The Evolution of a Workout

Often I can't wait to get going on my training, but sometimes getting started is the hardest part. In these cases, I coax myself into it by saying "I can always quit if I still don't feel good." Quitting due to not feeling good has yet to actually happen, but it is nice to know its an available option.

Before I know it, I have taken the plunge into the pool (which seems so much colder to my whole body than it did to my toes), or I am out on my bike pedaling, or I am settling into my pace on a run. I don't feel great for these first few minutes, but at least I have started right?

There is a significant change of mindset that comes with breaking the first sweat, like in cheesy horror movies when the main character gives up on looking pretty (let's be honest, its usually an attractive female) and worries only about surviving. As I get going in a workout, it always feels the same. A tickle of heat at the back of my neck, like the hot breath of my pursuant. In my mind, he may possess the friendly rivalry of a training partner, or the bloodlust of a hungry predator. My acceptance is similar to the girl in the movie; the first hint of perspiration has confirmed that I am going all in for this workout.

At this point, I am feeling awesome. Like the running back who can't be tackled for less than a 5 yard gain, I am in a lather... "Just GIVE ME THE BALL!" So I push the pace. :59 on that last hundred, 10 seconds rest, can I go :58? Hell yeah! Think I can catch that guy before the top of this hill? Bring it.

Then, it hits. I can always feel it coming, like a summer storm back home in Nebraska, fatigue sets in like a boiling thunderhead rolling in to shroud my blue skies. You can feel the thickness in the air even before the sky turns greenish and the tornado sirens go off. Suddenly I can't hit target times, my legs ache, and there is not enough food/water in the world to shake off the oncoming bonk.

I like to think it is times like this, and not the easy, fast sessions, that make me or any athlete good at what we do. You have to do what it takes to get through it. Dig deep, find your motivation, think about your friends and family, think about your opponents, think about how it will feel when its over, think about how it would feel if you surrendered.

For some reason at times like this I am always reminded of the last line in the famous Robert Frost poem, "...but I have promises to keep/and miles to go before I sleep..." This is what gets me through the exhaustion. I remember the promises I've made; not to my family or friends, not to my sponsors, but the ones I made to myself.

So the workout is over. It may not have been pretty, it may not have been the fastest, but I did it. Now, I can enjoy the endorphins, and probably large amounts of peanut butter. I really enjoyed writing this one, the idea for it struck me during a swim when I literally went through each of these feelings. Hope you all enjoyed it as well! FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!