anotheranon | to the pain

I walked into club today with a blister threatening to burst and bad cramps.

Now that I've grossed you all out, why this is relevant: I don't think well when I'm in pain. In ordinary circumstances I'd either do something about the pain, or lean into it if there's nothing to be done. Keeping a clear head and staying on my feet is difficult, so I made that the objective of today's practice.

V. has us recording all of our Sunday bouts so we can see our progress over time. I've been aiming to do at least 10 bouts and stayed with that objective today.

What I noticed:

Starting out hurting means I actually feel better once the adrenalin gets pumping - natural endorphins, I guess. Incredibly, I was able to keep my mind on my target and didn't succumb to sloppy footwork or focusing on the "ow" over the moment at hand. I wouldn't say my game was improved by this, but I was able to sustain SOMETHING.

I also noticed that when I started to run out of steam, my body failed first. This is novel because usually my mind wanders before my body craps out. Good to know.

I'm gonna pay for this tomorrow though - my throat is sore so perhaps I pushed it too far in other ways as well :( I should probably go soak my foot in epsom salt or something.