photo credit: anjan58

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~ J.K. Rowling

Note:  Fitness Friday is a quick thought on something fitness and health related.

Today’s topic:  Choices.  What choices are YOU making toward living healthy?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” ~ Ayn Rand

Thursday evening.  Out playing soccer (a parent – kid game that is a real workout).  And I still think I’ll go swimming after this?

Preface

Triathlon training.  Swim.  Bike.  Run.

The bike and the run are easy (or…easier…).  It’s that swim thing that’s always a challenge.

Do you have things like that in your life?

This summer I have one triathlon I’m signed up for.  The Falmouth Sprint Triathlon, in Cape Cod.  I’ll have great company at this – as fellow blogger and good friend, Stacey Shipman – will also be competing in this event.  It’s that swim, though.  And…this one…in the ocean.

(those ocean swims are something we don’t see much of here in Wisconsin…)

Back To The Story

That Thursday night swim.  I really should go.  I haven’t been in the pool in at least a month (and probably longer).

I swim at a local high school pool.  Open swim is during the late evening hours each week.  I’ve been there several times.  Always pretty quiet in the lap swim.  A few people doing water aerobics.  I like the atmosphere – especially considering the comfort level at which I swim.

This Thursday night is different, though.  No one there….no one but myself and the lifeguard on duty.  It is eerily quiet.  The whole time I swim, not another person enters the pool.

And this has me thinking…sometimes this road we’re on – wherever it is we are headed…can be a lonely one.  The road to success (however you define success) may not always be filled with cheering supporters, or others following a similar path. And there can be moments on this road where it DOES feel lonely…like you are out there by yourself.

And it’s in those moments that success is created.  It’s in you, being out there, doing what must be done – to achieve what you have defined as success.

This is all part of that journey.

Success can be many different things.

For me, success will be just in finishing the swim portion of this triathlon strong and with good energy.

For others, success might be a completion of the swim in a certain time. Or maybe finishing in the top tier of the race.  It’s all relative, and it’s all good.

So…swim I did.  Just me and the water.  And it was good…

The Humor In All of This

Since I was the only person swimming, the lifeguard was ready to close up the pool and go home as soon as I finished.  While I was in the locker room getting changed, some of the lights (presumably on a timer) started to go off.  The lifeguard assumed I had left, and locked the locker room.  When I went to leave, the door wouldn’t open!  Luckily she heard the door before she left the pool area, and came back and unlocked it (so I could get out).  Stuck in a locker room…now that would have definitely been lonely!!!

”If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Motivation:  Where does it come from?

That’s something which can be very personal to each person.  We can have lots of reasons for being motivated.  Today, we’re talking motivation on the health and fitness front.

So, where am I at in all of this?

Well…sometimes, honestly, I’m motivated just by the desire to look better.  What I’ve found, though, is that it becomes much more than that (no matter what it started as).  The deeper part of this, which may not always be evident, is really in the way I feel when I’m making healthier choices.

And that’s all really great – finding those things, whatever they are, that motivate each of us to strive toward a more healthy lifestyle.

Sometimes, though, it might be a challenge to motivate ourselves.  And that’s when it’s great to have someone else there who can give us that extra boost…cheer us on…be an accountability partner.  For me, that’s my wife.  And she does a super job at cheering me on always (thanks Lora!!!  YOU are the best!)

Sometimes, though, it’s also in just seeing the possibility in others.  And that might be a one-time meeting with someone, or a longer term relationship (i.e. a coach), or anyone that can see what our potential is…and share that with us.  Today I’d like to introduce you to someone who does that SO WELL!

I was recently in Washington, D.C. and had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with Angel Stone, a long-time friend from over at the Jungle of Life.

This was our first in-person meeting, and Angel’s love of health and fitness just shined through.  More than that, though – was her amazing care and and belief in ME!!  And that was SO motivating!

Angel is an incredible athlete, with great plans for this summer’s triathlon season!  And I have no doubt she’ll shine at this. And just hearing about all of this, itself, was a boost of energy!  Our time together was much more than that, though.

The thing is…she cares.  And that was my big take away from our time together.  Angel (in the picture above) genuinely cares.  And in that caring, what shown through was her seeing the possibility in ME!  And that has spurred me on to step it up, to get out “there” earlier in the morning, to squeeze in a workout when I might otherwise pass, to choose “healthy” over “not so healthy”!!

We can all be that person!  We can see the possibility in others!!  And in seeing that – give those who cross our path maybe that bit of extra motivation they need.

