“I’m watching you. Always watching you.” Paul Lacoste.
As I rounded the corner by the racquetball courts, my arms burned from holding the 25-lb. weight in front of my chest. It was the third lap and I was tired. Up ahead, behind a support pole, I could see someone trying to hide. It looked like Mr. Incredible tucked behind a drinking straw.
“I’m watching you,” Paul Lacoste boomed. “I’m always watching you.”
I guess he wanted to make sure I wasn’t cheating. I wasn’t. Because after five times of doing PLS training,I’ve figured out one thing out:
If I cheat, I only cheat myself.
I know, I know, that sounds like something your parents would say. But it’s the Gospel truth. You only get out of PLS what you put into it.
Yes, there were times I wanted to hold the plate in a more comfortable way. But I didn’t. I pushed and my arms burned. Because I know that the next time it’ll be a little bit easier. This is a mental exercise as well as a physical. When my mind says, “You can’t do it,” I have to scream back at it, “BS!”
Today was a slim day due to yesterday’s ice and snow. The roads still had patches of ice and JSU was closed until noon. So that must have thrown a few folks off because the crowd was slim. But that’s OK. The ones who made it had a good workout — 80% of success is just showing up, you know. We did Leonard’s circuit drill again. I’m still enjoying my new-found ability to jump rope, so I really like his station. We then went straight to ladder drills (for faster footwork) and then to Wayne where we did a modified T-drill that involved push-ups, burpees and squats. (And running.) Wayne is trying to teach us the art of recovery — which is worthy of a blog in itself. We then ran the Gauntlet while holding the iron plate. After the Gauntlet, we did a spin class with Marika. It was fun (I used to ride a road bike and have literally ridden around Vermont) We finished up in the weight room.
I smiled at Paul as I left. Because I know he is watching me. But so am I. And that’s when the gift of self discipline begins.