Asking WHY??

A client walks in with a huge smile on her face.
"Meredith, you will be so proud of me!"  Ah yes, my anticipation of the next sentence was building.  Given her goals and conversations of recent struggles, I figured it had something to do with food/diet habits.
"I decided NOT to do that half marathon in April!"  Say what?!  I was stunned....and proud, yes.  Sounds like a strange interaction between a trainer/client, but this was truly a big moment for her.  Here was a woman who lost over 90 pounds and was at a point where she couldn't figure out the next step in her fitness journey.  Soooo, she mindlessly decided a month ago that "I guess I'll just train for a 1/2 marathon to cross it off my list."  I could tell there was no enthusiasm in her voice, but rather this monotone feeling of obligation or something.  Today was freedom for her.  She was better able to vocalize exactly how she felt about it.  To put it simply, she said it was just something everyone does....you get older, you run or do triathlons.
Ummmm....says who??  And where is this committee of decision makers so I can bust up that cardio-addicted-herd?!
It was an amazing moment of clarity for this woman, and perhaps a lesson for all of us...here goes the profound lesson:  EVERYONE'S JOURNEY IS UNIQUE.  What a cliche statement and yet we often forget its truth.  If you are investing hours and hours into something you genuinely do not want, you might "succeed" in the form of winning, setting a personal record, etc.., BUT its worth will be minimal because its internal value was minimal to begin with.  Guess what?  I've ran 13.1 miles myself.  Yes, this meathead.  But guess what, my sense of accomplishment/satisfaction was about as big as a grain of sand.  It wasn't me.  It wasn't something I worked so hard for and wanted to do with passion and a desire that was self-driven.  I felt more accomplished the day I leg pressed 515 pounds 4 times.
Every now and then we need to step back and ask ourselves why we are pursuing ______.  Because the truth is that we will not give it everything if we are not doing it for ourselves.  Perhaps that sounds selfish to some, but when you're exhausted, mentally beat down, an emotional wreck, and facing one of your toughest training days, no one can tell you where to dig deep and muster up any ounce of desire and determination you have left.  Only you know that place.  Only you can access it. 

For the first time in months I saw this woman trust herself, confidently make a decision contrary to "the norm", and feel empowered by it.  She's now focused on other goals and knows its what SHE wants for her fitness journey.  Very cool moment.


Well, my workout today was only high intensity sprint intervals.  My quads were burning after the warm-up...thank you front squats and leg press from yesterday.  Oh, and I had hill sprints...even better.  I felt myself keeping my core a lot tighter today to keep everything compact and moving as efficiently as possible.  No wasted movement...my God, I needed every ounce of energy to stay on that treadmill.  It was a hard day.  Glad to be done.
After that, I headed to Target to pick up a few things.  I made it to the parking lot.  That was it.  I sat in my car completely immobile.  Ridiculous.  I slept for 45 minutes in the Target parking lot.  Not the first time, and probably won't be the last.  I was spent, and with the entire afternoon ahead of me, I needed some shut-eye.  I can feel myself dragging by Wednesday afternoon, and sometimes its all I can do to stay awake.  This weekend will be about REST.

Well, I am pooped...beyond pooped.
Have a great night folks....and GO DUKE!!!!