So after finally deciding to get into the ring and telling Bee of Charn Chai Muay Thai I have to wonder if it was the best move for me to make. So here is the thing do I need to fight to make the last year worthwhile? The answer to that is no because before I got here I could have never imagined just being consistent and going almost every day, every session without fail.
The difference for me was that I love Pai, sure it is touristy but both the benefits and drawbacks are that there are always new people around even though that means people are always in transit here for a few days or weeks then off on their next adventure. In reality I am no different except the my length of time has become much longer.
On Sunday I told myself to run on Monday, something I;ve avoided like it was the black death. I ran a handful of times in the last year but now I have to do it. I used every excuse I could to justify not running but the real thing was that I just never thought of myself as a runner and before I came here I was running every other day in Taipei nearly double the length I am doing here.
The main difference is that now I have to work towards something. I ran starting from the gates outside the White Buddha up the hill and towards the elephant camp for about 15 minutes before heading back home. Then today I went up to the White Buddha and did portions of the steps for 20 minutes and it was funny although that distance isn’t really far I was way more tired after that than I was the day before.
I am working to make it a habit, I should be running in the afternoon as well but I think I am going to keep on changing it up so I don’t get bored and used to it which is a problem for me. So maybe bike for half an hour one day before the afternoon muay thai session and the next do weights instead just to make it different.
Even if I never decided to fight I have no regrets about being here for so long, rather than this be a place you visit to see it is a place I’ve gotten to know. It feels like a home away rather than just a stopping point along the backpacker trail. You learn to respect and I’ve grown to love the vibe from Pai. I call it a trap in a lot of ways but in the hills, surrounded by clouds there are way worse places to be than this.
I can’t train like I would if I wasn’t diabetic, I have to adapt things to minimize my risks of getting a low blood sugar which can be dangerous for someone like me. As a teenager when I was diagnosed I ran my blood sugars very low which means I don’t feel when I am low which is what I am always worried about.
Although there is no date set at least there is a goal in October and hopefully I can fight in Pai. It feels right, it’s around my birthday, something to work towards and learning to believe that I can push it farther than I have before. So my basic muay thai skills are solid but I have problems defending against kicks, doing teeps and need to work on my boxing it’s just too slow and not enough power.
S0 I am going to take inspiration from all the people I’ve seen fight, people like Arcangelo who was always training like a beast and the trainers. So today I am going to try to do some weights, not sure how but maybe the bench press, military press, deadlifts and squats in addition to biking instead of running.
Gonna look to the muay thai guy for some drills and such and then try to just ramp it up more and more. Focus on control and just relaxing because I am always tense when I spar. Just gonna take is slow and steady day by day. I will probably try to write about things every day or so just to keep me motivated. Today’s afternoon session goal is getting some speed in my punches.