Summer Progress

Now that we are in summer, there are more kids—playing tennis, swimming, shooting hoops—at the Club, while I seem to see familiar faces less frequently.  They are on vacation, spending time with children on summer break, or working out in the wonderful weather.  It’s awesome to hear what my new friends having been doing!

I myself have had a week of fantastic progress.  On Saturday, I came within seconds of beating my record mile time, finishing in 11:14.  Having completed Laurie’s group circuit training class on Tuesday evening, I had worked out for eight straight days before taking a well-earned day off Wednesday.  Thursday, Laurie worked me out on the TRX suspension trainer and, feeling that had gotten strong enough and light enough, taught me the last TRX move that hadn't been able to do in class—the abdominal movements.

To do these you must be able to support your whole body weight on your shoulders and have enough core strength to simultaneously keep your form and do the work required to complete the motions.  I won’t say it was easy or I have a thousandth of the grace Laurie has while doing it (or doing anything, really) but, as one must start at Base Camp before ascending Everest, in just being able to maintain the pushup bridge I've gotten my foot in the door.

And this, I can tell you, is a real confidence booster.  I no longer am the one person in class that has to modify an exercise because he can’t do it.  Sure, there are thing Laurie doesn't have me do—like reverse lunges and burpees (as Sisyphean a task there is this side of the Underworld)—but she’s taught me them and doesn't have me do them to avoid stressing my embarrassingly sensitive big toes or irritating my patella-creaking right knee.

As I wheezed my way around the circuit stations Sunday morning, having completely sweated through my shirt and shorts, I realized that working out never gets easier for an earnest exerciser.  You can do more, push yourself harder, the more fit you get.  I could do the same level of work I did in February, but it wouldn’t be a challenge to me and would be waste everyone’s time.  It’d be like futzing about Base Camp instead of where I really want to be, working toward the top of the World.  Here’s to getting ever better, to doing still more!