Ouch.

Yep, I regret it.

I went to my belt promotion test on Saturday. As expected, I was thoroughly whipped. We started off with 1-minute sparring rounds, progressed to 2-minute rounds, and moved up to 3-minute rounds. At one point, I did back-to-back 3-minute rounds, first against my teacher, and then against the second-degree black belt.

Did I mention I'm promoting to a mere Advanced Green, and only started sparring recently ?

In spite of the thorough and complete arse-whooping at the hands and feet of my teachers, and my need for my asthma inhaler, I passed.

And the very next day, with no time to recover, we went snowboarding. The three of us for the very first time.

All I can say is, wow.

I have been told that snowboarding is a very steep learning curve. It apparently takes going 4 or 5 times before one really gets the hang of it. It is expected that one will fall incessantly the first few days, as it is not like any other sport.

No way, I thought to myself. It can't be that hard. I see kids out there doing it with no problem at all. Miguel has been at it for years. I've always been decently quick at picking up new sports, and besides, I used to ski when I lived in Canada.

Snowboarding should be a breeze. Right ?

Wrong.

It was a disaster. Some will say I did fine for a beginner, but I didn't feel fine. I could barely take the bunny hill in its entirety. I was only mildly competent at turning. And I fell. Over and over again, I fell.

After one particularly hard landing, I started experiencing a persistent pain in my battered hip. So much so that I noticed myself limping when attempting to walk. That was my cue to visit the first aid station and take a painkiller.

And afterwards, I went back out.

I believe the word for this type of insanity is masochism. There is no other way to describe it. I was still feeling the effects of the previous day's ass-kicking, I had battered my hip and behind from the repeated falls, and still went back on the lift for another round. I couldn't waste the trip by sitting around.

And besides, it hurt to sit.

So I went back out.

I tackled the bunny hill again, several times, until one last fall on the same aching hip. Not even the painkiller could touch it. That is when I decided I was done.

And today, I'm paying for it. In spades.

The bruises on my butt are about the size of a silver dollar, but the darkest shade of scarlet-purple I have seen in years. My hip, the one that took the hardest impact, is surprisingly unmarked. And the pain is... well, noticeable.

It hurts to sit here at my desk. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to walk. It hurts to turn my head. Everything hurts right now.

But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Yes, we will go snowboarding again. But not until these bruises heal.

And not on a weekend that I have to go to karate. I've learned my lesson on that.