Parkour athletes care about their own safety much more than any bystanders could. And it’s not because we fear pain, or because we are excessively scrupulous in observing the proper way of doing things.

We are overly concerned with our own safety because one minor injury can take Parkour away from us for three months.

At the moment I injured my ankle, nearly 4 weeks ago, I had a level of fitness that is now lost to me. It will take me two more weeks to fully heal this one body part, but that’s not the biggest problem. After a month, my body has atrophied back into average shape.

Parkour is a discipline that requires an elite level of fitness. When I first found Parkour, I spent three months training with P90X every morning to whip my body into shape. Without an exceptional level of fitness, and a dedication to your own health and corporal integrity, Parkour is simply undoable.

The endurance, core strength, and balance required to fluidly move in an environment is only to be had by continual training, every day.

One injury has kept me from training. Now that I can walk again, I have lost my ability to fly.

So, next week: it’s back to the gym at 6 am. Every day.