Tag: swimming

I did, in fact, make it to UWF fencing on Friday, but that’s not the most interesting thing that happened to me that day. I went to the beach on Friday morning – my last Friday before going back to the five-day work week – and played around in the surf a bit. The dunes are being restored, and there was a storm rolling in, so the geography of the beach was unusual, and the surf was a little rough. It was a solid yellow flag day – nothing I haven’t been in before. 

I had just decided to come back in to shore when I saw a brother and sister (I think) in their early twenties or so coming back to shore as well. She got out of the water without incident, but it looked like he was struggling a little bit, so I went back in. We both had boogie boards, and the waves were getting bigger and bigger, so I when I got to where he was (where we could both touch the ground if there wasn’t a wave coming), I told him to jump right before the next big wave. This part actually worked pretty well. The next part did not.

I made a rough landing in what turned out to be the edge of the “soup.” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, I’ll do my best to explain. In short, it’s the opposite of where you want to be. It’s that area where all the waves break. On Friday, those waves were breaking frequently, and they were big. I was crouched low, but the wave coming my way would have been taller than my height even if I’d been standing up (I”m 5′4″), and there was no way I could get away in time. All I had time to do was curse under my breath and turtle up.

This strategy actually worked pretty well. I credit the swearing for most of my success. I was dragged along the bottom of the gulf (fortunately toward shore), and I had a moment between waves to take a breath and make sure I still had my bathing suit before the next wave came. This next one dragged me even closer to shore, but this time I was able to stand. I even managed to keep all the pieces of my bathing suit (though that second wave was really fresh).

Fortunately, my boogie board was tethered to my wrist, so I didn’t lose it, and the young man managed to get back to his family on shore (possibly with less incident than I did since he didn’t have to waste time covering his decency). At that point I gave everyone the thumbs up and retreated to the bar. I was unscathed except for a skinned knee.

Everything after that is fairly mundane.

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 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.

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.

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.

Wednesday night in Krav we worked on some kick defenses. Those were pretty cool. I have no idea how my training partner ended up with a bruise on her upper arm, but it was an evening well-spent nonetheless.

On Thursday I missed ladies’ night so that Nik and I could hunt for fabric for his elevation. We came back empty-handed, but we did spend a nice evening together.

We went to UWF practice on Friday night. It was just us and Quinn, so we just played King of the Hill for awhile and called it a night. We also did some knife fighting, just for fun. Nik and I compared notes on knife fighting, me from Krav Maga and him from historical texts. It was pretty dynamic.

I spent Saturday at the beach dressed like a mermaid and rolling around in the surf because I can.

Sunday was SCA fencing practice. We’re in the midst of planning an event, and I got stressed out and frustrated at one point, but Nik and I fenced it out, and I think I’ll make it. It was our first practice coming back from Gulf Wars, and we have a new person showing interest, so that’s cool.

Last night we did a different set of kick defenses in Krav. I’m going to need help keeping the names straight so that I don’t do the wrong thing during testing.

This morning I woke up bright and early and went in for an MRI on that injured finger. I’m a little over 6 months past the injury, and my range of motion isn’t getting better. I’ll follow up with the ortho on Friday. I’m hoping for good news – proceed with PT. Friendly readers, keep your fingers crossed because I sure can’t do it.