I seldom get sick, but when I do, it’s always a doozy. This year was no different. On the first full day of spring I woke up with a scratchy throat. A day later, I was full-on sick. So, I decided to lie low, literally, and just wait until I felt better. This meant that for almost two weeks, I did not do any physical activity. I couldn’t. I had no energy, was wheezing and coughing every time I moved. The upside? I found some new favorites on Netflix! That’ll be another blog post 🙂
The first workout after the two week absence was a complete disaster. There was a lot of cardio. I coughed nearly non-stop and could not keep up with my buddies. I was not happy. Neither was the trainer, who I suspect thought I was being a wimp. I was worried that it would take me a long time to get back into the tough workouts I love.
It’s also about trust
A day later I went back to meet with my trainer, Mathieu. I was not looking forward to another bad workout. I asked if we could do heavy weights instead of cardio since I did not want to cough like the day before. He starts by telling me that I need to do cardio not weights and that I’ll be running intervals. Really? With this cough? “We’ll knock that cough out of you!” he tells me. So, I gamely get on the treadmill, dreading what I’m about to do. The things is, I trust Mathieu. 100% trust him. So, with this trust in mind, I started. The first interval was brutal. I didn’t think I’d make it, but I did. Then, I did four more intervals with 12 push ups in between. It felt so good to run!
Inspiration comes at the oddest moments
Mathieu knows me well. He knows when to push and when to say nothing. At one point he said something like “why don’t you write a blog post about this? How you didn’t think you could do cardio, but you here you are, doing just that.”
A few days later, there was a pre-race workout. It took me over an hour to complete the circuit. It was very tough. At one point, I just wanted to quit. I was tired, cranky, and sore. Some people did quit before finishing the whole circuit. Then, I looked around and realized I was the oldest person there. Well, that’s kinda cool, I thought. So, I promptly changed my attitude and kept going. And I did finish. I was completely exhausted at the end, but it was so worth it. As I finished my last challenge of 100 skips, this woman who finished before me, came over and jumped alongside me. How cool is that? Her encouragement meant a lot and I told her.
Doubts creep in
But, it’s not all smooth sailing. Self-doubt still creeps in. Next week is the first RX1 Nation race. And once again, my inner voice has started: you shouldn’t be doing this; you’re tired; you’re old; everyone else is faster/better/younger than you. I need to take a step back and remind myself that I can certainly do the race. I’m fit, I’ve prepared for the races. So, shut up inner voice. I’m not listening to you!
And so, Mathieu, here’s the blog post and here’s what you reminded me of, again: it’s all about attitude and effort. With a positive attitude and a strong effort, I can accomplish whatever I set out to accomplish. And this, folks, is why he’s been my trainer for 9 plus years.
