83 - Exercise

Yesterday was the first time I attempted to do my KFB exercises since arriving at Pennsic. I had recovered from my bout of vertigo and had a bit of energy to burn, so it was time to try and get back into the swing of things.

I grabbed my trusty j-rope and walked out to the car park area—the same location as last year where I attempted to jump rope during my first week of PCP. I remember that point in my life so well—desperately attempting to do just 250 jumps with a cotton rope that I swore was trying to kill me, while trying to combat a sore heel and a knee that was giving out. What fun times.

So I began to jump. And fail.

This puzzled me. I usually have no problem doing 10-minutes on the j-rope. This was curious.

Another attempt. Another fail.

Weird. Granted, it wasn't the ideal conditions I have at home (aka: a nice wooden floor), but it's odd I'm having problems outdoors.

A third attempt. Triple fail.

That's when it started clicking in and I'm pretty sure why I had so many problems last year. The grass was too long and the friction causing the rope to slow down. The ground was uneven which a couple times caused me knees to twinge in pain. I was putting far too much effort to swing the rope around and trying to jump high enough to clear it and have it clear the grass.

After about five minutes of constant tripping, I decided to call it quits on the j-rope. Instead, I went for a run. Running on the road that meander throughout the campground, up and down "Car Park Hill"—it felt fantastic! After about twenty minutes of that, I returned to camp to finish the rest of the KFB routine.

Or so I thought. The strength exercises went great. The flexibility routine was phenomenal. The targeted punching and kicking section had a bit to be desired. That was the moment when I realized that I did not have both ping-pong balls with me. I could have sworn I packed two, but I could only find one. So one it was, and I finished the set.

One of the interesting things is that a slope is a great way to challenge one's balance. Have you ever tried doing a flying crane on a slant? It ain't easy! Neither is jump-kicking on a hill. It really helps improve your stance.

So it looks like there will be more KFB improvisation in my future.