Having three days of fighting in succession is not the problem. I so enjoyed choosing to be done rather than having to be done cause I was stupidly wiped out. And I will get the shoes on tonight and run. Just sitting here thinking about that between calls.
Taking another day off and taking meds for pain. And rum.
Nick, John and I went up last night. It was totally fun. I enjoyed the drive up with good conversation. Funny was the worry about getting Niklos' armor along with all of our armor and three fighters into my car. It worked. No axes or spears, but polearms were taken up. Yeah! Good to know.
My crew made up about 1/3 of the people there, small group, but the guys got to fight until the sun was gone. I started aching again so slowed down after about 90 minutes into it.
It was 24 hours ago but I remember fighting Peter, Edwin, Nick, umm...I had five fights last night. Then I let it go. I felt I'd done OK. Disappointed Zadok that didn't get there until i was just about done, but he had a great couple fights with John and with Niklos. Nice of him to be disappointed in my armoring down, though. I'll make it up to him, lol.
I was going to write more but nah. I really enjoy nordskogen's fighter practice!
Had something to record when I started into this computer and I've forgotten. huh. getting a shower.
Oh, and I will use my sword to block that shot of John's next time I face him. Mind wins. brb.
Later. Showered and clean and full of icecream. So tonight's practice. Dan wasn't feeling well, New Bob does not have armor yet. Most everyone was properly in rapier gear, practicing. Just John and I in heavy kit. We did some sword and board to his bastard sword, then polearm work, then we both did s&b. It was fun, I let him get one shot on me over and over even after he told me how to block it - I do that. It's happened before. This is the last time I'm letting that get by me; I *will* block with my sword. I am mentally practicing getting that sword up to block as I type.
There was also a good comradery going on. I think people are wired for Day of Fencing. Plus that just means people are going to have more fun hanging out together. V nice.
Came home and ran further than ever before. Muscles really didn't wanna and then suddenly clicked into the job. It was mostly my breath not holding up AND my calves after a while that would give out. I liked it.
I went up to Sir Tristan's for his fighter practice. Six of us in armor. We started with some foot work, placing our feet at the right angles and depth and distance away from each other so that the energy comes from our hips, that my shoulders are facing my opponent rather than presenting a narrower side view. I've worked with this before, been talked to about it, discussed the pros and cons of purposefullly and mindfully changing a foot stance and how it affects blow strength. I got more today; I'd not thoguht about some of the points he made, like being able to see with my periferal vision the small gap that shoould be between my opponent's feet if he is standing correctly. If that gap isn't there, he's not standing correctly and maybe I can figure out which way to step to off-balance him or to wrap him. I've not thought about mindful changing a habit this way. Tristan spoke of people who have so learned to play this game mentally that the physical side is just a small part of it. It's good to be conditioned, but it is more important to play the game mentally. He mentioned a high-caliber swimmer who can take his coach's advice to adjust a dive angle by even just 2%, or can reposition his hands, and does this just by being told to do so and then he has it down, the next dive incorporates that change and he is immediately rewarded by a better dive, a better time, something that is measurable. An SCA fighter can benefit from this sort of mind-set as well, being able to see a really good move or take a bit of advise and incorporate it into his or her game. and if it's good for me, I will keep doing it. Like the spagetti test of advice, lol. I asked it that was similar to the 'put yourself into the fight and try to see why the person moved that way or blocked that way, and when you are in that fight, how you would respond. then switch places." that Terry and Dave mentioned a while back as a good way to analyze fighting. I've been doing that with the fighting vids a bit. LOL those I can rewind...
In a personal way, I had that immediate reward-gift today. I've only been running for what...12 days? And today I felt a difference. I didn't walk off the field cause I was tired in the body - mostly I lost my breath in one round, with Tristan I needed to process some things he had done, and the third was a mutual 'we are done' decision. Only three bouts in armor but they were good ones. I got compliments, sweet compliments, lol.Yeah, bite me, I'm human and like them. The hour of drill work, those three good bouts (and yeah, I had a few kills too!), and some most excellent fighter talk made it a great time. Good for me.
I had a lot of time to think on the way home, too, about fighting. Most of it is lost, not at all organized. However, I really, really enjoyed putting on the armor today. I wanted to. I felt good. So the running is good, and having a small group of people to talk the fighter-talk is good, and being able to fight and give a good fight is good. I will work on that hip-power. Hippy-power?? Humm..
oh, and I'm taking Beth's advice and asking for an asthma test when I next go in. I do not like this not having any breath-bit. Crazy! Oh! And I did get my 30 minute walk in, this being the off-day.
Saturday was a long run - lol - hour of run/walk rather than the normal 30. first one. I was going to do pell work but my neighbors filled up their yard with short birthday party attendees and their parents and I got shy. I mopped and moved and carried stuff inside the house instead. Then Anplica came over and we made cording in my backyard, also in front of the short people but not as noisy - easier to ignore.
update later.
7:30 That run wasn't v impressive. I guess the right food before does make the difference. Then came home and ate a frozen meal, wasn't happy so had cheesy bread with enough cheese to choke me. Oh well. I won't be stuffed forever.
So I'm sitting here at work waiting for a callback from one of our libraries that lost all power and now their computers are not hitting the internet. I got here this morning at 7:15 and am still here at 5:30. The library is powercycling routers and things to see if that helps.
It's not been a fun day. Not completely terrible, I've had high points, but mostly just frustrations.
I had pell work on my list of things to do tonight but I think, with the rain and all, it's going to have to be weights and stretching again. I will get the vhs hooked up in the basement and play down there. Cats will love it. Part of my defrag was sorting out all the vhs tapes and taking the older ones to Savers. I kept the workout tapes - the new basement setup gives me a good workout space and the weights are set back up.
I'm going to watch a couple of training vids too. I am missing the fighting. Not going up to Nordskogen on Tuesday was for a good reason, sure, but I want to armor up and hit. Pell work is not cutting it - I've no interaction with that puppy, you know? So I'm going to try to put myself into the fighting, like was suggested, and see how that goes, the analyzing the fight from both sides. I can rewind with the YouTubes, lol.
It's a running day! I'm happy from the running still!
Going out was great. I had strength and endurance and breath, I loved it. At about 14th st, the "half-mile but I still have 5 minutes out" point, I started slowing down. I was still making myself run some, walk more. But at that point, even though I still felt good, the energy dropped.
So going home I played a game with myself. I knew it was time to run, so I'd pick out a corner and say 'I can make that corner. I so own that corner." and it helps. I was only one minute longer getting back then it took me to get out the 15 minutes.
I like this. It feels good, even the goram stretching.