And when that same possibility is seen in us (and it’s in each of YOU!) by others, we will all feel that extra surge too!!  Perhaps it’s at a time when we are already highly motivated…and then it’s the cherry on top of our hot fudge sundae (a little “treat” now and then is pretty motivating, too!).  Other times, though, it can be just the words we need to hear….and how powerfully moving they can be on this healthy journey we’re on…

Choose to see that possibility in others!  And choose to be open to what others have to share with you!!

Shine on, awesome friends!!!

photo credit: decontrol

”Nobody trips over mountains.  It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.  Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.” ~ Author Unknown

Picture this with me…

Saturday morning.  Not too hot.  No wind.  Partly sunny skies as the sun made it appearance.  A perfect morning for a run.

Twelve miles.  That was the plan.

The plan, in training for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, coming up this fall.

So, this plan I’m talking about – a plan put together by my good friend, and coach in the journey toward the marathon – Coach Lori.  And it’s a plan to gradually build up the miles, to get me to that spot where I’m ready for that 26.2.  (Lori, YOU are AWESOME!!)

And I was given this perfect day to run!

It started out just that way – I was warmed up and going along at a pace that felt good.  Everything was just going as planned.  How awesome!!

And then I hit mile nine.  My feet were feeling a bit sore, although I am becoming used to this.  That wasn’t it.  Something else…new.  I thought I felt some sort of strain in my lower calf.  I immediately slowed to a walking pace.  As I started to run, I thought I still felt it a bit.  I decided to walk a but further than this short 30 second break.  Maybe a couple of minutes will help.

And it did.

Except that it didn’t.

There was no longer any pain in the calf muscles.  All was good…there.  My legs and feet, though, had rested too long in this process.  Does that ever happen to you?

I wanted to stop.  I wanted to be done.  I wanted to be home.

And try as I might…I couldn’t get into any flow with running.

Nothing.

Defeated.

It sure felt that way.

I kept going, though.  Walking.

The last two miles, by this time, after I’d tried to get beyond this.

It was painful.

I hadn’t run the whole thing.  Had I given up?

Or…perhaps…by sticking with it, even while walking…perhaps I hadn’t given up.

There were many lessons from this training day.  Much for me to take away from this part of the journey.  What I focus on right now, is this idea of not giving up.

In those things that matter to us, we can choose how to get “there”.  There may be moments when we are challenged (like this run was for me).  And in that, maybe we have to alter our course (like I did my walking) to keep the journey alive.  And that’s okay.  There’s something there in all of this….

In that which matters to you…you can choose how to proceed.  And in doing that, you are NOT giving up on you.

And in all of that…there is success, however you define it for you…

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” ~ Nathaniel Branden

Mixing it up.  That’s been the focus of this past week.

Run.

Strength training.

Bike.

Bike.

Strength training.

Swim.

Run.

So that was it this week.  Lots of different exercising.  And it all felt good.

How about within one exercise?  Mixing it up.

Running this past weekend.

Thirteen miles planned.  After the challenges from the week before….

So, we mixed it up a bit.  New route.  Several more hills.  And…a better plan for staying hydrated while out there for 2+ hours.  My wife biked, while I ran (thanks Lora!!).  And she carried along everything I’d need for remaining successfully hydrated.  More than that, though – she was my cheerleader when the steps became more difficult, she was a friendly face when I needed a smile, she was moments of conversation, she was silence when I needed to focus…she was CHANGE from all the previous long runs.

And it was good…

Do you ever find yourself stuck in some sort of “rut”?  Not making the progress you were planning on?  Doing something that’s lost it’s “fun”?

Mix it up.  Try something new.  Or something you haven’t done in a long time.  Or just make some small changes to what you are doing.

And see yourself re-energized!

photo credit: Isaías Campbell

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Those things which challenge us….

Do you avoid those things?  Things that might help you to take it to the next level.  Things that will make you better (at whatever it is you’re doing).

Running hills.  That’s it for me.

I know these will make me stronger…that running hills will only help me in my other running goals.  Still…it’s so easy to put them off.  To skip doing them all together.

So, last night…it was hill repeats.  Part of a running group I’m involved in.  A trail run at a state park, with a group of people (none of whom had a real love for hills!).

Run them we did.

And then…repeat.

Up and down.  And then again.

And it was challenging.  Difficult.  Mentally and physically.

When we finished, though…so good!

