Tag: walking

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!

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.

Since my last post ran long talking about my beach adventure, I figured I’d put my real update here.

On Friday night i went to UWF fencing practice. We mostly sparred since Fridays are short days. I’m fencing with both hands now, but I’ve been using a lighter (and shorter) sword in my right hand more often than not. The finger is still stiff, and I’m still doing my stretches and exercises four times each day, but I am seeing progress.

On Saturday I went back to the beach. Because of the beach restoration efforts, my walk to the pier was cut short, and I didn’t really have a good space for beach yoga. I did get to pick up some neat shells, and I saw a bunch of seagulls chilling out in the hard hat area because there weren’t a bunch of people in their way. That was pretty cool. I did get back in the water, and I swam around for a good portion of the day. After that, I borrowed Nik’s phone and played Pokemon Go a little bit on the island. The poke-stops were a reasonable distance apart, and I managed to catch some pretty cool creatures.

I did not attempt to have fencing practice on Sunday because the forecast was so bad, and I also really needed to do some sewing. I finished NIk’s shirt in its entirety and the base of his pants. His doublet is still mocking me. I will still be naked for the ceremony. Fortunately we’re taking a little trip to see the lady making his court garb, so I’ll have plenty of time to work plus some skilled hands I can borrow if I get stuck.

Last night I went to Krav. There were new people, so I was helping one of them – a young man in his teens. He was pretty chill, but he admitted that he shouldn’t have eaten so close to class and had to have a little break at one point. I told him there was no shame in that – I fart loudly in class all the time. It’s just life. Anyway, he recovered, and I think he made some progress and had a good time. After the new students left, the P3 students (man, that’s exciting to say) worked on stationary kicks. I’m actually fairly good at these, so while I drilled this skill a lot last night, I didn’t have the frustration of constantly correcting.

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.

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.