Foils and Fitness
Great googley-moogley, what have I done?

My personal exercise regimen, designed to put off the pounds I gained while working 14-hour days and feasting on catered dinners at the previous day job since last November, has been failing. Mostly because I haven't been doing it.

Knowing what a goal-driven guy I am, I decided to take advantage of an adult fencing class - with the goal of not embarrassing myself.

Now, I've done this before. The fencing, I mean. I'm not sure about avoiding embarrassment. I even have all the equipment - glove, mask, two foils, the white pants, jacket, even the lame and wires for electronic scoring. Unfortunately, the fencing club closed six years ago, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever have the opportunity to use that equipment again. My favorite foil (the blade used for the most common form of fencing - sort of the sporting evolution of the rapier) has started to gather a little bit of rust. I guess that's only fair, as I have, too.

My wife pointed the class out to me in an adult education catalog. I signed up, remembering that I had lost about ten pounds in two months the last time I did it. It was only after I paid my tuition that I remembered the other thing about the class... pain. Yes, that was it. Lots and lots of pain. Discovering muscles that I hadn't known existed. I sorta remembered that it got better after the first three weeks or so, but ... yeah. There had been pain. And fatigue so bad that I had to rest in my car for ten minutes before driving home because my arms were shaking.

Great.

And, with that in mind, I'm at it again. Last night was my first session. My legs actually more-or-less moved the way they'd been taught years earlier --- I was actually proud of them. Advance-advance-advance-retreat-retreat-advance-LUNGE! Then they went all rebellious on me, losing most of my respect, and simply refused to accept orders from upstairs and just turned into rubber. This would have been worse if my upper body hadn't been pretty lazy about following commands, too. I can't believe how out-of-shape I am.

But at least I get to stab at people. That always makes it worthwhile.

Labels: Geek Life

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 5:43 AM (Permalink)