I wish.
Woo-wee, we did some runnin’ this mornin’. Suicides, sprints, suicides, laps on the track. We were just a huffin’ and a puffin’. Then they threw in some weights and some mountain climbers and a few zillion push-ups just to make things interesting. We worked core and we worked limbs and we worked core some more.
It was a big, fat sweat-a-palooza.
OK, maybe not fat. We’re trying to avoid fat. But I can say that I lost my breath a few times. And that’s the one area where I’m in decent shape.
But that’s point. To get out there and push the envelope as hard as I can.
I have a quirky knee and a bad hamstring right now. But I made sure I was pushing myself to be near the front of all the suicides and sprints. Not just because I’m a competitive goof (which I am.) but because I want the most out of the training. I try very hard not to cut corners. I try to do a little bit extra when I can. (I was 3 1/4 laps into the mile when they called for us to go in. I finished the last lap to make sure I got my mile in and then went straight into wind sprints.)
That’s the secret to improvement. That’s the secret to getting ahead in life. Do a little bit extra every chance you get.
But it’s hard. You’re tired. Your mind is working against you. I know. I’m dealing with that in my personal life right now. I’ve had some setbacks and it is weighing heavily on me right now.
You don’t stop. You don’t give in. You plow forward no matter how tired you are.
I’ve had the pleasure of talking to several folks who are also going through the training. I love hearing their success stories. Many mirror mine from last year: The first few weeks were hell until they got their mind out of the way and their body started to responding. I love seeing someone’s eyes light up when they tell me how they have lost 17 pounds already or they conquered the treadmills for the first time.
That’s awesome.
We show up at 5 a.m. We look like we have shown up at 5 a.m. We sweat. We grunt. We sweat some more. But somewhere along the way, we start to succeed. We push each other. We support each other. We bond.
That’s what the next level looks like.