Yeah, I’m doing that again.

I had my first training session tonight and it was … really nice.

I haven’t been to as many (read: any) training sessions since the last fight, but I’ve been cycling for at least an hour every day. on my way to and from work and wherever else I need to be. I hoped that would be enough to keep me in fairly good form over the past six weeks. But I have gained weight since the fight. Like, more weight than I lost during the last ten weeks of training.

I’m choosing to believe that the extra weight is pure leg muscle from all the cycling.

(It’s obviously not.)

I enjoyed getting back in the gym. I enjoyed seeing the familiar faces and meeting all the new women. My opponent from the last match was there and it was so fun seeing her and having a little catch up.

There are a hell of a lot more participants this time round than there were last time – even on the first day. I assume because the organisers now expect a solid majority to drop out before fight night.

Everyone I spoke to seems nice.

I got quite a compliment from one woman who, once we got chatting and she found out that I’d blogged my experience doing it last time, told me that she’d been deliberating about whether or not to sign up until she read my blog. She said I made it sound like so much fun so she signed up. I felt a bit special.

The first session was fairly easy. I didn’t even hate Jon’s infamous warm up! I know I’ll feel differently before the end of the training.

It was nice having a little easy refresher of all the different moves. A relaxed, casual reintroduction to the programme. I’m going to feel a hell of a lot less chilled about training in a couple of weeks, I can already tell!

I was less sweaty leaving than I was on my first first session. So even if I am heavier, I am apparently fitter. Although after all the work I put in last time, I’d be annoyed if I wasn’t, break or no break.

I’m a lot more confident hitting people this time round. Obviously.

I think that’s valuable, having people who are confident in the group. I definitely felt people responding to me when I didn’t wimp out of throwing a punch. We weren’t sparring yet, we we just doing drills, throwing punches into each other’s gloves to practice the way each different type of punch is supposed to move your body. But when I was happy to properly punch, whoever I was drilling with was too and I could see that they felt good about it afterwards.

It was rewarding. I’m not used to being an experienced athlete, but it was quite nice having people turn to me to ask questions and actually listen to my answer with a genuine interest about what I had to say.

I’m really looking forward to doing this again! I don’t know if I’ll blog after every session like last time. I suppose it’ll depend on how much I feel like I have to say each time. (Then again, I said that last time and realised that I had a lot to say.)

Again, the fight will be in aid of domestic violence charity, Refuge. I’ll be training at least twice a week until Thursday November 23rd, when we’ll fight it out at the Clapham Grand! I’ll post more information about the night when I have it.

You can donate to Refuge via my JustGiving page here.

You can buy tickets to the fight here.

You can check out the video of my last fight here.