When I talk about Parkour, people keep asking me why I do all this "crazy stuff," but I'm wondering why more people don't. We all did it at kids but at some point stopped. On the days I know I'm going to class, I wake up excited about it and look forward to it all day. How many people can say that about their workouts?
The front entrance of the Parkour gym has this sign up for the new year and I think it perfectly describes some of the more specific reasons I do Parkour.
I love how pretty much every reason on the board is something that applies to me, or at least can make me laugh. During one class we "prepared for the zombie apocalypse" by seeing how quietly we could complete the course. One of the instructors followed each person and kept track of how many loud noises they made. Ironically, the first time I saw this sign we had eaten waffles that morning, so the waffle binge totally applied. Eric has been perfecting his homemade waffle recipe and I am more than happy to help him with the eating part.
Since the Air Inversion Workshop, I've been practicing the upside down reason, and I would like to go to the tricking class. Eric has been twice on his own and has been working on back handsprings, back flips, side flips, and variations of the front flip, which are all things I would love to learn.
I have also been working on improving my speed through the obstacle courses. I have a lot of the individual skills, but I often have to psych myself up first and that slows down my times. It is amazing to me how encouraging everyone is. During one course, the guys were achieving times of 12 - 15 seconds. During my turn, I was really struggling and at one point fell while attempting to do a precision drop from one box to another. I kept going and the final obstacle required me to jump into a cat hang and pull myself onto the side of the foam pit. I felt like I was flailing, but I finally made it. The second I stood up at the top, everyone in my class clapped and cheered for me. It's still amazing to me how encouraging everyone is. Even though my time was closer to two minutes, no one seemed to care and instead high-fived me for my accomplishment. It definitely creates an environment where I feel comfortable and willing to try new things. Check off the think positive, be happy, and encourage others more.
Unfortunately I'm going to have to take a break from Parkour for a few weeks. At my last class I was working on vault precision jumps and smacked my knee on the vault on the way over. Don't let the injury discourage you from doing it. I was trying to keep up with the boys, and instead of taking it slow the first time, I went harder than I ever had before, and didn't get my feet all the way up. At least I had a nice gash to prove how much it hurt!
As a side note, It's Not My Time by Three Doors Down has been one of my favorite songs since it came out. The lyrics have an incredibly personal meaning for me and the music video is awesome. How could it not be when it includes Parkour?