The Weakest Link
I don’t normally make New Years resolutions. This is because I never follow through on what I tell people at the beginning of the year.
Getting into better shape is one of those thigns that I tell people that I want to do.
And yet, I never do it.
Which is stupid, really, considering that I am in a Karate dojo that emphasizes physical endurance along with everything else.
And it’s not easy.
Once in a while we will have an intense exercise class, in which we really push ourselves to the limit. It’s more than just aerobic exercise. It’s torture.
But it’s a good kind of torture.
Even though I’ve moved up to Brown Belt level, I still attend the Orange/Green/Blue class on Tuesdays to help out. It’s tucked in between the children’s class I assist in and the Brown Belt class.
When the time is right, exercise classes usually carry on all week in most of the adult classes. For example, yesterday there were two exercise classes in a row. I decided to tough it out and try and do both toe Orange/Green/Blue and the Brown Belt Classes.
How embarassed was I when I was ready to heave at the end at the end of the lower-level class?
Very much so.
I don’t think I will be hearing the end of this.
Considering I’ve been doing martial arts for fourteen years, you’d think that I’d have built up some kind of stamina. Granted, it’s been fourteen years of different martial arts, so different types of endurance. But still…
My problem is an inability to push past a wall. This permeates all athletic activity that I do.
I can’t swim more than one length of a pool without stopping. Running is torturous, as is practically every other exercise.
I’ll approach this wall and the feelings of nausea and fatigue seem to overwhelm me.
I have an athsmatic friend who can run circles around me. He runs 10K races without sweating. He is an inspiration. He also is convinced that I am a wuss because I can’t think past this wall.
And he is right.
With every failed attempt to surpass this barrier, I seem to be losing a little more ground.
Well, no more.
I figured I would write this down here, on my blog, as an incentive to kick some ass.
I have a half marathon that I will be running with Dave next year. I also have a canoe trip coming up where I have to really kick some ass.
I’m not writing this as a fishing expedition so much as an admission of inadequacy. Please don’t bother trying to be complimentary. I really do appreciate it. However, I would much rather have people comment on how they push past their own barriers to improve themselves. This might help me figure out things for myself.
Consider this a life resolution rather than a New Years one.
Filed under: Ponderings, Spaces Archive | 12 Comments »
Barking Space 