…pronounced “hh-ugh-ah!” You know, that grunting sound you make in triumph after accomplishing some testosteroney task, especially one that involves physical agility. I don’t know how to spell that sound. “Hugh!” looks like Hugh Grant or Hugh Hefner. “Huh!” looks like, “Huh? Wha-?”

Anyway, after jujitsu tonight, four of us went to a nearby college track to go running. They only wanted to do 2 miles, which was great, because the short run almost killed me. I had to check between my ankles to make sure my uterus hadn’t fallen out. I cramped up so badly, I’m hoping that I’m gonna get my period early this month. Presently it appears to be “scheduled” to arrive mid-way through my Hawaii trip. Why does that always happen? No matter when we plan a vacation, we’re gonna be on our period during it.

And then after the run, the most physically fit of us, a green belt named Gerardo, waved us over to “the wall.” He ran lightly up to the cement brick wall, ran halfway up it, and pulled himself over, landing neatly on his feet on the other side. And then it dawned on me. “Is this a six-foot wall?” I guess Josh, who is in the running for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, needs to be able to scale a 6-foot wall to pass the physical exam. Coincidentally, it was about a month ago that I mentioned to Mr. W, “Do you think I could climb over a 6-foot wall?” I don’t remember what he answered, but I don’t remember being mad at him either, so he probably responded affirmatively. Gerardo explained the mechanics, and Josh did it on his first try. Jackie was able to leap up and hang onto the top of the wall with her hands, but couldn’t bring herself up and over. On my first run, I realized as I approached the wall that I could not see it in the darkness. I had no idea how close I was to the wall, and I perhaps jumped wrong, smacking my wrists onto the upper edge of the wall. I wasn’t getting anywhere that way. I tried again, and realized I’d jumped too early when my feet didn’t make contact with the wall on my attempt to run up its side. Jackie was totally motivated, and managed at one point to jump straight up from a standstill, then get up enough to swing her right ankle up to the side and over, and pull herself up with her foot. “Women’s lower bodies are stronger than their upper bodies, so as long as you can get a leg up, you can pull yourself up,” Josh tipped. I finally walked up to the wall, took a vertical jump to get an elbow past the top, and pulled myself up with my upper body strength. Once high enough, I put a knee up and was over. I did it twice! “I’m so surprised, you made it look so easy!” Josh said, giving me a big hug. He said at the sheriff’s obstacle course over the weekend, when it was open to practice, the women who were trying to scale the wall spent an hour being counseled and directed by the sheriff trainers, and one of them even looked like a fitness instructor, they were ALL taller than me (I’m pretty dang short at 5’2″), and none of them managed to do it.

HWAH!