Day 3: Raised to Win!

Day 3: 03-13-2013

Yesterday I wrote about how bad habits from my youth are a big part of the battle I fight today. After rereading yesterday's I realized that I kinda payed the blame squarely at my parents feet. I realize that they did the best they could with the tools that were given to them. And while some of those thing have lead me here, it is all of the other lessons they taught me that truly make me who I am. Those lessons, both intentional and not, on determination and perseverance. The lessons of responsibility and the power of choice. The power to dream. To seek. To question and then find the answer. Those are the lessons I call upon now. Those are the lessons that will make or brake me. And I have hope.

I awoke dark and early today. 6am. I've been setting my alarm at 6 for almost a year. Most days I only snooze it once or thrice. In reality, I snooze it until the last possible minute. I've enjoyed the road to hell. You know, the one paved with good intentions? Well, today started differently. Amazingly, I dragged my bones out of bed and dressed with the intention of hitting the complex gym. I walked down the hall only to find it locked. Guess it doesn't open until 9 or something stupid like that. Here it was, the first of many hurdles to leap. Do I go back to bed, or do something about my predicament? Should I quit? Procrastinate? Try again another day? Or do I persevere? Do I find a way to make a workout happen?

I stepped outside and said to hell with the elliptical. To hell with bed. I am walking. It was a cool 40 degrees. I could walk for a bit. Thing is, I couldn't. Walking wasn't the same rush as the elliptical had been so i picked up the pace a bit. 40 minutes later, I had crushed 3.15 miles. And by crushed, I mean wheezed and struggled through. Turns out that the 1 minute/25 second interval run/walk I had chosen on runkeeper was actually a 1 mile/.25 mile interval. I found out the hard way. I also got a little closer to meeting myself again. Because I had the power to stop and change the workout for something less. I didn't. It felt good. Real good.

Turns out that starting your day with a work out really boosts your metabolism. I discovered that about an hour after I got to work and was famished. My awesome homemade real fruit smoothie is gonna need a boost for sure on morning workout days. That said, my salad for lunch was uh-freaking-mazing. And the blackeyed pease and brown rice in a gumbo like chicken broth was deliciousness incarnate.

All in all, I am gonna call day 3 a win. Thanks mom and dad for the life lessons. Thanks wife for the extra support the last few days and for always accepting me as I am. It gives me courage to be more. To do more.

3 days down, a lifetime to go...