Training Log – Till I Collapse

Monday:   Fight Fit – Training with Terence

Tuesday:  Fight Fit – Training with Terence, 5 km run

Wednesday:  Weight Training – Biceps/Triceps /Abs, 10 km run

Thursday:  Fight Fit – Training with Terence, 5 km run

Friday:  Fight Fit – Training with Terence, Weight Training – Legs/Shoulders/Abs

Saturday:  5 km run, Weight Training – Abs

Sunday:  DAY OFF

This week I ran a total of 25 km…Next week I have to get back up to 30 km.

This is a short clip of the last minute or so of my 15 minute skipping warm-up.

Observations – Ten things that I learnt this week.

10.  At the Hen House (aka Gail and Chris’ home in St. Catharines), Chris is the master of the Oprah impression. As hard as I try, I just can’t nail it.

9.  Till I Collapse by Eminem is my current theme song. It makes me feel invincible; the determination feels like it can barely be contained within me. I shit you not, when I listen to this song, I have the primal urge to roar.

8.  Witnessing moments of pure abandon makes me feel so happy and so in love with the object of my attention. This week, Hannah was swaying happily as she munched on her favourite healthy snack and this innocent act of hers made my heart swell with an overwhelming rush of love for my H-Belles.

Hannah and her snack

7.  Sweat is a sign of hard work. I worked hard this week.

6.  Susan Boyle’s doppelganger lives in the Niagara Region.

5.  Even though it’s been 13 years since I left Bahrain, the concern I’ve been feeling towards the situation that is currently unfolding there reminds me that the ties to my old home are still strong.

4.  Why is it that the thing you need to do the most, is the one thing that is hardest to accomplish? I need to meditate; I know this. All I need to do is carve out a small amount of time each morning to complete this relatively “low hanging fruit” type of activity. Do I? No. I’d rather do just about anything else…What’s wrong with me? What am I afraid? Do I not want to figure out who I really am? Maybe I’m afraid that there’s nothing there.

3.  My jokes about me sweating when I put on my sports bra (seriously, this thing is like a steel fucking trap) are simply not funny. I’ve tried, I’ve failed, and I need to move on.

2.  The “meat sweats” is the least enjoyable type of sweating experience. In the past, I’ve “flirted” with vegetarianism and although I’ve never been able to fully commit, meat is something I rarely eat. On Friday night, the vegetarian in me was sucker punched when I attended at wonderful rustic Italian feast at the 13^th Street Winery. Three of the five courses where meat-centric and, by the end of the evening, the meat sweats had taken hold of me. When I sweat, I sweat clean. This unclean experience made me pick up my little black book and give vegetarianism a booty call.

1.  I am trying to figure out how I can best serve others. To help me figure this out, I submitted an application to volunteer at women’s shelter in St. Catharines. I hope I’m considered as I would love the opportunity to support women and their children as they work on their personal transformations.

When I think of serving others, teaching automatically comes to mind, and this week, I’ve thought a lot about returning to my first profession. Sadly, these thoughts have occupied my mind on the same week that a former colleague, a teacher and friend, lost his fight to cancer. Roberto was an inspiration; a teacher who truly loved his vocation. Roberto seamlessly channelled a thirst for learning from within his students in order to guide them towards the acquisition of new knowledge, skills and competencies. Perhaps with a better awareness of self, I too would be the teacher that Roberto was, the teacher I had always hoped to be.