On Day 33, I pushed the comfort zone.
Craving a new thrill and cross-training activity, I immediately got excited (and scared) when a co-worker suggested we take a boxing lesson at Trinity Boxing Club in downtown NYC.
To all the various types of workouts my figure skating career took me, somehow I was never lead into a punching match or better yet, an enclosed space in which one learned to punch others (realistically this aggression extractor would have been useful).
After work we headed over to get acquainted with Trinity. This no-nonsense establishment brings Fight Club to mind and does not bring peace of mind to those of us who don’t box for a living.
We met our instructor, informed him of workout goals (break at least a bit of sweat) and got a good chuckle.
What followed over the next hour was one of the best workouts of my life.
We warmed up by jump roping for way too long (its not like riding a bike!). We did sit ups into boxing jabs. We learned various fight formations. We beat up punching bags. We learned how to move, block, and punch by sparring with our instructor. We did not stop moving for an hour and were pushed to our limit.
It was empowering.
To aid in the inspiration, the gym was surrounded by various quotes that hung down from the ceiling.
The following is a short list of my favorite ones:
- You can become a winner only if you are willing to walk over the edge – Damon Runyon
- Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but in playing a poor hand well – Denis Waitley
- Being on the tightrope is living. Everything else is waiting – Karl Wallenda
Awesome.