Marshall Ramsey

There’s a magic point in an exercise program when you go from what you can’t do to what you can.

I’ve crossed that point and frankly, some days I am amazed at what I can accomplish physically.  Because I’m not the best natural athlete in the world.  Add to it the fact that my age (and various injuries) are starting to catch up with me as well.  But today, I figured out why I’ve been able to succeed.

As I was doing a really hard exercise during Coach Clark’s station this morning that involved scooting down a bleacher with my feet on the seat and my hands on the grass, I thought to myself, “I know what the secret is. You have to get your mind out of the way.”

And I was also thinking, “I am about to #$%$ die.”

But really. When you get your mind out of the way and focus on accomplishing the task set out for you, you begin to reach your goals. Your body wants to succeed.  I did things today I never could have done two years ago.

As my old football coach used to say, “Get your mind right.” Because if you do, everything else will follow.

Had the Paul Lacoste version of Daylight Savings Time this morning. A film crew from a PBS documentary was in Mississippi to report on how fat we are.  So I joined my 6 a.m. brothers and sisters and went through the workout while being filmed.

“Work it baby! Ooooh yeah!” (In my best Austin Powers photographer voice.)

I was on an airplane most of yesterday evening and woke up sore and dehydrated from it. (drink lots of water while flying — trust me).  Sleeping until 5 a.m. was almost sinful.  I ran a quick lap to warm up and we stretched.  Heck, I even got a compliment during “high knees.”

Me be proud.

Coach Clark, feeling the pressure of the camera and having a blue-weighted ball to share with us, tried to kill us. Well, no, he didn’t. But It was a pretty tough workout.

Coach Morgan, never shy or retiring, combined boards and chips and salsa. It was a WTH moment, actually. It’s like mixing a hydrogen bomb with an atomic bomb. Like one of them won’t kill you enough.

Weights went well. It was shoulder day, so I listened to my left shoulder pop like a bowl of rice crispies. Every pop is one pop closer to being stronger. Yeah.

Then we ran with a parachute. There aren’t many things funnier looking than me running with a parachute. It’s like a Ford Pinto popping a chute to slow down.

Ladders were next. Followed by the “Hit it!” drill in the endzone. “Hit it!” “Hit it!”

Life is about getting back up quickly when you’re knocked down. “Hit it!”

As I ran out of the stadium (I do that every morning), one of the film crew said, “Congratulations — that was amazing.”

Really, if you think about it, it is.  Mississippi may be the fattest state in the Universe. But there are a few people trying to break that image.  I’m proud to be one of them.

This morning, I lost another pound. I probably lost it in steam (it was COLD out this morning!) We weigh in every two weeks. After eight weeks into fall PLS session, I’m down nine pounds. Not the gaudy 50 lbs. I lost the first time I went through the program, but I’ll take it.  It’s nine pounds my heart doesn’t have to support. It’s nine pounds my knees don’t have to carry. It’s nine pounds I really didn’t need. And I’ve added muscle — so I am leaner.  At the beginning of 2011, I wore a size 42 waist. I now wear a 34.  (For comparison, I weighed 165 in high school and wore a size 34.  I now weigh 205 now and wear a size 34.) That’s lean weight right there.

And it’s progress.

Congratulations to my teammate Adam who crossed the 100 lb. barrier. He wore the 65-lb. vest today and had his teammates help him with the 35 lb. weight.  He made radical change in his life.  And I’m very proud of him.

I’m not dead. I’ve just felt that way. I worked out Monday and pushed it hard. Yesterday, I woke up with some of the nastiest vertigo I’ve had in a long, long time.  My head was spinning like a top. I slept until six hoping that it would cure it. No dice. I woke up again with it (just not as bad) and was going to sleep in again. But I got out of bed.

I’m glad I went — but it sure made the workout harder.

I started out with 3/4 of a mile on the track to loosen up. My head throbbed.  We then stretched and Line 3 (my line) started with Coach Clark.  We did one-minute drills with planks, mountain climbers, pushups and we repeated it repeatedly. I was dizzy and kept having to shake my head to get my bearing. Ugh.

Then we went to Coach Morgan’s. One of the other side of this crap is that I can’t concentrate. I forget things as soon as they go into my head.  So I kept screwing up.  But I worked out with Joe, who is a rather tall Madison police officer. He’s a great guy who I like working out with. And I also discovered that I can’t jump rope for squat with a dizzy brain.

We then went into the weight room. Connor and I partnered and he did great. I tried not to screw up too badly.  The room spun a few times but I got through the session without too much fuss.  My shoulder popped and groaned, but held.

One thing we haven’t done this 12-weeks is run the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is basically running the stadium.  That was remedied today.  We did two circuits — I actually enjoy the Gauntlet except going down the stairs. I don’t wear my glasses, so I am scared blind that I’m going to fall down the stairs. Came close a couple of times today.  But I survived.

Our last station was a fun one.  We had ladders, bear crawls, bags, inchworms and sprints up and down the football fields. Did that twice and was into my third circuit as the final stretch began.

I don’t know what the heck is going on with my head. Figure it must be a virus. But I’ll plow through it. Always do.  Just glad I got out of bed this morning. As they say, 80% of success is just showing up.