!

Sunday’s SCA fencing practice got rained out. Fortunately UWF practice is inside, so I got to make up for it on Monday. Tuesday was another yoga day, and Wednesday I met up with a small group of Krav people to study for the P2 test.

On Thursday morning I woke up with a raging Charlie horse, so I took it easy that day and ate as much potassium as I could. I walked around and did a couple sun salutations on the beach today. I didn’t swim much because of all the seaweed, but I moved around enough that my calves aren’t too sore now. I’m about to head to UWF fencing right now.

I’m really trying not to forget I have a blog. At least I haven’t been updating because I’m busy/forgetful, not because I’m not moving.

Because of the holiday and a pretty nasty dry head cold, I haven’t been fighting much lately. The last time I fenced was Sunday. I had the chance to do some pick-ups and study some melee techniques. It was a nice, low pressure environment, but I still did good fencing and was in a good head space.

My Krav class isn’t officially meeting this month, but I expect I’ll get together with some of my classmates off the books for some extra practice. I’m nervous about my P2 test, so I’ll be studying as hard as I can.

Oh, and I signed up to run a 5K next weekend. With obstacles. And zombies. It’ll be fun and a huge challenge. I’ll let you know how that goes.

On Wednesday, I helped the P1 group. I realized I’d forgotten a lot of terminology, so I was glad I had the practice.

I got to go to UWF fencing on Friday night. I worked with some new fencers and did some bouts with Nik and one of our older students.

Today I went to the park for SCA practice. Instead of rapier, I did a lot of cut and thrust (specifically MS I.33). That’s something else I haven’t been studying as well as I should! Nik and I worked with someone who has been doing rapier and armored combat for awhile but is new to CT. He’s a lefty and primarily and armored fighter, so I learned a lot from him.

I’m in kind of a slump, and I don’t really feel like going to practice, but doing CT seemed to help me a little bit. I love fencing, so this is really frustrating for me. 

Does anyone else deal with occasionally having trouble gearing up to participate in your hobbies?

I had a fantastic weekend!

On Friday, I went to a local elementary school with my local SCA group and showed kids some rapier fighting and rapier gear. We demoed for seven classes, and each one was a little different and liked different things.

After that i hustled across the street to the high school, where I helped my Krav school’s Relay for Life team. We put on a demonstration, and I also walked and ran some laps.

The rest of the weekend I hung out with my mom – no fighting. I had Nik take over at the park for me on Sunday. I’m glad to be back doing what I love.