Went to the Trace Facility on friday. The place was north of the city, on a train-line I never catch. The facility is a warehouse tucked into an plain of one-story suburbs, surrounded by other warehouses. I was surprised how well equipped the place was, considering they've only been open for a few months. Two structures made of steel piping hold up flat plywood roofs, one has an additional steel structure attached, no roof. Footholds, handholds are everywhere. The side has a makeshift wall with a platform in a variety of heights - for wallruns. A chill section is set up on a kind of balcony with magazines (new scientist, the economist, anyone?), tables, couches and water. The place is hella cool.

First thing I though when I saw the place was "this would be perfect for a game of off-ground tag". I even suggested it to the few kids who were there early, like myself, but, to my disappointment, was dismissed. Later, to my delight, I discovered that off-ground is a regular part of the training program. After the regulars poured in - at around 6 - and the catchups were done with and warmups completed the place was set up and the game began. I was slow, loud on the landings and unfit... yet treated very nicely, not singed out nor ignored. It was really fun, though I was sweating bullets and my arms hurt all the way through to sunday (today). Great workout. I'll definitely be back.

The guys were good company as always. The more I'm exposed to this crowd the more my respect for them grows. I wanna be friends, but still fell awkward. Plus any delusions I had about my physical appearance have been blown sky-high. They're all built like frikkin' superheroes! I'm a big guy, not overweight, with my share of muscle but these guys make me look like a flabby hippo. Both in physical form and in movement. I guess the bar is set high, something for me to aim for.

On the administrative front, I've been falling behind on my transcribing. Spending time on the sunday book takes away from other things, I'm still looking for a good balance. As long as i don't neglect this blog i should be largely alright.

Last sunday class for the year today. It's raining. It'll be four hours - should be fun. I'll be going to trainer training sometime in the next few weeks. Looking forward to it.

Well, yesterday was a depressing write-off. Hopefully today will be better.

There's a curious little story I've been meaning to tell for a while. It's quite old, (six, seven months) it happened to me when I was gathering data for the proposals of this research project. This little incident taught me a fair bit about discipline, exercise and myself.

How the Wii Fit

Physical activity has always been important to me. Boxing, rock-climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding, snowboarding - I've always picked individualistic physical pastimes, things that offer personal challenges rather than competitive team activities. With this outlook I treated my exercise as fun and a chance to test myself and my physical abilities. I've never had any reason to take it particularly seriously and often ignored (even jeered) the various routines that people attached to their sports - uniforms/specialised equipment, warm-ups/cool-downs, set regimens, diets, etc. My exercise came in form of sporadic physical activity, at any random time I felt like it.

Then, recently, parkour came along. I knew that I'd have to shape up, so I started up some semi-regular training. The first general exercise I did revolved around the layout of my local train station. A two-level garden, each level about a meter and a half in height, gave me a prop for vault practice. I'd climb the two steps with maximal flow, trying to conserve as much momentum and move as fluidly as possible. Then, I'd go back down - precision jumping onto the lip of the first step then down from there - again, with as much fluidity as I could muster.

Because I catch the trains often the exercise was perfect, I'd inadvertently be at my training ground one or twice a day and I'd squeeze in as many reps as time would allow. I started clumsily, then developed technique. There was a definite burn and I'd be puffed after a few reps. This would improve with my fitness. I started with five ups and downs per go, then expended to ten. I was getting better, learning a lot and using nearly all of my muscles - there was no doubt in my mind that this exercise was good.

Two weeks went by. One morning I woke up with a new discomfort. My lower torso, around the kidneys, had a peculiar ache. I'm lucky in that I don't usually have much problems with physical discomfort, aside from an ankle that's been twisted all too many times everything on my body works pretty much as it should. So, the ache stood out and I started to worry when it persisted. After three days I noticed that it would flare up after my wall climbs, and after each exercise session I would wake up the next morning to find the ache had gotten worse. I made a doctor's appointment.

The examination turned out nothing. I was in good shape. They sent me in for blood-work. There was reason for concern, a chance that my kidneys were acting up. I asked about jolting (I was doing a lot of jumping) and the doctor told me it was highly unlikely to have done any harm. The blood-work took two days and I cut down on impact exercises. The ache got worse. Any remotely strenuous movement would aggravate it and I really started to worry. My blood-work came back - it showed nothing wrong. The doctor sent me off to have a series of scans.

