Although I slacked off on writing it down, preparation for the Feb 1 smoker began in earnest last week.

I took my first turn working with kru Nat on pads on Friday. First time working with someone is always awkward, but I found this especially so as she uses almost no verbal commands. It is good to work on pulling my language center out of the movement, but also disconcerting to not have the staccato rhythm of “1,2,3, kick” accompanying the slap of the pads.

Saturday sparring was fun, most notably as it reminded me of the importance of body shots. By reminded, I mean I ended up on my knees after catching a well timed uppercut with my ribcage.
Also, our group picked up a guy who is clearly better than me, despite being lighter. As most people at my gym are smaller, I can get too complacent in using reach and strength to overcome weak technique. Having someone there to punish me when I slip up is great.

Monday- class focused on leg kicks and then went into sprints afterward. All the other fighters hate this part, but 3 rounds of 2 minute shuttle runs with 30s rest really wasn’t bad. Definitely tired after, but muay Thai is always more exhausting for me than a non-crossfit workout because I haven’t gotten to the point where I can lose myself in it during class.