04: Tired!

Aaah, it has been almost a month since I've blogged! This is due in part to school finals, training exhaustion, and of course the Christmas/New Year holidays.

Despite my plans to "officially start" on Jan. 2, I hit the gym on Dec. 14th instead, literally just a couple hours after I finished my last final exam.

I already had a lifting/exercise schedule mapped out, so I got a head start on that. I worked out steadily from Dec. 14th through the 23rd. By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, I was so sore and dead-tired that I didn't even attempt to work out on Christmas Eve like I had planned (our gym was open until 2 p.m.). The days following proved mostly too busy to get to the gym, but they also gave me some much-needed rest!

I only worked out once between the 24th and the 1st, due to holiday plans to go out of town.

I traveled back to my old home, "dreary Erie," PA on the 28th. Living up to its nickname, Erie was gloomy and had been dumped on by about two feet of snow the night before I arrived.

After searching the internet for a gym with a working phone number, I settled on an MMA gym located at 1702 West 38th St. - about halfway between the airport and my cousin's house, where I'd be staying.

From what I understand, this gym is owned by Dan Swift - a guy who trains with former UFC fighter and current Strikeforce lightweight, Jorge Gurgel - but the gym is run by some members of his team, "Team DNA" (http://www.freewebs.com/danswiftsteamdna).

The fighters at his school speak very highly of Dan, though I did not get a chance to meet him. I understand he is a very, very experienced pro fighter and grappler, and many of his students are title holders in some of the MMA organizations up there in the rust belt.

I literally went straight to this gym from the airport and right into a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class (BJJ). I was greeted by a very friendly instructor named Ben, who welcomed me into their school and allowed me the honor of training with some very talented BJJ artists - himself included.

In BJJ, sparring with an opponent is called "rolling."

The training was awesome! We rolled for a couple of hours, and I learned two great new moves from Ben, which I can't wait to practice again. Despite the 50 lbs I have on Ben, he tore me apart on the mat, as did everyone else there I rolled with!

One thing about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - or any grappling art for that matter - is that if you are training on a mat with multiple other people, another pair is either going to accidentally roll over onto your head, or someone will kick you in the nuts by mistake. It just happens with close-quarters training. This time, I got kicked in the nuts - hard. Thanks to my ShockDoctor protective cup, my junk is still in tact. Let that be a lesson to any of you guys who are too lazy to train without a cup - it will catch up to you!

Another thing about grappling, is that if you have gas, it's gonna come out. This guy, Adam, kneeled right on my stomach to pass my guard, and sure enough, that bubble I'd been trying to hold in announced its exit. I can assure you this isn't the first time that's happened in a BJJ class, nor will it be the last! Adam ignored it, and continued to twist me into a human pretzel. I try to find a silver lining in everything though, and in this case I took comfort in knowing I could reciprocate at least some of the discomfort that was being dished out to me.

The workout was killer, and I was so tired and sore by the time I left, that I couldn't wait to shower and go to bed.

I am extremely grateful for the training they shared with me. Every move learned, every hour on the mat, is a step closer to where I need to be.

As I left the gym, I found my rental car buried under an additional three inches of snow, and I needed help getting it unstuck from its parking spot. I do not miss the Erie snow.

I drove to my cousin Nick's house, my velocity topping out at a whopping 20 mph, due to road conditions. I passed out shortly thereafter, and slept for about 12 hours.

I can't wait for another opportunity to train with these guys again. Every trip to Erie from here on out, I plan to make it out to roll with the folks at Team DNA. Really great people all around - very positive and very talented. Thanks guys!

BJJ is a very effective martial art, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone - but it requires a lot of hard work. In BJJ, an intermediate-level female of small stature can mop the floor with an inexperienced man of large stature. It is that effective. If you don't believe me, visit a local BJJ school and just watch. If then you still don't believe, please call me and we can make bets for real money.


As promised, I began training on Jan. 2, the morning after I returned from my trip. Already I am exhausted! More details to follow ...