Jab jab. Cross. Jab. Hook.

Ana continued the light skip on her toes, bouncing lightly to keep her momentum going. She stepped in and let loose a flurry of punches. The air whiffed from the speed and pressure of her movements.

Ana had recently started studying boxing and thought it was worth learning a few techniques. Boxers weren't uncommon pit fighters. They came looking for even greater challenges than the ring could provide. They were a little too specialized to be truly common in the pits, but few people could hit harder than they could. The power behind a boxer's fist was not to be taken lightly. Ana had, had her jaw broken by underestimating a boxer once. But it was only once.

Jab. Jab. Hook. Jab. Jab. Cross hook.

It was so hard for her to resist throwing in a few kicks and other techniques. But that was not the point of today's exercise. She was focusing on boxing for today. Her feet needed to be focused on foot work. Step lightly, move quickly.

No. Faster. She needed to be faster.

It would have been a simple matter to take off the weights she'd been wearing. But that would be cheating. She needed to get this speed down with the weights. Ana wouldn't accept anything less.

Ana tightened her guard and began weaving her head in a defensive posture like she had seen before. It was the best she could do from imitation. Then she dashed in and set about with another combination of punches. Her punches were sharp, and they were tight. But something was missing. They didn't make the same sound as the punches from the boxers in the pits. What was she missing?

Ana ended the sequence with one last punch. The attack had been so powerful, the wind pressure kicked up some of the grass in the field around her. Sweat trickled down into Ana's eyes. She blinked and then wiped the sweat away with her weighted sweat band. Sweat covered her body in a light sheen from the work out.

Ana sighed and moved to the small pack she had brought with her. It contained enough food for her afternoon and evening meals, and several bottles of water. Ana took the first one and cracked the seal. The water was so clean it was practically sweet. Ana took a grateful swig. She may be reckless in combat, risking injury. But she was a bit more responsible in her training. She took breaks, stayed hydrated, and was careful not to overwork herself....most of the time.

Ana screwed the cap back on, and then packed the water away. She then pulled out her cell phone, and took a look at the time. She still had several hours before dark. She could probably get a decent run in before she needed to return to town. And even if she didn't make it back before dark, it wasn't like she couldn't just hunker down and camp out if need be... Ana packed away her cellphone and then shrugged on the pack. She shifted her shoulders making sure it settled comfortably, then she took off at a run.

One could never do too much cardio. It was the best way to keep up one’s stamina. Ana ran everyday, or barring that, she skipped rope. Skipping rope was an excellent way of doing cardio while remaining in one place. Ana made her way to the nearest river bank. One with a more sandy shore line. There her toes sank deeper into the sand, and required extra strength to push off. It was a great way to train your toes, and to give yourself the slightest boost to your dashing speed.

And in combat even the slightest boost could make all the difference.

Ana could feel the difference in effort almost immediately, the running taking extra work to kick her through the sand.


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