Private little radiology centre. My clothes in a cubicle two rooms away. Me on a stretcher in a smock trying to sound unworried while making light conversation with the lady technician. My kidneys up on the ultrasound display. "See that there? That's passing fluids. Shape, size, texture - all normal." I was massively relieved, but at the same time more worried. What the hell was going on? An X-ray revealed an unusual skeletal posture, all perfectly healthy. I was healthy as a horse. I decided to push through the pain, retake up training and hope it would pass.

Training made things even worse. The ache moved up and spread out. My back seized up. I felt like an 80 year old. I stopped training. The ache was constant and any physical activity made my back seize up. I was pissed as hell. I couldn't train and despite a clean bill of health my problem was getting worse. A friend offered to lend me his copy of Wii Fit - with the balance board - he suggested I try it until I get better. Low impact exercise was better than none, he suggested, and he promised that the workout was deceptively effective. I decided to give it a go.

I've always winged about Wii Fit. I'm a nintendo fan (by the way, they're not paying me for this) and I was annoyed that the development team was making programs for housewives while leaving the hardcore gamers hanging. I was pleasantly surprised. The full workout was actually challenging and there were a bunch of exercises that I'd never heard of. I was drawn to the yoga, something I've always been curious about but never tried. That's where the penny dropped.

As you play you unlock new exercises, pretty quickly I unlocked the yoga stretches. The Spinal Twist, Sun Salutation and Triangle poses felt practically orgasmic. I did each one several times. The next morning my back was better, the ache was less intense. I kept up the stretches and over the next three days my condition improved. By day four I was ready to cautiously return to my impact runs. The ache would start up, but then I'd do these stretches and the pain would disappear.

Stretching is now a part of my routine. I learned the hard way that muscle exercise can cause muscles to contract and shrink as they repair and grow. Stretching is absolutely essential with a regular muscle workout. Some routines are necessary. Training requires a certain amount of discipline.

Life is the stuff that happens to you in between the things you plan. This is the second week I've intended to visit the Trace facility in north Melbourne on the thursday and it looks like this will be the second week that I'm going to have to put it off. Family emergency, I'll be driving my mum around for a good part of tomorrow. hopefully I'll be able to get away, but knowing the nature of the trouble the chances are slim. Shit. I'll have to check if there's training sessions at the Trace on Fridays.

Took the new tools of the trade out today. Found a good rail with posts on ether side and set myself a low mark with the masking tape. The aim was to jump through the space between the top rail and the tape feet-first, then, use the top rail to carry myself through without touching the tape below. Harder than I expected. My back touched the tape every time. Hopefully I'll improve with practice.

Some running followed and then, later in the day, I went for a swim. Melbourne beaches are some of the most beautiful I've seen and I've got a few favorite spots. I love snorkeling, and in just a few years since I've discovered that pastime I've improved my swimming 10 fold. My plan is to finish today with the usual drill run.

--

Post-run note: Ugh, I think I'll make it a rule from now on not to eat a heavy dinner after 8pm. Nothing more gross than re-experiencing the crappy curry you had for dinner each time you do something jolting or strenuous in training.

Page one is done! One full day, but its finished.


Page one, edit one. Took all bloody day, but whew! Done!

Work, work, work! Good start, working out the page layout and dialogue for the Sunday Session book. Feels like I'm rolling along. Training was good on Sunday. Went along with the first timers to get more info for the book. Got what I need. Getting a new computer soon. Delivery's tomorrow or the day after. Between 9 and 5. Shit. Had plans but looks like I'm staying in. Might get some work done.

Went on my run. Took the chalk and the tape. The chalk did a good job of making me aware of my movements. The jogging has noticeably improved my cardio, and a sweat is a bit harder to break. The week off my feet has done the opposite, slower start this time.

Something interesting about the tape: masking tape is LOUD. At midnight, in the park, with folks yelling out their windows may NOT be the best time for tape assisted training. I'll do it in the morning, when I jog instead.

Added wall-squat to the list of drills.

PLUS, the pencils on page one is DONE! Keep an eye on this space!

I'm very tired, but I cannot sleep. Bugger of a thing, that. The foot is still bruised, but I think I can handle parkour tomorrow. To be honest, this week has been a near-total write off. The injury has been a handy excuse, but I suspect I'm suffering a bit of transitional disorientation. It's been difficult to find motivation to work. I have so much to do and, finally, the time to do it but... this week... very little productive labour. Well, all I can really do is be aware and change my attitude. I've even missed out on training this week. Naughty.

