I have no business being a weight lifter or a runner. It's a pure serendipity that I'm either. When I started lifting I was sure I'd find a way to fail at strength training. Yet here we are today -- it's still a part of my life.
When I began running after Becky went home to heaven, I wasn't sure I would ever become someone who enjoyed running. But I haven't failed at running. In fact, I enjoy it more and more.
For a sport to become a part of your life, it must become a part of who you are. Being a lifter or a runner must become a part of the definition of yourself. The fact is, we can only be who we are. We can meet no expectations other than the ones we set for ourselves. Sports can teach us this lesson if we let it. Both lifting and running have taught me how to be all of who I am and hope to be. With every workout, I am getting closer to the essential me.
In the long run, it doesn't matter if it takes you 3 weeks or 30 weeks to reach your goal as long as you're going in the right direction. In 13 weeks I will fly to Oahu and surf. A month later it will be time to fly to Geneva and begin climbing the Alps again. As long as I am going in the right direction, I feel I can reach my goals, Frankly, I am so amazed how our bodies can adjust and adapt to the stresses we place on them that I am in an almost constant state of joy and delight. I watch in amazement as my body begins to respond to the physical demands I place on it.
I have come to realize that change and improvement is a never-ending process. Getting into shape isn't something you do. It's something you are always doing.
My friend, if it's true that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so too does the journey to a new life as an athlete. Every day that you exercise, you are one step closer to wherever you're headed.