As in run. With my feet.
Not, “Oh, I’ll run up to the gym in my car…” I mean, actually run to the gym.
Silly me. There was 20-mile-an-hour winds and it was about 77 degrees. But it was gorgeous outside. I had been cooped up in my little cubicle at work (with no window) and it just looked so gorgeous outside when I finished my work day and strolled out to my car.
I geared up in my running shorts and t-shirt and hooked my gym key tag onto my shoelaces. Then I shoved some dollar bills into my sock so I could buy a Gatorade once I got to the gym. I grabbed my brand spankin’ new ipod freshly downloaded with my cool new running mix. Yes…I have actually run with headphones! I figured out how to clip the ipod to my shirt and tuck the wires down into the front of my shirt so they don’t bounce all around! Are you so excited for me? I still haven’t got the running with headphones on the treadmill down though. I don’t understand how people do that. But that’s another blog…
So anyhow, I took off smiling as I listened to my cool new music, running down my street. I felt like an Olympic rock star. I was smiling and enjoying the sunshine. I was happy and sporting a big, toothy grin.
Then I turned the corner and hit the wind.
Ugh.
My smile quickly turned into a squinting, squished up face of determination as I shut my mouth so as not to swallow any bugs flying at me with lightening speed.
I pushed. And pushed. And pushed. Holy crap! I had to actually turn the volume up on my ipod because it sounded like I was in a wind-tunnel. I got through the first mile and felt like I had already run three. Oh geesh. This was hard.
I crossed the intersection and carried on. I kept telling myself that my legs weren’t tired. I could breathe. Just relax. (Ha. Yeah, right. Who suddenly filled my running shoes with concrete?) Keep the fluid motion going…
I felt like I was constantly pushing against a heavy, glass rotating door… As I lifted my legs and drove my arms, I pushed against the thick wind, slicing through the air with my non-aerodynamic body. I am quite sure that I am not a pretty runner. I must have looked ridiculous out there, with the wind whipping my hair back as I heaved my body forward against the tornado-like gusts.
I allowed myself to walk the last block to the gym so I wouldn’t be completely out of breath when I walked through the doors. My face was beet-red…no, scratch that. It was more of a hot-fuchsia pink. You see, I am pasty-pale white and whenever I workout hard, especially in the heat, my face turns a lovely hot-pink. I look sick. I’m not kidding. I look like I’m about to have a heart attack. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the trainers at the gym wouldn’t jump on me with some life-saving equipment thinking I was about to pass out. (Just keep the electric paddles away from me boys!) I kept telling myself that the gym employees were used to seeing people strange shades of red, so I was hoping I could sneak by.
I reached into my sweaty sock, peeled my sweaty dollars off of my ankle, and handed over the wet cash for my chilled Gatorade fresh from the fridge. I took a cold sip of the salty sweet beverage. Ahhhh….(Next time, I really have to wear shorts with pockets…I apologized for my soggy cash to the kid behind the counter. Who, I am sure, washed his hands after handling my wet wad of bills.)
After a few minutes of cooling down, I began my upper body strength training circuit. I finished it in about 20 minutes. I sat down, stretched a little and sipped a bit more Gatorade. Yeah. I’m just stretchin’ out.
And then I sat some more.
And some more.
When I couldn’t prolong it any more… I wearily and grumpily got up from the bench to head home. I had to run again. Oh yay.
I decided to give myself a break and walk through the parking lot to the intersection. No use accidentally running in front of a car, right? I ditched the Gatorade bottle in a trash can at the gas station on the corner. I began my run home -- slowly -- and was pleasantly surprised! The wind was now at my back. AMAZING! Suddenly, that mushy air that was pushing against me with all its force on my run to the gym, was now actually propelling me forward.
It was awesome. I honestly don’t think I would’ve made it home if I had to push through that wind again. I mean, eventually I would have gotten there....at a slow, slow walk. (I was thoroughly whipped.) Someone must have been looking out for me, sending that wind to blow me on home.
See folks, I did something crazy…something I thought I could never do. And it was definitely something I would’ve never done three months ago. Shoot…I probably wouldn’t have done it three weeks ago! But for whatever reason, I was inspired to take the chance and try it. The only way to describe the feeling I had was empowered. I was empowered when I reached my house, stopped my watch (and realized I took four minutes off my time on the way home!) As I walked up my driveway, I felt like Jillian Michaels. You know, that super-tough trainer from the Biggest Loser? Yeah. I felt like her. (For a few minutes anyway.)
Strong. Accomplished. Empowered. (Except without all the screaming. I'm not really a screamer.)
Don’t get me wrong…It definitely wasn’t all great. I’m not trying to fool you into thinking I had an amazing time. It was torture. Pure torture. I was tired. I wanted to give up.
But I didn’t.
Pushing myself and following through with the challenge was quite a sense of achievement. How often do we get to feel that as an adult? True achievement. Take it when you can. Go for it when you can. Whatever it is you might want to try…put yourself to the test. Don’t give up. I know you can do it. You know you can do it. And in the famous words of Jillian Michaels, "Why choose to fail when success is an option?"
Remember that. It’s a choice. You may not hit your goal the first time, but you’ll be darn proud of yourself if you try. And if that doesn’t inspire you…how about these choice words from Jillian…
"Unless you puke, faint or die, keep going!"
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