In 2001 I not only did something I thought impossible, I did it twice.

When I began studying martial arts over five years ago, the idea of getting a brown belt in kung fu was so far out there, it was ludicrous. I wasn't particularly athletic and I certainly didn't enjoy exercise for its own sake. I had tried various forms of exercise in the past: running, Nordic Track, yoga - but I didn't stick with any of them for very long (though I still have the Nordic Track machine). When one of my girlfriends asked if I would take kung fu with her, back in May of 1996, I almost said no. I was such a "powder-puff" starting out, that a few people thought I would never make it to green belt. But I did it. I earned my green belt in 1999. Brown belt was the next step.

The brown belt test is 5-6 hours of continuous physical activity: constant aerobic movement punctuated by bursts of explosive energy. There is no eating, no drinking and certainly no resting. It's a very impressive thing to watch and more than a little intimidating. My instructor worked on me for months trying to convince me I could do this. No way, I thought. But kung fu instructors are not put off so easily. They are underhanded and devious and used to getting their way.

I was signed up to be a helper at a kung fu test in March. My instructor told me that there would be change in format from previous tests and I would need to commit to being there all day. Of course, I would, I said. Little did I know what he had in store for me, as well as a few other people who were similarly reluctant to test for rank.

For the first couple hours of the test we assisted with the test, as instructed by the board of black belt judges. Then, one at a time, three of us were kept on the testing floor and instructed to do the test activities. It took awhile to realize we were now testing. I went through something similar to the stages of grief. At first I thought it was a joke and kept expecting the judging board to return us to being helpers. Then I rationalized it; this wasn't so bad. I had been worried whether I could do the physically demanding brown sash test. Then I got mad. Really mad. I kept thinking what would happen if I just walked off the floor. I could never come back. Denial played a big part that day: I knew I was screwing things up, but I didn't care, I wasn't testing. Finally, I bargained. They better at least promote me to green-brown for this.

Right up to the end I wasn't sure whether we were really testing or just being "tested". I wouldn't have been surprised if the judging board had just said, thanks, you can leave the floor now. But they didn't. It turned out were really being tested and I did get promoted to green-brown. Well that wasn't so bad. I not only did the brown belt test, I did it without any special preparation. I thought, I'll just get back on that horse and ride. I trained hard and consistently for the next few months. I drilled my basics and ran stairs to build up endurance.

In August I tested for brown belt again. Even though I had done the test only a few months before, I was still nervous. It was a relatively short test, lasting about five hours, with three of us testing for brown belt, but it was intense nonetheless. Five hours of constant activity, no rest, no mercy.

The highlight of any brown belt test is continuous multi-person attacks. They seem to go on forever and the attackers keep coming back to life. The judging board always has some dirty trick up its collective sleeve, too. When my turn came they set a brown-black belt on me. He gutted me as hard as he could, nearly doubling me over.

But I was prepared. I kiaied with every ounce of determination and strength I could muster. I pushed my energy and breath out, shouting "DOHS" from deep in my abdomen, right in my attackers' faces, and kept moving. I had to kiai four times until I could fully breathe again. I came back stronger than before.

The test was over sooner than I expected, just as the sun came out. A few hours later, the board returned from their deliberations. I was promoted to the rank of brown belt.