Day -11

I bet many of you are wondering why boxing? Great question really. I've always enjoyed watching Olympic boxing, but never thought much of professional boxing. Sure I jumped on the Laila Ail bandwagon and yes I remember some of those classic old fights like "Thriller in Manila" and the Duran vs. Leonard fights, but a fan of the sport? Not really. As a sport boxing has been around since ancient times and it's interesting to be engaging in something the ancient Romans and Greeks did, but probably not the women....

So on that first winter afternoon, my first time in the gym, hands wrapped up and stuffed inside some nasty stinky old boxing gloves, up in the ring, striking the pads as Terri told me what to do, I was transformed. I'd arrived at the club, full of anger over some personal life drama, simply wanting to knock the crap out of the bags. I quickly realized boxing is not about getting your anger out. To be done correctly, boxing requires extreme mental focus.

So, on that first day I hear Terri say jab and right and I tried my best to throw those punches. Let's just say getting me to the point where I could throw a straight right and a good jab- well it took some time. This isn't just about hitting something but instead a sport filled with technique and learning how your body needs to move when throwing those punches. I am a natural athlete and this is the first sport that didn't just come to me. Oh and when I heard Terri exclaim "you punch like a girl" well that is truly one of the biggest insults one can hear!

After that first class I was hooked. Fitness boxing was something I would incorporate into my fitness regimen 3 days a week while still doing some of the other things I enjoyed like spin class and lifting. Some days I would arrive early and watch Terri's amateurs and her pro Jackie Breitenstein workout in the class before the fitness class. Back in those early days I was still only looking at this from a fitness perspective, but that all changed in late March.

Day -12

That first day. I saw a very nondescript black and white sign that reads "BOXING" and turned into the alley. The club sits at the end of an alley behind a doggy day care. Basically it looks like an old mechanic shop from the outside. I could hear the pulsing sounds of jazz playing inside- loudly. I had no idea what I was going to find when I walked through that door. It was awesome....and intimidating!

Day -13

Welcome to my blog and follow me as I prepare for my first amateur boxing match at the Atlanta Corporate Fight Night taking place October 21st 2010.

My journey to get to the weigh-in and get into the ring will be a hard one but I'm gonna make it and I hope you all provide encouragement and support along the way! It's 13 days before the start of training camp and I already have some pretty serious goals of where I want to be come that first training camp weigh-in.

Why boxing? It all started when a friend and I bought gloves and would just horse around in my living room or her basement and throw punches at one another. It was a good laugh and actually a pretty good workout. Of course there were also many many games of Wii Boxing... all my friends have seen my style there...LOL! This gave me the idea "why not do this for real as part of my workout?"

Last summer while wandering around the Decatur Square at an event I saw Terri Moss and some young boy sparing. She had cards about the Decatur Boxing Club, their workouts, etc. I took a card and it stayed in my truck until this past winter when I found it again and finally got up the courage to call. I figured this would be a great way to shake up my workout and get me through the winter months when riding outside was just not possible and the Y was just growing old.

I showed up one day in mid January. I walked into the club, walked up and introduced myself to Terri and she told me to fill out a waiver and said "Wrap your hands and grab a rope." I had no idea what "wrap your hands" meant and this is really where my journey all began. Stay tuned as I share about my experiences in these days leading up to training camp which starts August 9th.