Eight years ago I was about 35 pounds overweight and I was eating dinner. My wife is a great cook and I decided to have another serving of her delicious food...
As I made my way to the Kitchen my beautiful bride asked me a question...you know what that she already has the answer too....
"What are you doing?"
Sensing a bit of concern in the statement I responded with great joy and innocence.."I am getting more....
As I sat down my wife then tells me what is on her mind...that I am not healthy, that she is worried about my health...
My fork dropped...I was stunned..it dawned on me that her question was actually a lead in to this conversation that had been weighing on her heart...and me being the humble man I am explained.."I have gained weight because of your great food" (anyone who knows me and knows the ice cream story, understands that that I have a way with words...)....Besides a bigger me means more of you to love..."
Ok so I am kidding, maybe...
What really happened is I became defensive and started to make excuses saying...
I don't have time
I am not going to a gym, I hate to exercise inside
If I go to the gym all I do is lift a bunch of stupid dumbells, in order to look good...I already look good!
You will hate that I am not home!!!
The truth is that my wife was...right. I needed to get back into physical shape. I had one of those alien sicknesses that would not go away for 6 weeks. I had been in and out of the hospital twice. I even had a spinal tap...
It was not a coincidance that a few days later a friend of mine asked me to do a Triathlon with him...He needed help on the swim and asked my help.
I have been a swimmer my whole life...I was pretty good too...but I missed national qualifications for five events by seconds and quit my senior year, never to touch competitive swimming again.
Therefor I immediately gave out a ton of excuses...you know...not enough time...I am too out of shape. (yet secretly I really wanted to...I had been wanting to do a Triathlon since high school) Thankfully my friend is really good at getting you pumped up...and he convince me to start training! Thanks Randy!
I am type A....so I bought a book, and began to train hard. Within a week I was hooked. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed training...and pushing myself...
I also remembered how muchI loved the exhausted feeling after a workout...my friend thought it was crazy to see someone so pumped up about being tired...
The reality is I knew Why I was training...to attain a goal and pursue something that was beyond the immediate pain..
Before I knew it I began to set goals...to finish in the top 10, the top 3, to qualify for nationals...and I nailed each goal...
Then I decided I wanted to become pro...about that time we had our 3rd child...life with 3 was tough...all blessing...but tough... I slowly declined in my training...I went from 12-14 hours a week to 6-8...
Fast forward a few years...we had baby #4...and moved to Cincinnati...
I had only done 2 races in the past 3 years...at one I placed first in the Female Category...The other I got the flu the week before...and then we had record lows in temp....and I'm from the south...you picture the result...hypothermia...
When baby # 5 was born I was lucky to get in 3 hours of training a week.
So here we are 2013...In January I was up to a beastly 205...Ok maybe more like a puffy 205...
I was overweight for my height...and my metabolism was on the decline...Kelley had been begging me to start training again, and I kept throwing excuses at her.
NO time
NO Money
She responded..."just do a race to finish..."
The problem is I am too competitive for that ...I cannot just jump in a race and not compete...I am not a sore loser...I just want to give it everything I got...
At this time I felt as if I did not have a lot to give...
I live by this quote by Pre-Fontaine..."to not do your best is to sacrifice the gift" I leave nothing on the table...and the reason I do is because of our God who did the same thing for humanity....
My wife, my family leave give me so much...and I do the same for them...
Its not a fear of failure...its more the disappointment of falling out of the habit again...
You can't stop something you never start...
So I started....
Stay tuned for the Insane journey in Part 2
Keep at it Courtney! You're killin' it! :)
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