Woke up, still dark. Looked at my phone, 3:11am. Tried to sleep some more . . . no luck. Here it comes, the question I always face on leg day. Do I get up and do 190 squats, complete a one mile warmup, and then do seven 105 meter hill sprints? My brain searched for a way out. Man, I thought, this is gonna suck.
Still dark, 4:51 am, got up and pulled on my shoes and found my shorts by the light of my phone. I do not feel like doing this. I think,” this is gonna suck, but it would suck even more to fail and bail on my commitment.” Colder outside than I thought, so I head back in and grab another shirt and a hat. I think, “this is gonna suck”.
Get on the street and begin walking, pausing for squats near each street lamp. After my second set of squats I see the outline of something in the distance – looming on the sidewalk. I am without my glasses so I can’t see it real well, but I can feel it’s gaze, it’s the shape of a large wolf! Time slows down . . it’s a huge German Shepard, ears peaked looking my way, it’s owner is distracted facing the opposite direction looking at their phone. Suddenly (let’s call him Cujo) Cujo is lunging toward me with all his might furiously barking; the distracted owner nearly loses the leash, I say “Easy boy!” and instinctively begin angling across the street bracing for a dog attack.
The owner loses a battle of tug O war with the huge beast for about 10 yards, and then after a struggle manages to get Ol’ Cujo under control and heads up the street in front of me. In and out of the pools of light cast by the street lamps they go. It’s still dark, but I now have a nice dose of adrenaline coursing through my body as I continue my warm-up. “Man, that sucked,” I thought.
Now the sky is lightening as I take my second lap around the neighborhood. Finishing my squats, I head over to the low tree lined hill I like to run my sprints up. I gotta do seven sprints because it’s May and I’m adding one a month. You guessed it, “man this is gonna suck.” Sure enough, the first sprint really sucks! These are supposed to get easier with each passing month, but they are not easier today. I’m a bit stiff, but run with real effort taking care to maintain form and gauge my effort to avoid injury. I walk down the hill between sprints, catching my breath. Five more to go, I think, “man, five more is gonna suck.” In the beautiful morning light, I watch pairs of ducks fly to and fro and take in the lovely view of the distant and still green hills. Endorphins seem to be taking the edge off. I finish my sprints.
It’s been a good morning so far. My leg workout is done, I embraced the suck at every turn, and am happier for it. I’ve kept my commitment and had time to think about and visualize what is most important to me on this day and in the coming weeks. I feel a sense of momentum, and will now ride that momentum though the rest of this great day!
Embrace the suck, take it on, push yourself, and before you know it you will feel a momentum carry you forward toward your goals. Good work! Onward!
Ben Wagner (124)
Member The 365 Commitment