There is another possibility, that this is how I work. The 'Sunday Classes' comic is crystalizing in my brain, I WILL have it done before Christmas. Tomorrow I will go with the first timer parkour folks. Then I'll have all the info I need. Gotta find focus and keep it.

Shit. First week without outside work is off to a foul start. Injury. I bruised the inside of my heel in training this weekend - my own fault - and it hurts like hell to walk. Getting better with each passing day, nopefully by tomorrow I'll be good to train again. It's put my little schedule into disarray. Still haven't transcribed my notes from Sunday, not working enough. Need to pull myself together. I'll call this the transitional period I guess and try to move past it. Resting, healing and scheming.

On the bright side, I bought that chalk ant tape. Plus, if all goes to plan, I'll be visiting the trace facility tomorrow.

Running is back on track. The resignation process at my work went faster than expected. As of next week I MIGHT be a free man. Training time.

Whew, the heat has been making training difficult. This week has been a bit sporadic: a day on, a day off. Giving my retail bosses my quittin' notice tomorrow. Soon, parkour will be my primary occupation. Yay!

Getting very warm in Melbourne. Too hot in the day, beautiful at night. Sloppy run tonight. Have to tighten up. Still running regular distance. My lounge capacity is improving, but my calves still get sore.

Hectic week. House guests, heavy deadlines and lots of distractions. Though I haven't been too diligent in training I've playing around with obstacles and environments. Also, missed sunday class this week. VERY BAD. Mustn't get into bad habits. Been running distance regularly in the mornings, very satisfied with my progress. Hoping to muscle my way past my hangover and go for a run tonight - it's a beautiful night out.

Sunday 1 Nov

Attended the training session on sunday. It was great fun. Talked to a few other participants, trained and took notes and photos. I've got a good direction for the first comic - I recon' I'm gonna start at the end, with the strength and conditioning. I'll be working out the pencils this week, wherever I find a moment to take from work. Everyone at parkour is great, and its easy to feel part of a common clan in training. Non-competitive challenge is the best kind.

I put off transcribing the notes until this morning, in doing so I relived a moment of prosecution from a random bystander that I think is worth including here:

A notable incident occurred in training: during the balancing segment of our lesson – on the north-east side of the Myer music bowl. As we started walking the ropes, an older guy (in his 50’s?) dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and a red hat began yelling at the whole group while keeping a solid distance from us. Without any apparent interest in our activity, he demanded that we “Get down from there!” The trainers seemed only a little ruffled and told us to simply ignore him and continue our training. We ignored him as he circled the group -- always at a distance – getting progressively irritated with our lack of response. The only brief response he received was after he threatened to “report this”, it came from one of the instructors, who told him to go ahead and do so, before turning back to the class.

Ten minutes later a park-ranger jeep pulled up and for a short period of time stood at a distance. Some of the younger class participants seemed a bit worried as a ranger in his mid-twenties stepped out of his jeep. The instructors went to meet him, but before they had a chance to say a word he told us that “he though it was you parkour guys.” The ranger was obviously unbothered by our activities. He intercepted the instructor’s explanations by making it clear that it was all-OK with him. He had received a complaint, which he said was framed in the context of a concern for our personal safety, but having seen that we were organised, and what we were doing, he was quite happy to have us carry on. He also pointed out that security cameras monitored the aria and that the music bowl had its own security staff – since they hadn’t told us to move on, he saw no reason to do so.

As the instructors returned to the class I stuck around to talk to the ranger. He seemed embarrassed to have disturbed us. As an excuse he said that sometimes the “emos” get drunk in the park and had it been them climbing around he would have told them to move on. He also commented that parkour “looked like fun” and that “he’d like to give it a go sometime” before leaving us to train.
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Looks like it happens to everyone. I must say I find this fascinating. What prompts people to react like that? Is it really a concern for our safety? I'm not entirely convinced. Might ask around on the forum, and later, in person to see how many others have had similar experiences.

Training notes: Started jogging in the mornings, gotta improve my stamina. Still doing regular night runs.

The comic entries are appearing slowly. Need more free time to really commit to this. Need new shoes, so quitting my retail gig will not happen for another two weeks. Meanwhile I'm forming an outline for the Sunday classes comic. Going to train and take notes today. Still have to write up an intro on the forum. Will do that as soon as I've backed up the new comic page on DA.