Muay thai is hard. Period.

I'm sitting in an Internet cafe down the road from where I'm staying for the next month. I'm sore all over and looking forward to bed soon even though it's only 8:30 PM. Let me back up a little to explain how I got here, shall I?

When I arrived in Chiang mai on the night train I was just going into to my first day of antibiotics from something I'd gotten in Cambodia. I wanted to find the gym that Joel had told me about, Chay yai, and then rest for the weekend before training began. I got a tuk-tuk (after the usual 5 minute argument that $4 was to much for 6 km's) and he took me right to the gym. I use the term "gym" loosely, as it was really just an old boxing ring covered with a metal roof, with heavy bags hanging on metal bars in the open. I met the manager, whose name is pronounced noom, who was presently suffering from a head cold. He took me to a guest house and got me all set up with the owners for an extremely reasonable price (about $3 a day) and then got me a scooter so I could get around for the month. Then he told me he'd see me at 4 at the gym.

I went to the gym expecting to watch practice or maybe sign something but actually found myself trying on Thai shorts and soon I was jumping rope with the rest of the group. They use a rope called a "heavy rope," which lives up to it's name. Within 5 minutes I was having trouble keeping a rhythm going and my arms were killing me. I was then put through all the paces with a trainer for about 45 minutes straight, followed by 30 minutes on the heavy bag and then weight lifting and ab work. The only break I was given was when I would grab a little glass of water from the communal tub, rest for 20 seconds or so, and then jump back into the training. Since there are enough instructors to go around the 8 students I was never asked to hold pads for anyone. This is good in terms of quality and quantity of training and bad in terms of getting a chance to catch your breath. I was spent by the end of an hour and a half and did stretching and ab work until the end of class half an hour later. I repeated the process the next morning at 8am and between the two classes and my stomach trouble I was bedridden for the day.

The next day was Sunday and the gym is closed Sunday. I spent most of the day in my room, ill and broken. Since then things have gone up and up dramatically. I have been able to finish training sessions now and I'm beginning to acclimate to the level of work required for every class. The other students tell me that soon all of this will become rote, as every day follows the same pattern. I should say how grateful I am for the other students practicing here. Each one is extremely skilled and fit, most of them several months into training here in Thailand. Yet each one has reminded me to drop my ego and just work as hard as my body allows. They remind me that no one is watching me and that my training is my own, so don't worry about anyone else. It feels like being back at MKG with the sign that says "no ego" right at the top of the gym rules.

It is a little hard to go from traveling constantly with not a care in the world to staying in one place and training from 8am-10am and again at 4-6pm. In fact I was thinking about this today, my fourth training day, and asked myself what I would tell a student in the same situation. I realized that I had my goal laid out and the will to see it through but I hadn't yet asked anyone to support me in sticking to my goal. In my youth classes we call this person a "success coach." So I thought I would ask all of you wonderful people reading my blog to be my success coach. If you feel like it I would love to have some words of encouragement as the days go by and I keep trying to keep my spirits up. You can leave a comment on this site if you'd like or email me at abshilling@gmail.com. I love to hear from you guys at home and I know even a few words will push me on through a rough day of training.

As usual, I hope all is well at home and that everyone is happy and healthy. I'm gonna head to bed now since my eyelids are closing and my muscles are aching. Talk to you soon and look forward to hearing from you.

Namaste,
Adam