TOUGH ENOUGH

Today was a learning experience. I mentioned in my previous blog that our theme for this Honduras mission trip is "Fighting" and that we would be doing ultimate fighter style training in order to prepare for our trip. I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect going into today's exercise routine at Club MMA. On my way there, I was already sizing myself up with some of the guys that are in the group. Is that a man thing? Why is it we always let our testosterone get the best of us? I immediately started praying for strength, physical and mental. I told myself that I would just allow myself to feel everything about this experience naturally and then sort it out later. I walked in and my buddies greeted me just as they do every else. After the group assembled we started out with some warm-up exercises which consisted of mostly crawling positions across the gym floor. Some of these were pretty challenging coordination wise but not physically for me. When we completed our warm-up we moved on to our cardio exercise. This is where I was wondering how I would fare with all of the guys in the group. Most of the guys are younger than me and a some of them are in pretty good shape. A few of them are into mixed martial arts and grappling as well. The cardio consisted mostly of plyometrics and jumping in one place for 30 second intervals. I did break a sweat but surprisingly enough was not really out of breath or dying for water either. I found myself looking around the room, again sizing myself up, and realizing that I am in better shape than I thought I was in. I approached a couple of my fellow missioners and asked them how they were feeling and tried to inspire them to push through it. One of our main focuses is remembering to build each other up versus tearing each other down. That is a hard one for me. But, I dumped my pride and got it right...it felt good. On to the fun stuff. Time to spar. Time to fight, punch and kick. Are you tough enough? We rolled out the stationary punching stands and teamed up in groups of two. Our leader Vinny, who is a trained fighter, taught us some tips on punching and kicking. I found myself intensely watching his every move. Sweat was dripping off of my nose and my muscles were already burning. I studied him and listened to his every word. We started to use the technique combinations on the bags. While one of us was hitting and kicking, the other was busy doing push-ups and crunches until we were signaled to switch. We did this for five minutes straight...round one. We went through the whole process a couple more times...rounds two and three...and then we were done. Although somewhat tired now, I was pumped and wanting more. Vinny approached me and spoke into my enthusiasm for this sport. He gave me constructive criticism and I took it well. I realized that I could definitely find an interest in mixed martial arts and I bet that it would help out with my triathlon training as well. We all did our post work-out stretching and shared some laughs and then we called it a day. I am hooked and anxious for next Sunday. I had no feelings of anger and I pushed through how I judge people. I love this group of guys and am looking forward to more cool experiences with them. God is Great!