Recovery

      Fifty.  It sounds totally wrong.  Fifty years ago, half a goddamned CENTURY ago, was when I was born.  As much as sometimes I don't feel fifty, or I may try to kid myself and say I don't look fifty, I know I really am.  This has never been more apparent to me as it was the next few days after my trial Muay Thai class.  

Although I made it home from that free trial class in relatively good spirits, when I woke up the next morning, it seemed like most, if not all movement was incredibly painful.  Every waking moment of the day was excruciating.  My neck hurt from being yanked and tossed around by it.  My biceps were useless jelly and my wrist ached from the first punches I had thrown in well over a decade.  My abs hurt from doing sit-ups with a goddamn medicine ball (yeah I thought those things were only in movies, too!).  My elbows were dark purple from slamming them into pads...and my shins! My poor shins! What had they done to my precious shins?  From my knees to my toes, and yes, including the tops of my toes, were bruised to hell and back.  Not only was there a dull pain throughout my shins, but a frighteningly prickly tingle, like a knife slice, would ride up the front of my lower leg with every step for days to come.

     Hey...I'm sorry about that last paragraph, y'all.  I obviously want to encourage y'all to take up Muay Thai, but I can't in good conscience redact that last part.  I don't want to ruin the story.  I mean y'all know I stick with it, right?  That first week, though, I've got to admit, was pretty rough.  Please don't give up!

     I guess that's what this entry is all about.  Knowing your body's limits when you push those said limits.  We aren't twenty five any more, but we aren't dead yet, either.  Recovery can be a real asshole, but you better listen.  I was really proud of taking that first step and thought I did pretty well, considering being completely and totally inept.  I was determined to get to the point where I could do this three to five times a week, but I knew I wasn't there, yet.  Not by a long shot.   I decided that as soon as I felt like I had basically recovered, I would go back and sign up, take the plunge.  I figured this would take about a week and I was right. About five days later, I was back to walking around like a normal person without the crying, doing my push-up routine, and nothing hurt too bad.  As soon as I felt alright, I signed up for the first beginner class I could find and I was foookin stoked!