The Sauna

A window was open and the fan was on, but it was like a sauna in the gym.  "You could lose a few pounds in here by sweating," I told Anthony, and he agreed.  "It does feel a little better in here with a window open," he said, but it was downright steamy in the place.  Anthony sparred with Ralphie, and the both of them seemed worn out between rounds.  It had to be the heat.

I was up for sparring, but neither Shay or Evangelina wanted to do so.  Evangelina said she was sore from the last time.  She also is training for a marathon, and that compounded the pain she was already feeling.  I pulled out my punch mitts and worked on bobbing and weaving with the both of them. 

The results from the National Boxing Championships in Colorado were posted this morning on the Internet.  I learned that JJ lost by decision to an opponent.  That's gotta be frustrating for him.  The option for him to go pro is still wide open, however.

Yesterday, I got a workout in at church.  There's a youth group visiting from an Indiana church.  The Indiana associate pastor, Aaron, used to help with the youth at our church.  They were helping Virginia with arranging and folding clothes for the food/clothes pantry in the gym.  "Don't worry, I only need a corner to shadow box," I told them.  One of the girls who regularly attends our church, Jaszyln, was pleased when I played "I Want You Back" by The Jackson Five.  "Can I turn this up?  I love this song," she said.  I heard her singing along when "ABC" played a little while later.  Jaszyln is thirteen years old, and I was impressed that she knew those 40 year old songs. 

Pastor Roger walked into the gym briefly, saw me, gave a small smile and walked back out.  He had told the Indiana youth group that they might see me working out in the gym.  When the hour was up, one of the girls in the youth group -- Whitney -- said, "Aw, you're not taking the music from us are you?"  Christy, Aaron's wife, commented, "The music was really energetic!"  I was being real mindful of what I was playing.  "RUN DMC's Greatest Hits" got some play, too, but I had to skip some songs that I thought might have offended people.  It was hot in the church gym, but not as hot as the gym at Loyola Park.