You Gotta Have Faith

BCF Paleo Challenge Winner!
It looks like I'm getting a big head with the tiara, scepter, and all, but I'm not.  My son's helping me keep it real as he said, "You look better Mom, but you still have a lot of butt fat."  He had extra brussel sprouts with his cave kid supper that night.

How did I get here?

I took a five mile run with the Rock the Parkway Groupies this morning to prep for the upcoming RTP 1/2 marathon.  Alone with my thoughts, I asked myself, "How did I get here?"  I came up with one answer, which I know makes people -- especially my husband -- squirm in their seats, but I decided the answer is unequivocally:  FAITH.

I had faithfully decided to go nowhere.

And, I was perfectly okay with that.  During the onslaught of snow days in 2010, I went on a major cleaning spree peacefully deciding that I was bored with running, comfortable with my body size and fitness level, and I couldn't think of any fitness challenge that would inspire me.  There were no more "big events" left for me or in me, so I packed up my too-small-clothes, and sent them off to thrift stores.

During a cold, dreary Sunday that same winter I sat on the hard wooden pews of St. Francis Xavier and Father Matt inspired me.  He was going to cycle across the U.S.  A priest, a real live priest, was on a mission to cycle across the U.S.; of course, I had to be a part of that Cycling for Change action, so I signed up to ride with the team from Jeff City, Mo. to St. Louis Mo. that July on a wing and a PRAYER. I wasn't going to overexert myself, but I did need to train.

I love my faithful friend.

It was now June, I hadn't been on my bicycle at all, and a most favorite faithful friend of mine was getting ready for major surgery at the end of the summer.  My friend and I spent a glistening June day at the creek with our kids, and she told me she was determined to stick to her bootcamp class during the summer, so she'd be ready for her surgery.  I felt lame-o. Here's my strong, hero-of-a-friend getting ready for hardcore surgery and going to bootcamp; I decided to look into this bootcamp craze so that I could actually make it through my upcoming bicycle journey.  My friend had inspired and informed me as I was not hip to the bootcamp scene.

I have faith that the right people are put into the right place in my life at the right time.

I used a Google search as soon as I got home from my creek playdate and found that there is a bootcamp/CrossFit certified gym, just a hop, skip, and jump from my house. I went to my first bootcamp class and about keeled over.  I thought the "dynamic" warm up was THE workout.  We do lunges to warm up, people!!!  My exhaustion was obviously evident as some kind gentleman assured me that all of the workouts "aren't always this hard."  He said that I just happened to be visiting on a particularly tough day.

I went ahead and signed up for bootcamp classes three times a week for three months -- carefully calculating that I wanted to end this bootcamp gig after three months since there was no way I'd be able to attend bootcamp classes during the school year.

After my bike ride, I met a fellow teacher at a 7 a.m. bootcamp class who told me that he goes to the 5 a.m. class each morning before school during the school year.  What?!  I didn't have an excuse not to attend bootcamp during the school year.  Real-life teachers can fit bootcamp, crack-of-dawn teaching, and their families into their lives?  There goes that excuse.

After my three month membership was up, and I saw that I could make it to bootcamp at 5 a.m. and school by 7:20 a.m., I re-upped my membership for three more months, but I realized that many of my 5 a.m. classmates went to class five days a week, and I eventually decided that I should, too.  In November, I switched my bootcamp membership to "unlimited" to get the full benefit of the five-day-a-week program.

This December, Coach Rut encouraged us to set goals and be accountable for achieving those goals.  Again, I resisted.  "Nope.  No goals here," I thought.  "I am goooooood, thanks."  But, a louder, persistent urge, an inner-faith, drew my eye to the athletes on the other side of the bootcamp gym.  "What if...? I thought.  "What if I could do just one pull up like those guys?"

And, here I am.

I do have FAITH that all the pieces will continue to come together at the right pace and at the right time so that I can figure out this pull up and maybe a double under, too.

Faith and peace to you on this Vitamin D-filled Sunday in K.C., friends!

jpq