Thursday Night's Alright For Fighting

I went to a MMA gym tonight (that's mixed martial arts for those not in the know). A guy at work, Zach, asked me if I wanted to go to his gym with him to do a little kickboxing. I thought it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Oh, it hurts. It hurts big time! Two and a half hours later, I crawled out. I can't imagine how I'm sore I'm going to be tomorrow.
We started out with kickboxing and then I learned some beginning Jiu Jitsu. I practiced with a woman named Rebbecca who has been training for quite a while. I most likely weighed 40 lbs more than her but she could really hold me down. It was pretty awesome. She was really patient with me and very encouraging. We practiced on each other for about an hour. It felt amazing when I finally got a move down. Everyone there knew I was an amateur but didn't treat me like one. Everyone wanted to know my name and whether or not I was coming back. I think I could really get into this. It might be just what I need to achieve my fitness goals. I desperately want to be lean and strong and healthy. I'm not running the marathon anymore (I know-I'm one week away!), but I'm hobbling after about mile 18 on my long runs. I really wouldn't be able to finish. I can reserve my spot for next year though. I'm really going to work on strengthening my hip so that I'd be able to push through the long runs. But for now I need something else to train for. This might be the ticket. It's something that interests me and I'd be paying alot of money for it, which would ensure my attendance. And don't worry, I'm not actually going to fight anybody. I just want to train like I am. I know there were some concerns. Put your fears aside. I'm too tender-hearted.