Saturday, December 13, 2014

Day 343.63 WHY?

We talked this morning as we rode stationary bicycles indoors. I am the leader. I get to design the workouts, select the musical accompaniment and ensure that morale is maintained throughout the 90 minutes.

It isn't always that easy. Rarely, in fact. There are as many reasons as to why we do this as there are people who do it. There are, and here is the topical point I pounded today, also as many reasons why NOT.

We know a lot of whys. The weight control why. The health and fitness why. The social interaction why. The improvement why. The fun why. I could go on.

I ask for a review of the why, the reason(s) that we do this to such a degree of precision and execution. I call out the most basic situational negative known to all athletes. The why not.

The insidious Central Governor has the awesome responsibility of keeping you from harming yourself. She is a built-in 50 amp fuse. You cannot go past maximum, an oxymoron if ever there was. Worse, the CG constructs, creates and devises excuses to keep you from even doing the damage necessary to bring about cellular change and physical adaptation. The Rolodex of why nots.

This, I explain, gasping for air, is the face of the enemy. The why not bastard.

I ask over and over to embrace the why. To own your why. To improve the why when in the danger zone. Anybody can have a strong sense of why when the effort is contort zone or less. ANYBODY.

What separates us from the cheetah and barracuda is our ability to talk ourselves out of maximum effort. The why not.

Know your why I shout (over a Jimi jam). Practice its meaning in the the firefight of the moment. Trust your inner why, not your outer why not.

Do you hold your why, your meaning, in your head or in your soul? The combination of physical and mental training creates a glimpse at spirit.  The very soul of the matter, where meaning is clear. There awaits the most powerful force in the universe. Your why, your purpose and meaning, ready to act.

Know your why.

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