Did ya miss me?

And suddenly it's 2020...

Not really sure what happened there and it's been a while since I've written so thought I'd drop in :)

So it's been about two months of 9 Round and I'm still really enjoying it, so I figure that's a good sign.  Also starting to feel better overall which is awesome :).    It was 13 deg out when I went to the gym this morning.  Had an amazing workout and after was super high so took Sasha out for a run in the rain.  Only about 1.5km but was fun and silly and good for the soul.  Except….  I’ve come to realize I’m not actually young or fit anymore and while I’m feeling super high and amazing right now, I have a feeling getting out of bed tomorrow will be a challenge.

I actually think this might be why I'm enjoying it so much...

I did a round of Core de Force the other day (for those new to the loop - amazing at home fitness plan that focuses on MMA style moves.  Very similar to 9 round except you're only punching shadows.  It is, 100%, what led me to believe I might enjoy this).   Anyways -- I didn't have quite enough time to make it to the gym and back but did have enough for a 30 min home workout.  I wore the Pulse monitor from the gym, so could see what 'zone' I was in on my phone the whole time.  Can absolutely say it's the same quality of workout from a strictly heart rate metric.   What I did find entertaining though was the subtle differences.   I feel way more badass fighting shadows.  I throw bigger, longer, punches.  Nothing is as cool as the superman punch!  lol.  I also hate wearing the gloves, so not having to is nice.  BUT, my hands felt super light without them.  That being said, punching shadows doesn't give *nearly* the same feeling of satisfaction and stress relief that hitting actual bags does.  I also suspect the resistance from said bags probably adds to the physical impact of the workout (at least for punching.  Tbh, I kick a lot more dramatically when I'm not connecting with anything.  I tend to check them when there's contact.   Whereas with the gloves I don't.).  Anyways - just amused me so thought I'd share.  I was pleased to discover the heart rate part though -- that's good to know...

I'm getting into my Spanish novel for the year -- the Never-ending Story.   Haven't seen the film since I was a kid and only have vague memories of it -- enough to know I should enjoy the book.  Not enough to really know what's going to happen.  So far I've only read the framing chapter (eg - the chapter before chapter 1 where he's running away from bullies, steals the book, and settles in to read...).  It is significantly harder than Harry Potter solely due to variety of vocabulary.  Action scenes I'm okay with -- apparently my verb vocabulary is reasonable.   The description scenes are a struggle...  It's a slow process, but I should learn something by the end of it :)   

My Spanish course finishes at the end of Jan.  Our instructor is willing to let us proceed to the next level, but I feel I'm so far behind in my conversation abilities (I passed the last exam amazingly, but we only did one of two conversation tests so the weighting was more strongly on writing which I actually do at the right level).  Most of the time I'm pulling 90s in writing and failing conversation so...  Want to focus on that for a little while and think I'll return to the world of iTalki.   Maybe pick up the B2 course in fall or spring of next year.

Off to Costa Rica in a couple weeks for our reunion trip.  5 years?!?!  Can you believe it?!?!  Yeah, me neither.   Sadly that portion of the country is so incredibly touristy I'm not convinced I'll get much Spanish practice.  But not sad for the 35deg and sunny weather lol