Ring Talk Episode 5: The Comeback!

This comeback story is not about coming back after a loss in the ring but more so after a victory post pandemic.  A victory that screams “I’m back” and ready to rumble!  This might be my version and sharing just one aspect of my life, but it’s for all of us.  We’ve all been affected in more ways than one the last 18+ months and many are making a comeback – be in back to school, work, opening businesses back up, maybe starting new businesses and journeys and in my case, back to a passion that comes from deep within.

Getting back to training inside the gym with my team was one major milestone and then back into the ring sparring after Covid was a moment or in my case, I made it a personal event!  It was a vibe that I felt deep inside of me, and it vibrated off the people around me.  Some of the team expressed verbally and others didn’t have to.  I could tell.  I shouted out my excitement.  Of course, I shouted out my excitement! My gear was packed for days and I went to bed extra early the night before.  It was a beautiful morning.

Was it easy?  Nope.  Was I rusty?  Yup!  I didn’t care about the ring rust.  I anticipated it, mentally prepared for it and the goal for that first day back – be present, stay present and focus on myself – I checked all the boxes and there’s nothing like personal victories am I right!?  It took a few rounds for me to get into a groove, find my footing and movement but once I did, it was pure fun.  It was just good to be back doing what I missed so much.

Was I ready to get back to it?

I was determined to be ready when the time came so Covid training was thing at my house.  The intensity slowed down here and there and for change of pace  I signed up for a half marathon in June 2021, so some training adjustments had to be made.  A couple of injuries resulted in a few setbacks, but I kept moving.  Thing is, sparring and that “boxing grind” is not the same when you’re 100% solo.  In competition it’s you who is doing the fighting, but you still have a corner.  In the gym you focus on yourself, but you still have a team and you’re training with your team most days too.  There is debate on whether boxing is a team or individual sport but that could be another topic to dig into.  We were fortunate to have access to our coaches and teams virtually and I took full advantage and when I realized that COVID was not going to be a two-month thing, I made a mental note to not overtrain and THAT was hard to stick to but with no fights on the horizon, I think it was a smart move.

I will say that this pandemic took its toll on me.  Mostly early days.  That uncertainty, the unknown, getting sucked into social media and the news.  So damn tiring and mentally draining – I’m sure many can relate.  I don’t believe our brains were created to be in a state of emergency long-term you know?  While it didn’t last too long as I shook it off and went into to self-coaching mode, it was still hard mentally and emotionally.  Still, I went into it with my 3-Ps: a plan, with passion and purpose.

First – movement every day.  This was and still is non-negotiable.  I chose yoga in the morning given my mental state at the time.  I thought it would help calm from the inside and it certainly did.  I started with a 30-day challenge to ensure consistency and slowly added in short meditation sessions to compliment.  First thing in the morning, that was what I gave my body because that is what I felt it needed and over the course of the first 30 days, I felt changes happening both mind and body.  The way I felt and moved in other disciplines and the way I talked to myself.  I liked it.  Yoga is not new to me, but I think the commitment and consistency hit differently and with 30-45 minutes a day it felt like a pseudo immersive experience that I was giving myself.  I felt so good that I kept adding additional 30-day challenges.  Yoga with Adrienne (YouTube) is what I practiced to, and I still do about 2-3 per week.

Second – keep working at my craft.  This included running, strength training and of course boxing.  Between my home gym, coaching virtual classes and all the Kingsway Boxing Club offerings, I got some good, consistent work in.

Grind in my basement home gym.

Some need a class or a coach, or even both but at the end of the day, it is really up to us to do the work and even for someone who is self-motivated and disciplined, it became a struggle for me at one point.  When that second lockdown came, it sucked.  There were days when I just didn’t want to do it. Period.  It just made me sad and in those moments,  I found that going back to the basics is what pulled me back out.  Refining my punches and movement through repetition.  Working on agility and speed drills.  Adding sprints to runs and switching up the grind by joining online classes with other coaches.  The whole experience was and still is a reminder that I am human.

I also planned and tracked everything.  What I was going to do and checked off what I did.  I have been keeping training journals since 2013 and these notebooks I had everywhere inspired me to create a version that I’ve been selling on both Amazon and Etsy the last few months.  I felt I needed to share the value and benefits of having a training journal/fitness journal with everyone!

Fast forward.  The gym opened back up.  Fast forward some more.  We’re back to training the way we were before COVID.  My most recent sparring session I finally felt like I was back!  Patient, focused, sharp and I was fast.  No wait, I’m still fast!  I focused on me and learnt from what was coming at me.  It was a happy morning indeed and I can’t wait to see and experience more growth and development within myself as a boxer but also as a human.

If the pandemic has taught me anything – in addition to the fact that I’m human and can feel and be affected – is that we’re way more resilient than we think we can ever be.  In the same breath I will include that we should listen to our gut, our intuition, our bodies and that voice in the back of our heads letting us know we need a time out.  Rest days and extra rest days doesn’t mean we’re weak and certainly doesn’t mean we’re going lose our skills.  It means we are smart enough to know that rest and recovery is just as essential as being a beast or a badass the rest of the time.  In fact, you’ll add to your badassery after good rest!

So, congratulations to everyone who waited to be back in the ring – whatever your “ring” is – and to everyone who pushed and struggled through the pandemic!  We’re back baby!