It felt GREAT to have done this, as hard as it was.  Even more than the feeling of accomplishment, though – the added benefit to both the physical and mental aspects of “me”.

All of that, helping me to become more prepared for all that lies in front of me (i.e the marathon).

And so it is in life…

When we challenge ourselves to new heights, we grow.  And when we repeat some of these challenges, we continue to make ourselves better and to bring us more toward our goals.

Challenge yourself!

Repeat!

To your success!

photo credit: sara b. | 2010

”To be prepared is half the victory.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes

Where does this put me?

Last week was a challenge.  Running did not go as planned.

And still, it’s been good.  Well…not that feeling of defeat, at least not initially.

What I have taken away from all of this, though – is the importance of planning and being prepared.

It’s not that I wasn’t prepared last week.  It is that I have come away from the challenge of that to be better prepared this week.  A plan to be better hydrated.  A plan to be more rested.  A plan to run in a new direction…to explore new paths on this journey.

Preparation.  Done right, and we are well on our way to achieving that success in whatever we endeavor toward.  And by “done right”, that doesn’t mean we’ll get it “right” every time…we won’t.  What it does mean is that we’ll have done the planning necessary to move us toward success.  And if that’s a plan that doesn’t work, that’s okay.  We’ll come away from that with a better understanding for that “next time”.  And that’s all good….

Plan for success!  It IS in you!!

”Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced.” ~ John Keats

Falmouth Triathlon:  Cape Cod, MA ~ July 18th, 2010

The fear for me, going into this triathlon was the swim.  It’s not like I haven’t been there before – at a triathlon.  I’ve been competing the last several years.

Only this time, the difference was the water.  The water, in this case…the ocean.

Fears of what this meant (i.e. “big waves” floated around in my head a bit too much leading up to this) took me to a local pool ahead of time…a lot…in preparation for the triathlon.

And how did it go?

The fears floating around in my head (did I mention them already??) were unfounded.  Sure, preparation helped.  Still, the concerns I had never came to be.  We had a beautiful day for racing, the water felt great, and everyone involved in the event produced a top-notch day for everyone!  I completed the race and felt great (and maybe a bit tired) afterward!  And along with that also…a deep sense of accomplishment in competing at this event.

Stepping away from the “fears” that I’ve mentioned (a good lesson for me..), let’s talk about one of the great things I have taken from triathlon training:

A Goal:  Having a goal to work toward (in this case, July 18th) can be motivational.  Knowing I had this event coming up, I was more committed and focused on my running, my biking, and my swimming.  This all has proven to be a great way for me, personally, to continue working toward my fitness goals.

How about you?  Do goals play a role in your fitness routine?

Goals – they come in many formats.  An event (like the triathlon), a specific number (like running the mile in x minutes, etc), training with a friend x times/week, biking a certain number of times/month, etc, etc.

When we are working toward something, there is that “something” out there that keeps us motivated.  And in that, we are more likely to stick with it.

*Note:  The other key here is that you are also doing something you enjoy and find meaningful in some way.

Give yourself a goal, find an activity you truly DO enjoy, and HAVE FUN!!!

And don’t forget…even with a goal…this is really about the journey all along the way.  Savor the moments…let them really live…all the moments along this journey you are on through your life.

It is a beautiful and amazing life you are living…today!

“Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.” ~ Swami Vivekananda

Encouragement.  What role does that play in the success we have toward achieving our goals?

First off…what is success?

Success.  Something very personal for each person.  What I might consider success in whatever activity I’m choosing…that may or may not be viewed as success by the next person.  And that’s okay.  It’s really about achieving the goals we set for ourselves.

Does encouragement play a role in the success we can have toward these goals we have for ourselves?

Today I was out for a run.  A long run.  And these long runs…they can most definitely have moments where I start to hit a “wall”, where it becomes harder to continue going on.   Today…those moments came up.  There were moments where I wanted to stop…where sitting beside the road sounded like bliss (and does that really sound fun at all??).  And yet…I didn’t.  I kept going.  And part of that was mentally telling myself that I could do this – and that in itself was such a great place to “find”.  More than that, though…it was also encouragement.  Nothing I asked for, and still…something I received freely.  My wife, Lora, biked alongside me again today as I ran (what a trooper!).  And she was there with an encouraging word…ALWAYS!!

Those words….lifted me up!  Gave me an extra zest to keep moving!  Made me believe…

So…

Think about that.  How are you encouraging others?  What words can you say?  What things can you do?

What a difference it can make!