Fit-to-Fat-to-Fit Blog: Day 18

They were folded neatly and lined up in a row.  Since we were the second group, they were already covered with dust. I swear us pushing them is how Jackson State cleans the gym floor.

They were towels.  And I was about to face another nemesis from last year.

Last year, when Paul moved me from the last line to line 2 (the lower the number, the more intense the workout), the first thing I had to do with my new line was the towels. We had to bend over and push it the length of the gym floor. Twice.

I weighed 235 lbs, had the upper body strength of a Ho Ho and hit my knees a quarter of the way down the court. In fact, I hit them so hard, I HURT my knees.  I had to look like a beached manatee. I grunted it out, hitting my knees ever 10 yards or so.  The towels owned me. I was their bee-otch.

I wanted to throw in the towel

This morning I was promoted back up to Line 1. There are some serious athletes in Line 1. I’m not sure I’m up to their snuff. But I knew I’d push as hard as I could to keep up with them.

We started in the weight room and did the circuit.  Like last year, I’m weak in upper-body strength, so I pushed it as hard as I could. Then we went to the gym.

There they were. All fluffy and folded. Dusty and ready to once again make me their bee-otch. My arms felt like rubber. I felt my stomach twist in a knot.

Coach said, “Push them the full length of the court and back.”

I pushed it the full length of the court and back.

Marshall 1. Towel 0.

Then we pushed them to half court and back. And we repeated it. Over and over and over. Six times in all.

We did suicides, pushups, gauntlet long runs and more suicides in between.

By the time it was over, I had shut the towels out.

We then went outside and ran 220 sprints on the track.  Then we came back in where I spanked another old nemesis, the treadmill.

You’re probably thinking, “What good does pushing a towel do for you?” Trust me, it’s a great core and leg workout.  But it represents something much deeper than that.  It represents overcoming a life obstacle. It’s about notching a small victory.  It’s about teaching me that my body can overcome challenges once my mind gets the hell out of the way.

I was soaked today.  I probably lost seven or eight pounds in water weight. But I walked out of the gym satisfied. In a time of many challenges, I knew I had beaten the towels.

Final score: Marshall 7. Towels 0.