Sandy: Moments of Awesomeness

Moments of Awesomeness.  

We’ve all had them, those moments that stir us up and completely change our state.  They are the moments that take you by surprise, throw you off guard, or just amp you up.  I call them Moments of Awesomeness.  I had one of those moments Saturday morning.  Mind you this was the first time I have come to the gym to work out since my run in with the triathlon last Sunday.  

I didn’t plan to take the week off, however my heel was barking at me, and I was just downright mentally exhausted.  So I allowed myself the time to rest it, and with each passing day I grew more tired, more stressed and ultimately more depressed.  Here are the facts, I have to work out… let me say that again, I HAVE to work out, every day, even if that just means going for a walk or an easy bike ride.  If I don’t do something every day I quickly fall into the pit of sadness and self loathing.   SelfLoathing might be a little too strong an expression, but I think you get the idea.

So I rolled out of bed and dragged myself to the gym Saturday morning to take a yoga class which was excellent by the way. I came out feeling energized and excited for more.  So I decided to go to the fitness room to do some cardio intervals on the Concept II Rowing Machine.  I don’t know if you’ve ever tried this piece of machinery, but if done correctly you can get a superb full body workout, both muscular and cardiovascular.  

I was rowing away and hit my fifteen minute marker when my body started up the debate with my brain, trying to convince it that I was done with my workout for the day.  My heart was beating fast, and my muscles were starting to get to that point of being out of the comfort zone.  So there I sat, looking at my phone, thinking of all the chores I needed to get done that day when I made the decision to be done.  Then in walks a beautiful lady, one of my friends from the FitWorks program.  I was thrilled to see her! I couldn’t participate in the August round ofFitWorks, and I felt as though I had abandoned her. Though here she was mutually excited to see me too!  

After I made a quick phone call home to make sure the world wasn’t crumbling without me, only to find that, not surprisingly,my incredible husband had it all under control and was somehow able to manage to get by without me.  So the decision to stay and work out was made and it was “Game On” for Susan and I.  The Moment of Awesomeness began.

Let me start by saying that I was done both mentally and physically before Susan walked in.  When I saw her though, my mood and mind set completely changed.  We amped each other up! We were encouraging and challenging each other to go faster and push harder throughout our workout.  We started with speed intervals on the treadmill, and we were both “woo-hooing” our excitement after each 15 to 20 second interval.Intervals that got faster with each round, and both of us reaching sprints that were faster than either of us had ever gone before!  

We then hit the weights and did a full body workout; three sets each, hitting every major muscle group.  It wasn’t till I looked up at the clock and realized that I had been at the gym for three whole hours that I had to make the sad decision to get home to my chores.  

I haven’t lost that high yet from our Moment of Awesomenessso many hours ago.  It was spontaneous, and wonderful to have an unexpected workout partner this morning.  I can’t even begin to tell you how thankful I am to have the opportunity to forge new friendships so quickly at the gym, surrounded by like minded, fantastic people. I look forward to seeing your smiling faces every time I go in.  Thank you all for being a part of my journey.  

And thank you Susan, for bringing me your smile, your friendship, and your motivation.