After a good night's sleep I woke up feeling pretty good. That is, until I tried to walk. Standing was fine, but stepping forward pulled on my calf muscles which did not want to stretch in the least. Normally that feeling goes away after a few minutes, but not this time, and I was still sore as I hobbled into work.
I work sitting down most of the time, but I get up and move around enough to notice just how sore and tight my calves felt. About mid-day I took some ibuprofen, as much for the anti-inflammatory effect as to dampen the ache. One or the other helped, and I felt stiff but not prohibitively so when I got to my class at the old studio.
The studio director really isn't a ballet type, but she oohed and aahed politely over Merrill Ashley's book and pointe shoes. Candace, though, is a ballet type, and she lit up like a birthday candle when she saw them. She commented, "oh, look... she burned the satin off the toes for better traction." I said I thought she'd cut the satin, as it's a very clean edge, and she said, "You start by burning it so that it doesn't fray, then you trim it to be neat." I'll take her word for it for now, and I'll look more closely this weekend. Maybe I'll get some high-res photos of the tips and someone who knows more than I do can comment. Hint... hint...
Then we started barre work. For some reason I was the only regular to show up. A new student showed up; yet another who took ballet from age 3 to early teens, and hasn't had a class in 20-mumble years. Candace's barre routine is different from Caitlin's, and we devoted a good bit of time to stretching (I'd explained my situation, so that may have had something to do with it). We didn't do anything strenuous, and it was a good class. As much as I like Caitlin as a person, I prefer Candace when it comes to ballet. It's a shame the class she'll be teaching regularly is late morning Fridays.
Leaving class I was still sore, but not any worse than earlier. This morning, though, was rough. It's felt like I have two big knots where the upper and lower calf muscles join, though it's not particularly hard to the touch. Sitting and standing it's just a mild annoyance, but walking is hard and stairs are a strain. I don't have anything particularly energetic planned for this weekend, and I'm hoping I can stretch things out a bit. Maybe I'll make an effort to get to yoga Monday evening.
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