I got new shoes on Saturday.

I wore them to work on Monday and by Tuesday my knee was swollen.  So I muscled through it and went to the dojo.

That was dumb. 

My knee BLEW up…  and I couldn’t train last night.

Sucks sitting on the floor, watching everyone else practice.

I decided that before class yesterday, I would walk the track at the Y first. Not fast and not a lot.. just enough to warm up my major leg muscles. Our warm-ups are often not long enough for me since I’ve been so sedentary.

My mistake was not hydrating myself. I should have brought water, but didn’t.

Halfway through class I had to ask to leave to get a drink. My heart was pounding so hard it was scaring me and I could feel my mouth drying up.

Sensei asked “Do you really need to?”

I was so mortified… I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think I was going to blow a gasket.. he let me go, but I was very embarassed that I didn’t take care of myself before…

Then I almost kicked the kid next to me doing side snap kicks. And I was so surprised that I started giggling.. my stress response is to giggle or cry. I prefer giggiling.

Sensei reminded me to keep my focus. Then I made another mistake and tried to explain myself.. Doh!

Sensei then told me that it was ok to make mistakes, that’s how we learn. Funny, that’s how I train my dogs too…

It was a hard class for me.. oddly, physically it wasn’t as bad.. mostly it was the mental challenges and I didn’t realize it until it was too late.

I’ll do better on Saturday.

This morning I got up and was sore… which was to be expected. However my old elbow injury from 10 years ago certainly has my attention.

Fortunately, we aren’t at the point where I can’t feel my fingers, but the tendons are aching. Not good. Thats the first step to numbness and if left alone, eventually, I’m out of work.

My job has me typing and clicking and shuffling paper. Can’t do that and rest my elbow at the same time.

The old Ortho doc told me to “use it but don’t abuse it”. So I’m wearing that elbow thingy that has the pressure pads to help relieve some of the pain and hopefully impede any real damage.

Enough “unneccesary” typing. Off to work I go.