So there I am… AT THE HOSPITAL

I took two complete days off of training. Two. I haven’t taken two days off in… I don’t know, maybe a few months. I love how I feel after I hit the gym. I do my strength training in the mornings before work and it sets me up for a great day. I just feel better/energized/alive. But, recently I’ve had a case of the Sniffles, I had an early-ish morning job modeling @ Reebok Headquarters one day and most importantly I wanted a little extra QT with my awesome daughter, Little C.

After two days off I came back big/healed/strong. I hit the weights in the morning and then I went to the Cyr-Farrell Boxing Gym after work. Got there at about 630pm with a new mouthguard in case I got an opportunity to spar with someone. And, oh, did I got an opportunity to spar!

“Britt” walked into the gym after me. He’s around my age (I’m 33), ALMOST as good lookin’, been boxing for A LOT longer them I have, outweighs me by a over 20lbs, and he’s a commercial roofer. We talked about how he wakes up at 4am to go to work everyday and how tired he is. I know his fiance and his daughter and he’s just an all around hard working, good dude.  My trainer, Jimmy Farrell Jr, calls him “The Strongest Man in America.”  This guy can hit… hard.  So, imagine my JOY when Jimmy said, “Hey, you guys good for a little light sparring?”

Oh, boy.

So, we warm up.  I hit the heavy bag, he jumps rope.  I hit the speed bag, he shadow boxes.  “We’ll go light!  Work on blocking, etc.”, we say to each other.  Oh, by the way, I am completely excited about how well I can hit that speed bag.  For 2-3 weeks of training, I can hit that bag like Rocky Balboa… when Rocky Balboa was 9 years old… which is still pretty awesome.

We get geared up with headgear/mouthpieces/gloves and we hit the ring.

ROUND 1:

We start out kind of light.  We exchange a few shots to get our adrenaline pumping.  He hits me hard enough that I go on auto-pilot (which seems to be my M.O.) and we up the pace pretty quickly. I chase him with my jab, but damn the guy can move!  We exchange a few shots and I realize I have to sneak under his reach to get to the inside to do any damage.  So, I take my body down low and pop up close to him to drop a left hook… but, I come up fast and I hit his elbow.  He pauses because he cracked his elbow on my head pretty hard and had to make sure we were all good.  But, it’s all good and we continue.  We swap more shots and he gets me with a body shot right below my heart that still hurts as I type this.  A beautiful straight right hand.  I back up and dance a little saying, “Damn, that’s a good punch!” But, I drop right back down to sneak inside with that left hook again and AGAIN, his elbow and my head meet.  This one’s a little harder, but not a big deal.  He rubs his elbow again to shake it off.  Light sparring, my ass.

Boxing with this guy is DEFINITELY teaching me how to be a better fighter.  I’m huffing and puffing and before Round 2 we talk about how we both need better cardio.  But, Jimmy comes out all excited and says, “HOLY SHIT, Mike!  He hit you with a straight right hand right on your chin and it didn’t phase you, AT ALL!!!  OH MY GOD!” I know he hit me, but when you’re fighting on auto-pilot remembering what happened is harder than it sounds.  I don’t remember that particular shot.  But, it’s good to know that I’m not easily knocked out!

ROUND 2:

Again, we exchange some shots, he evades my left jab like a Cobra Snake!  And he hits me right below the heart, AGAIN!  It’s an awesome punch, and the only punch I’ve been hit with that actually hurts, so I ask him, “Show me how you throw that.”  He walks me through the punch… and he stops.  He looks at my neck and says, “Man, what is that?!”

Me:  “What?”

Britt:  “Your neck.  Is that blood?”

I thought my headgear might have cut my neck a little.  I jump out of the ring and Jimmy and some of the guys see that my shirt, head, and neck are all bloody.  Turns out one of Britt’s accidental elbows to my head gave me a gorgeous 2 inch cut on my scalp.

Me:  “How bad is it?!”

Jimmy:  “It’s looks like a tiny p*ssy!”

Jimmy. Haha.  I love this guy.  So, glad I met him.  I pack edmy bag and got up to Quincy Medical Center’s Emergency Room where they have a POLICE OFFICER checking people in.  You know your city is a little rough when a Cop has to check people into the hospital.  There was an older lady waiting to be seen and she said, “Honey, SIT DOWN, you’re bleeding.  Keep some pressure on that wound!”

Me:  “I’m okay.  I’ll be fine.”

Old Lady:  “I don’t care!  Keep some pressure on it and SIT DOWN!”

Me: (Smiling) “Yes, Ma’am!”

I was in and out in less than an hour.  They had to use stitches instead of staples because “the cut was too swollen to staple.”

Some people might say, “Why are you still doing this?  What’s the point?!”  The point is that while I may get a few very minor injuries, this particular M7 Challenge is important to me.  I love a great challenge, I’m having an absolutely great time, and I’m meeting a lot of interesting/great people.  I could be sitting at home, watching TV, relaxing, doing nothing… but what’s the fun in that?  I’d rather live actively… I’d rather make my life worth reading about.

This morning I hit the gym for a solid strength training and cardio session.  Life is an adventure.

Be Great,

M7