I find myself smiling through the pain and humming the
Rocky theme while I'm at the boxing gym. Yeah, you read that right, the boxing gym. I started almost a month ago and I love this. Finally, there is a workout that I enjoy going to and actually anticipate time to go. I don't know how long it's been since I've felt that way about any kind of exercise regimen. And, this shit is hard, too.
Last night I had my first one-on-one training session with the trainer/coach and I'm telling you, it was rough!!! I normally do a class where we spend about 30 minutes boxing with a punching bag and then about 20 minutes doing leg work (and I usually ride the stationary bike for about 20 minutes before class to warm up). Well, I got off the stationary bike and the trainer asked me if I wanted to do some work with the focus mitt. Yes, I told him emphatically. I've been wanting to do that for a while. So, he asks me if I'm there to lose weight and I said yes AND I want to learn to fight, I told him. So, instead of my 50-60 minute class workout (with this cute kid, about 20, leading the group), I spent 70 minutes one on one with this coach. He was actually teaching me how to box. OMG. It is so hard and I'm so sore. I had finally quit being really sore after my workouts, but I'm sore in places I didn't realize I had muscles. Now I know why boxers have such fabulously sculpted back muscles. The coach is giving me lots of instruction and teaching me to block, bob, weave ... feetwork ... all that on top of the punching, too, in broken English. So, I'm trying to comprehend what he's saying and toss in that I'm so clumsy with my feet, that the footwork part was frustrating. Its amusing, though, to say the least. Pickle and Little Bit have been doing karate for a few years (Pickle for 8 years - he just earned his brown belt in American karate) so I've seen their moves enough that I kept finding myself doing karate moves - which, of course - are the complete opposite of what a boxer is supposed to do. In karate, you want to get away (timing, space, distance are the three key factors), but not in boxing. You wanna stay right there and just dodge the blows. *sigh* I got bopped upside the head and in the kidney a few times ... but, what ws bizarre was that b/c of my adrenaline, I didn't even feel it! That has been my concern all along - that I would crumple and cry at a blow. LOL
So, now I'm back to work. My body is SOOOOO tired! I need some good sex and a massage and I'll be ready to go some more! My class instructor said what I did last night was about the equivalent of going six rounds in the ring! Woo hoo!!! He said the first time I walked into the class, he never envisioned me doing something like I did last night. I got lots of props from the kids in the gym (and even the gym owner, who told me I'm ready for a good bar fight now!)
Boxing at 42. Whoda thunk it?
This one was taken in 1978 on Western Day. Dion was in the 7th grade, me in the 3rd. It's one of my very favorite pictures of us together. Her mom died when she was in the first grade, but I never sensed a sadness in her at all as we were kids. We just played and got in trouble and goofed off as kids do. I remember one of our favorite things to do was record songs off the radio and we loved the ones that were done like newscasts and they would insert snippets of songs to make the news funny. We recorded those of the most and would play them back and play at Granny's house. We had a clubhouse down by the railroad tracks and occasionally hobos would sleep in our clubhouse. I remember one of 'em leaving a girly magazine there (now, as an adult, I can't imagine the fella meant to leave his whack material, but he was probably drunk and just forgot when he was hopping on the next train to make a stop/slow down by our hideout). I remember running in the fields of Indian Paintbrush with Dion behind Granny's house. I just can't believe she's gone. We only saw each other once a year or so at family gatherings or special occasions, but we chatted on Facebook, the blog or via text messages. I'm going to miss her. Alot.
Hot goth chick. I mean, what better way to wrap up a post than with a hot chick?
