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On Tuesday, I went to yoga after work and hit the pool after class. I ended up swimming only 15 minutes, though, because I was worried about bleeding hair color all over the pool. Few things are more embarrassing than making your workout space look like a scene from Jaws. Nik has begun his quest to fence every day, so that’s what he was up to while I was at class and at the pool.

Wednesday night was Krav night. We did more P1 review. During P3 class, I asked some questions I had about kicks. I’ll be meeting up with The Ladies to work on groundwork over the weekend.

Last night after work I met Nik and some of the UWF fencers at the gym, and I worked primarily on long sword. I’m picking it up fairly quickly – I’m far from the best, but I’m doing good things. After fencing, Nik and I took a quick run because I still needed some cardio. My mile is down to 9 minutes. Last night was Nik’s Day 5 of #fencingeverydamnday.

Today after work I’m going to use the elliptical to get my heart rate up, come home, rest (probably have a snack), and head to UWF fencing practice. Tonight will be my Day 3 of #fightingeverydamnday.

If it sounds like a lot of activity, it is. Nik is training for a big tournament, and I’m training for that tournament while simultaneously preparing myself for CIC 1.

In the midst of all of this, I lost a pound and a half last week. I’m down 5 lbs total since I started tracking. I also recommended that Nik start tracking to make sure he’s getting enough calories for his amount of activity.

On Saturday I spent more time in the chair at the salon than I intended to, so I didn’t exercise. In fact, I stayed up binge watching Stranger Things and eating ice cream and doing otherwise very un-fit things. It was awesome.

Sunday was SCA rapier practice, and Nik and I got up and went dutifully even though we probably didn’t get enough sleep. We mixed it up: long sword, rapier, and dussack all made an appearance.

Tonight is Krav night. We’ll be doing more review in the P1 and P2 classes, and I’m working on making sure I know the names for all the P3 techniques.

My weekend went as I expected, and it was awesome. I got to do some fencing, and I spent ample time with my far-away fencing friends.

On Monday I was back to work at Krav. I’m settling into my new instructor role. I did warm-ups with the advanced students and fine tuned some skills for some brand new students with special needs. It was super rewarding. After that, the other P3s and I stayed to work on getting out of headlocks on the ground.

Yesterday I went to yoga, and I had planned to run at the gym (I didn’t need to go to my night class), but I had a lot of work at home that needed to be addressed, so I did that instead. Now I’m simultaneously fatigued from staying up working and antsy from not getting much physical activity in yesterday.

Krav tonight should be fun.

If you’re interested, since I started tracking, I’ve lost 2lbs.

I meant to post sooner, but honestly, waiting only four days instead of a whole week or more is progress, and that’s really what this blog is all about.

On Monday I started tracking my food again. So far things are going well on that front. Fortunately I’ve been able to make very minor changes – primarily, I’m being mindful of what I’m eating. I’ll let you know how that pans out in a few weeks.

I’m not entirely sure how to measure progress since my goal here isn’t necessarily to lose weight or inches (though it would be nice to have a nicer fit in some of my dress pants). I’m trying to improve performance in a field that i find hard to measure. In running or lifting, you can measure speed, reps, or weight. With fighting, it’s a little more subjective. I figure the more “good days” I have training, the better I’m performing.

Anyway, Monday was the first day I really got to teach in Krav. It was a little bit nerve wracking, but your first day teaching always is. It helps that I’m learning how to teach this skill in a friendly environment with people I know. I expressed to Kita that I’m still learning which types of errors to look for. For example when I teach fencing, I know that new fencers tend to roll the ankle when they lunge, so I pay special attention to their feet when they learn this skill. I’m working on figuring out some “common errors” for Krav. More importantly, I’m working on finding ways to make warm-ups dynamic and appropriate for the exercises we’re about to do. This is all awesome and exciting; the bad news is that I don’t really get to work out on class nights anymore.

Tuesday was a yoga night, but I need to work on cardio, so I hit the pool after my night class. I was on the swim team in high school. That was a long time ago, and I wasn’t very good to begin with, but I really enjoy swimming. I managed to keep at it for half an hour – not too shabby by my book!

Last night was another teacher night. I spend about an hour teaching P1s, and then after they leave, I have about a half an hour to work on my own P3 training. We’re working on finding some days to meet and train outside of class.

Scheduling Krav practice time for the next two months will be difficult partially because of my schedule and partially because I have a HEMA event coming up soon, and I really want to participate in longsword. I want to learn enough that I won’t embarrass myself in front of the other fencers.

I don’t expect to update tonight, so I’ll tell you now that I plan to hit the gym after work and use their punching bag. If the gym is closed, I’ll come up with something else to do. If all else fails, I still have the Dreaded Exercise Bike at home.

Nik and I have made the decision to attend UWF fencing practice on Friday and then drive to Birmingham(ish) right after for a weekend SCA event. That drive should be fun. I’m looking forward to fencing with my friends on Saturday. There won’t be practice on Sunday.

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.

On Sunday, my plans to get out and move around were thwarted once again by rain. However, my lazy day got exciting again when Prissy showed up and hauled Nik and I to a stretch & flexibility yoga class. It was more focused on expanding the range of motion than other yoga classes I’ve attended, and I was able to push myself further than I’ve been before. No lie – I saw more of a change in one class than I did in the year of gymnastics that I took.

Monday night was Krav night, as per usual. We did some drills inside and then got back outside and ran some scenarios outdoors. I like practicing outside, even in the dark and the heat – maybe especially in the dark and the heat – because it adds an element of realism. You don’t get to fight in a controlled environment in real life.

Tonight is my usual yoga night. I’m looking forward to going back after being off last week.

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 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.