My workouts these days reflect my dream of summiting the Riffelhorn this summer.
Today was no exception. I really want to work on my back at the moment and so I did 4 really great pull exercises to strengthen my lats. These include:
1) Wide grip pull ups.
2) Narrow grip pull ups.
3) Lat pull downs.
4) Rows.
I've got 6 months to prepare for the climb. I think I might have a 50-50 chance of achieving my goal -- maybe a little higher than that, but not much. At this stage of life it's been impossible for me to predict the outcome of any really challenging goal be it a marathon or a mountain. One of the greatest gifts I've received from marathoning has also been one of the most difficult truths to accept: I've had to learn that I'm human. My body is not unique or special. I am susceptible to all the trials and tribulations that we all have to face as we age. I cannot hide from them. I cannot escape them. I have to face them head on. I believe we can all find the right way forward if were willing to take the risk of moving off the spot we're on.
I came to this life as an athlete not because I wanted to but because I didn't know how else to cope with losing my wife. One of the ways God used to get me moving forward again was with my own two feet. Being an athlete doesn't mean you're athletic. (I'm certainly not.) Being an athlete simply means that you are committed to facing the world around you with the courage of an athlete. If you choose to live this way, then I think you'll find, as I have, that you have more strength of will and body than you ever dreamed possible.
Today, 11 years after Becky's homegoing, I am much stronger than I ever thought possible. Not stronger so much in a physical sense as in the sense that I feel more capable, with Christ's help, of facing the challenges that life throws at me. I'm learning to face the challenge of aging in the same way I face the challenges of running or mountaineering -- with faith in God and with the strength he gives to those who rely upon him.
Have a wonderful day!