Perfect Balance

Last week, on January 2, I told Captain Awesome that I wanted 2009 to be a year when we move beyond working out and get more into conditioning. I want to jump higher, run faster, and lift heavier. And, I want to do a better job of getting enough rest. It's going to be a year of finding balance.

It's also going to be a year of transition, flexibility, and adaptation. I hear Awesome talk about new opportunities that are milling around him, and I know he won't be around long. I'm going to have to suck as much out of him as I can before he moves on, and then have the flexibility to adapt to someone else, or take the reins myself. I don't know how much time we have, but I don't need much.

I only need 10 weeks, to be exact. After learning that the July 2009 competition I had originally chosen was held in Las Vegas, I looked for something closer to home. That landed me in March, a mere two months away. I wavered back and forth between panic and excitement. On one hand, I didn't think that gave me enough time. On the other hand, I knew this event was a benchmarking opportunity for future training, not some final destination. And, I liked that rather than a formal competition, this event was a training camp with a competition at the end. It's the perfect opportunity for me to gauge my skills and make adjustments for anything I want to do in the future.

So yesterday, on January 5th, I told Captain Awesome that I decided to do an earlier event and that we needed to amp it up. That apparently inspired him to break out his torture equipment and I spent the next 30 minutes jumping rope, doing crazy one-legged squats, and doing box jumps.

And this morning, I skipped the gym. I hadn't gotten any sleep and knew I needed to get some shut-eye before work. And, I knew I would finally be able to get some lunchtime cardio done. But to lie there in bed and know that I was missing my workout was, well, I felt like a huge slacker. I am going to have to find a way to have balance and get enough rest without feeling like I am slacking off.

So I am back to wavering between panic and excitement. On one hand, I like being obsessive and neurotic and intense about my goals. That's who I am, and I like myself. On the other hand, I know some of my obesessive, neurotic, and intense habits aren't the healthiest, and ultimately I want to achieve all-around good health.

I like to say that we are either moving towards our goals or away from them, and that there isn't much in between. And somehow, skipping my workout this morning is going to move me towards my MGP.

At least it better. :)