It was, to quote the great Yogi Berra, deja vu all over again.
I couldn’t sleep and crawled out of bed before the alarm could rudely go off. It was 3:45 and I didn’t want to be late. I ran the deer gauntlet and made the sleepy drive to JSU. I walked in to the Walter Payton Center and checked in. I saw old friends and we said hello. Paul Lacoste gathered us up and gave us our marching orders for the morning. And soon we were running around the the gym, warming up. I looked around and laughed.
It was like the last eight months never happened.
But there are some major differences. Twelve months ago, I weighed 248 lbs. and could barely make it around the gym floor while running. I prayed we’d stop so I could catch my breath.And 12 months ago, I nearly passed out before we stretched.
I watched one of the new members struggle. I wanted to go over and console him. “It’s going to be OK — eventually. Keep at it. Your body can do amazing things. Your mind is a liar.”
I didn’t. But I will. Because as I watched him, I saw me. I saw a person who was in the fast lane headed toward a heart attack. What a difference a year makes. Paul’s program is hard. But Paul’s program works — if you don’t fight it. Two weeks into my program last year, I quit fighting it. That’s when I started seeing results.
Am I one of the elite athletes in the room? No. But I will work like one. We did fitness tests today and I can tell you my core strength and upper body strength are lacking. I didn’t do as well running as I would have liked either: But my left knee was barking at me the whole time. I’ll continue to rehab it and as it heals, my running will get stronger.
Paul Lacoste talks about the next level a lot. That’s why I’m back. I’ve lost my 50 lbs. (although I plan to lose 15 more). So this time around, I have a different mission. It’s more mental than physical this time around. I’m mentally exhausted and need to take my career in another direction. Getting up at 3:45 and working out full blast is a good start. Never underestimate the power of discipline when you are facing change. Goals set physically are goals that are set mentally.
I finished my one mile run (9:40 with my shoes coming untied twice and a bad knee) and headed to the locker room. As I was sitting there with MPB’s Ezra Wall and Rep. Herb Frierson, I said, “It seems like we never left.”
It was good to be back with old friends. And now I’m looking forward to the challenges the next 12 weeks brings.
Thanks for the encouragement in this post. I am you last year. The warmup almost got me. Glad to see what my goal can do today.
It’s going to be tough. I nearly died for the first couple of weeks but then something clicked in. You’ll have good days and bad days but you’ll quickly discover that your friends in your line will pick you up when you really need it. Congratulations for changing your life for the better.