Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 4

According to my research, excelling at the sweet science lies not just in how well one boxes, but also in their cardiovascular fitness, or what Dash calls their Cardio. As she puts it, “If your Cardio sucks, you’re practically wearing a ‘punch me’ sign the longer you can’t knock ‘em out and allow them to tire you out,” thus why she stresses me getting my own up to snuff. To me, that should make running, jumping rope and other Cardio building exercises top priority, but Dash says, “That final leg, where the only thing you’re running on is fumes and moxie, that’s when you need your Cardio most, and that’s why you gotta learn how to fight through your own body telling you it’s time to quit.”

That much stayed with me the whole week of training, urging me on every time I hit a wall. Every time Dash set a new max weight, every time my muscles tightened up on me, every time running or my time jumping rope spread out my aches, a voice inside me kept asking, “Do you wanna quit?” Each time I heard it, I found my answer in Dash’s eyes and kept moving forward, no matter how badly I wanted to say yes. Perhaps that's why Dash said she wanted to show me something special at the end of the week; in order to get it, however, I had to challenge her to a race at the Ponyville Track.

When I got there the next morning, I discovered that not only were my trainers there, but so were Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, each of them lounging in the bleachers while they knocked back a cold one(Sweet Apple Acres brand, naturally). As they looked on, Dash threw down the gauntlet: 100m race to the finish, and if I wanted to accept, all I had to do was get in the starting blocks. I knew well how much of an edge Dash had, but something inside me wanted to let Applejack see what I could do, so I got in the blocks and waited for Pinkie to fire her portable party cannon. The fire in my soul burned stronger and stronger as I heard her say, “Ready!..Set!..”

The moment the cannon let out its pop, I pumped my legs as hard as my body allowed. My lungs were on fire, my sides felt like pincushions being pricked with each stride, my mouth was gulping down air, all of it in an effort to finish first and validate that month of toil and troubles. My eyes were locked in on the goal just ahead, that focus showing that not only was Dash pulling away, but also already in the final 1/4th of the race. Running backwards. With her hands behind her back. By the time I got there, I only had enough energy to take a knee and catch my breath, fresh in my mind the fact that everything I had to give couldn't even let me keep pace. Before I could get too deep in a funk, though, Dash tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a bottle of grape Pegasaid, a smile on her face as she said, “You did good, Twi.” She then motioned for me to follow her, leading me behind the bleachers and to that special something she promised, which, for some reason, involved a Rickshaw and her suiting up in a Wonderbolts-esque flight uniform, a Carabiner hanging on each side.

I got on board and asked her why she was hooking herself up to the vehicle, to which she said, “Because it's aerial tour time, Twi! Not only did you train all this week to go against your body telling you to quit, you also told your brain to shut it. Besides, what were you expecting, a make-out session?” When she took flight, I realized that, in comparing my capabilities and hers, I knew I had no chance in Tartarus at ever beating her. Despite that, when it came time to either take her on or walk away, that solid month investment of blood, sweat and tears instilled in me that if I gave it all I had, maybe there was a chance I could match or even beat the best athlete in the land. The reality, of course, was soul crushingly different, with Dash saying, “That’s what the folks in Las Pegasus call ‘rolling the dice,’ and that’s what’ll let you do things you never thought you could, even if, sometimes, you’re unlucky enough to hit Snake Eyes.”

As she gave me her amazing aerial tour of Equestria, that sentiment rolled around in my thoughts, more so as the wind flowed through my hair and we flew through Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, even Canterlot-where I believe I caught a glimpse of the Princess and Luna playing some 3s on a movie screen. This month of training, alone, has made me much stronger, faster and more resilient than I've ever been; I've even had to start buying belts and looking for new clothes because of how much the training has trimmed away. Admittedly, I accepted the fight against Applejack on impulse, but if I can come this far in just a month's time, I can only wonder what changes await me by the time fight night rolls around. Although there's no way I'll ever take Dash in a contest of speed, with the progress I'm making, I'm sure I'll be able to go the distance with Applejack. Who knows? Maybe this training will give the kind of Pinkie Sense I need to win by more than just the judge's scorecards.

Progress for the Month: When I see myself in the mirror, I'm seeing muscle definition I never had before! I can see the outline of abs on my stomach! My biceps have a shape other than cylindrical! I caught a book that was falling on my head right out of the air! Exciting times, these

Progress for the Week: My Max Weight went up to 105! Still about 15 shy of the average, but still a fairly big jump from where I started. Hope to go much further before fight night!

Goal for Next Week: Cut down my 100m time and actually win a race against someone. Maybe Pinkie? From what I saw after my loss, she seems fast on her feet. Surprising, for someone who's diet looks like it's mostly cupcake-oriented

Song of the Moment: Bodyrock, by Moby
I heard this during my drills, and it's quickly become one of my favorite tunes to jam when I need to get into a deep focus, like in my runs, or when I do research into spells and the techniques of great pugilists in the sport

Author's Note

Next week, a special guest joins Twilight and her trainers in the gym, someone who's also been one of Rainbow Dash's biggest admirers. What will Twilight learn from her? How will they get along, when this person gets her first taste of Rainbow Dash's style of training? These answers and more await in the next edition of Twilight's Workout Journal. Don't miss it!