I’ve been in training for about 2 weeks now and so far, I haven’t died! I take that as a sign that my training is going pretty well.

I’m still easily intimidated in the dojang. Though I (for lack of a better word) suck, I’m still looked to as a high belt and sometimes, I have highest rank in the students. “What does that mean?” you may ask. It means that I get to embarrass myself with my Korean. A little piece of me dies every time I’m asked to start class, since all I can remember is “thank you” and “teacher” (and some numbers, if I’m lucky). Then, if I’m asked to demonstrate a kick, I can point out a yellow or green belt who can do it better. Or I should say, correctly.

While I may sound a bit sturm-und-drang here, training is actually going well for a person in my position. It’s only been 2 weeks, but in that span of time, I’ve learned how to actually hit the pad in most tornado kicks. My endurance seems to be up a surprising amount: we can take a bit of a run in class and I’m starting to enjoy it (as opposed to my previous wheezing).

As far as dealing with my handicaps, I have a couple strategies. For example, I take a decent dose of Naproxen a couple hours before I work out. Before anyone starts chastising, I hasten to add that I have a legitimate handicap and irritating my large amounts of inflammation make my limbs go numb. I hope that building muscle will help keep the inflammation down after a while. I also have a REALLY nice pair of Taekwondo shoes and a pair of shoe inserts – it’s an excellent back-saver and I recommend them to anyone with bad foot/back problems (heh, like me).

Here’s this week’s icing on the cake: I joined the club officially, which means I get a uniform with our logo. The kicker is…(you may need to sit down for this…) I took the plunge and joined our competition team (which henceforth will be referred to as “CT”). That means more crazy practices, getting the crap kicked out of me daily, and eventually venturing forth to make a mockery of myself in front of other schools.

Actually, I’m just being sarcastic . Competing is something I’ve always wanted to do and I don’t care how much I suck. Even if I have to be dragged out bleeding, I’m going to go out there and do my best! PIL SUNG!