People often develop strong opinions about things that come in contact with the body. You don’t need to be an elite athlete to have a favourite brand of running shoes or bicycle. When I started journalling I noticed that my hand tired less quickly in my fancy Moleskine journal than when I used cheapo binder paper. Circus training means using equipment provided by the studio. Professionals may have their own apparatus, but part of being a student means learning to adjust to what is available.
Of course I have a favourite aerial hoop at Cirque-ability. When I started classes last year I dreaded the days when it wasn’t available and I had to train on ‘the other one’. The tippy single point one with a smaller pipe circumference that hurt my hands and dug into my soft parts even more than the larger stable double point. With more experience under my belt I still prefer to use the one I’m most familiar with, but mentally I try to welcome the opportunity to stretch out of my comfort zone. Physically, however, it guarantees a world of hurt. I was on a completely different hoop yesterday and today I’m dragging my bruised self around. This new smaller double point with short ropes and padded taping that was awesome for grip, but pulled at my clothes has left me with the same sort of full body ache I remember after every single class in the early weeks of training. A good sign that I learned something new, but I’ll be happy to see old faithful back up next week.
Slothing out this morning was incredibly tempting, but I’ve unfortunately found running and foam rollering to be more effective weapons against impending activity induced rigor mortis. I run turtle slow under the best circumstances, but the rhythmic movement seems to help everything loosen up. I’ll probably be passed out by 10pm tonight, but Friday night outings haven’t been a part of my regular lifestyle for quite some time anyway.
