So, after the ankle healed pretty well, I decided to give karate another shot. I went back to class the day of the test where I earned my last stripe to be eligible for my black belt training and test. I passed (woohoo!) and was really excited. I bought martial arts shoes so I could use my orthotics during classes to keep my ankle healthy. It was perfect! My ankle was not (and has not been) a problem. Yay!
Except for the part where I injured my knee. It was incredibly uncomfortable and very swollen. I iced it, took ibuprofen and also took time off from classes and working out in hopes it would heal, but it wasn't really getting any better. My doctor sent me to physical therapy to diagnose and treat it since the x-ray came back fine. My awesome therapist (named Greg) evaluated it and determined that I had injured my ACL. Not awesome! He also told me that karate was not an option. I wasn't "stable" to go up and down stairs without a big old knee brace on, let alone stand on one leg while kicking around with the other.
So, the week that I would have been starting my Black Belt Candidate class I found out that I was no longer able to do it. I was so disappointed.
The good news is that Tim and the kids are preparing for their Black Belt test--which is only three weeks away! They've been working hard and practicing pretty much every day. I'm so proud of what they've done so far and how well I know they'll do on their tests. It's the one time I'll be living vicariously through them all!
I will "test" on the one thing I can do on the black belt test--push ups! So, I have continued training for that. And three days ago--for the first time ever for me--I did all 75 push ups! Now I just have to keep up my workouts and stay ready for it!!
