This past weekend was the two day Big Regional Event.
I learned a lot, primarily that a lot of my best preparation takes place off the strip: getting enough sleep, enough food, and enough water. In most of my past competitions I was lacking in at least one of these, but I think I'm starting to get the balance right.
Also, interestingly, this was the first competition in which I was mostly calm - I did all my "ZOMG I'm in over my head!!!" freaking out earlier in the week :P Part of that was fueling but part of it was also getting there early enough to get used to the constant noise and motion generated by a room full of fencers.
( women's open )
So, Sunday rolls around and I'm seeded dead last in the mixed open - 110 out of 110. Which I expected, and was cool - nowhere to go but up. Incredibly, I did, and more than I expected:
( mixed open )
Aftermath: I'm deeply tired and the "comedown" is something like my old post-rave coming-back-to-reality/normal pulse rate etc. Interestingly I'm not too sore (yet?) and only got one hit that might turn into a bruise. My feet got a little tingly towards the end, so I'm resting tomorrow night.
Not bad. Not bad.
Aftermath:
I learned a lot, primarily that a lot of my best preparation takes place off the strip: getting enough sleep, enough food, and enough water. In most of my past competitions I was lacking in at least one of these, but I think I'm starting to get the balance right.
Also, interestingly, this was the first competition in which I was mostly calm - I did all my "ZOMG I'm in over my head!!!" freaking out earlier in the week :P Part of that was fueling but part of it was also getting there early enough to get used to the constant noise and motion generated by a room full of fencers.
( women's open )
So, Sunday rolls around and I'm seeded dead last in the mixed open - 110 out of 110. Which I expected, and was cool - nowhere to go but up. Incredibly, I did, and more than I expected:
( mixed open )
Aftermath: I'm deeply tired and the "comedown" is something like my old post-rave coming-back-to-reality/normal pulse rate etc. Interestingly I'm not too sore (yet?) and only got one hit that might turn into a bruise. My feet got a little tingly towards the end, so I'm resting tomorrow night.
Not bad. Not bad.
Aftermath: