Fitness Training
Feb 3, 2014 17:24:15 GMT -7
Post by Kyoya Naotora on Feb 3, 2014 17:24:15 GMT -7
With men and women in the camp seeming to slack off lately, Lord Date has decreed that all soldiers participate in a fitness exercise that he would oversee himself. Naotora liked the idea, herself, and was more than willing to go through with the regimen, even given the weather. In fact, she loved the idea of the challenge; she could prove, once more, that she was more capable for this sort of work than any other samurai here. The best part was she could prove this in the presence of Lord Date.
The woman dressed warmly and conservatively, hiding her features, though this was only due to the cold and the rain. She figured, over time, the water would weigh her down, but it was much better than her muscles freezing up and being incapable of processing how she wanted them to.
All of the soldiers in the camp lined up just outside the walls, and they waited, the rain beating down on them. Lord Date gave them some speech and, as soon as he was done, a single musket fired into the air to signal the race had begun. All of the soldiers took off, and not a single one wanted to get left behind. And with the rain only building, they wanted to run through as little of the thick mud as they could. The more it rained, the stickier and thick the mud would get.
Naotora kept a good pace the entire time, not trying to go too fast, so as to avoid wasting all of her energy in the beginning. Ten laps around a very large camp, in these harsh conditions, would certainly wear down anyone, no matter their strength. Sprinting from the get-go was a mistake half the men made, cramping up less than halfway through and having to stop and slow down, letting those who started off slower pass them. Naotora was one of the ones who had gained a lead in the later laps, and she was able to hold it from there.
As the laps continued, Naotora's kimono became heavy, weighed down profusely by the excessive rain that poured down on her. Her hair began to get in her way, her sandals were tearing apart in the thick mud, and her hakama were wearing down her legs, inhibiting her speed. To maintain a decent pace, she had to push her muscles even harder, which she countered with proper breathing exercises. These kept the cramps from hitting her, but her muscles began to ache even faster.
Three hours had passed, and the woman had successfully completed all of her laps. Her breathing was heavy and her chest ached, but she still had two more trials to complete. Trudging into the camp, she opted to rest for a moment before proceeding to the push-ups.
After a half-hour of rest, Naotora began her push-ups. Thankfully, after using a ball and chain for as long as she had, her arms were strong enough that she could go through this task without stopping. She only needed to go slow, give herself some rest when arms really began to burn. Ten minutes was all the time she would take here, though by the end of it her arms felt like noodles. Noodles that were on fire.
The last task was that of the sit-ups. Normally, the girl would be able to do 200 of them in a single go, but her muscles were already aching horribly from the run, and she wasn't sure if she could manage it. She laid on her back in the mud and began, only able to get twenty done before her muscles seized up and she needed to stop. She grunted, relaxing her body, but she didn't rest for long. Two minutes, and she proceeded with another twenty. Repeat.
In total, the sit-ups would have taken about thirty minutes, but the rest she'd taken between each of the tasks added up to another two hours, and then the three hour run. Despite being so tired, she set a damn good record there. She was more "Samurai" than just about everyone she fought alongside.
The woman dressed warmly and conservatively, hiding her features, though this was only due to the cold and the rain. She figured, over time, the water would weigh her down, but it was much better than her muscles freezing up and being incapable of processing how she wanted them to.
All of the soldiers in the camp lined up just outside the walls, and they waited, the rain beating down on them. Lord Date gave them some speech and, as soon as he was done, a single musket fired into the air to signal the race had begun. All of the soldiers took off, and not a single one wanted to get left behind. And with the rain only building, they wanted to run through as little of the thick mud as they could. The more it rained, the stickier and thick the mud would get.
Naotora kept a good pace the entire time, not trying to go too fast, so as to avoid wasting all of her energy in the beginning. Ten laps around a very large camp, in these harsh conditions, would certainly wear down anyone, no matter their strength. Sprinting from the get-go was a mistake half the men made, cramping up less than halfway through and having to stop and slow down, letting those who started off slower pass them. Naotora was one of the ones who had gained a lead in the later laps, and she was able to hold it from there.
As the laps continued, Naotora's kimono became heavy, weighed down profusely by the excessive rain that poured down on her. Her hair began to get in her way, her sandals were tearing apart in the thick mud, and her hakama were wearing down her legs, inhibiting her speed. To maintain a decent pace, she had to push her muscles even harder, which she countered with proper breathing exercises. These kept the cramps from hitting her, but her muscles began to ache even faster.
Three hours had passed, and the woman had successfully completed all of her laps. Her breathing was heavy and her chest ached, but she still had two more trials to complete. Trudging into the camp, she opted to rest for a moment before proceeding to the push-ups.
After a half-hour of rest, Naotora began her push-ups. Thankfully, after using a ball and chain for as long as she had, her arms were strong enough that she could go through this task without stopping. She only needed to go slow, give herself some rest when arms really began to burn. Ten minutes was all the time she would take here, though by the end of it her arms felt like noodles. Noodles that were on fire.
The last task was that of the sit-ups. Normally, the girl would be able to do 200 of them in a single go, but her muscles were already aching horribly from the run, and she wasn't sure if she could manage it. She laid on her back in the mud and began, only able to get twenty done before her muscles seized up and she needed to stop. She grunted, relaxing her body, but she didn't rest for long. Two minutes, and she proceeded with another twenty. Repeat.
In total, the sit-ups would have taken about thirty minutes, but the rest she'd taken between each of the tasks added up to another two hours, and then the three hour run. Despite being so tired, she set a damn good record there. She was more "Samurai" than just about everyone she fought alongside.
