i hit like a girl

i did two boxing sessions today. i've been away from all of that for awhile, so it was no easy feat.

after the first one, i felt a twinge of the overall ache that would definitely overtake me the next day. i realized that i had pushed myself harder than usual, probably because i'd been gone for awhile, and somewhere inside the excitement i felt upon returning, there seemed to be an abundance of adrenaline whipping through me. more than usual. but there was something more. my stance was cleaner. my technique was in place. i wasn't fast but i was solid. i put my body into every swing. even though i hadn't touched those gloves in forever, everything somehow fell into place when i did.

in the second one, i was hitting so hard and clean that the instructor george accused me of cheating on him with some other instructor.

wow. maybe i'm getting good at this.

at one point, as i was slamming my fist into my instructor's mitt repeatedly with rear upper cuts, i asked him if i hit as hard as a guy. without hesitating, he said yes. but what does that mean? there are way too many guys in the room who don't know how to throw a punch -- or take one. i want to be a hard charger and at the end of the day, that's beyond gender. maybe that's the real reason why i love this sport.

i wish i could remember how long i've been going at this, with this focus and intensity.

tomorrow at noon, it's an hour of a workout session called boot camp and then later in the evening, i'll see the one i call negro.