Yesterday I wrote about how my Trainers are setting the bar higher as I recover. Yes, I laugh because it is quite ridiculous sometimes and seeing the progression unfold “live” is hysterical for me even though I’m the one who has to do the running, jumping and squatting, but truth be told, I’m pleased. So are they. This is what they do, and the fact that I’m able to do more means they are achieving results in a context they haven’t dealt with before.
But to reiterate, the goal here is not to build muscle for muscle’s sake. More muscle protects my joints among other things. (Reminder: my joints don’t move in the way they were designed to but I keep using them however I can since I was given the opportunity to walk again.) I stand, sit, and speak differently. My carriage and breathing have changed, and I’ve realized that I need to work out a lot harder than the general population to maintain a very basic level of functionality, I.e. Just to feel “okay.”
440. I’m Busy
What that means is that I train hard and I train often. Well, I have been trying to train hard. We’ve hit some major bumps in the road lately but things are looking up. Over the past several months I’ve settled for the “training often” half of the equation and we’ve focused on the pressing issues at hand – pain management, nutrition, injury (oops, my bad – I didn’t know I was making it worse), and dealing with stress.
But now we’re in a phase (I’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts) where we’re not putting out fires, we’re chasing gains. This was where I was after Oregon and before I transitioned to the Full Disclosure Model with everyone. I felt fantastic in June and part of July. I don’t necessarily feel fantastic right now, but I feel vastly improved compared to a month ago. I’ll take what I can get :).
420. I Said It
And the biggest change I noticed during that time at Boo Boo’s house (this was after I started “running” in earnest but before I came home) was that I had the stamina to arrange my thoughts and deliver them publicly in a way that pointed to the mental acuity that has always been there but that I’ve been too tired to put to good use.
The mind-body connection is becoming clearer for me. I can feel the difference in the way I write, prepare, and speak. This is a good thing, and is traceable to my overall physical improvement. This is the end game I’ve had in mind, and it’s why I transitioned to the Full Disclosure Model with my Trainers in the first place. I have very specific physical goals and they are prepared to help me achieve them – I just wanted them to understand the context I’m working in and why it’s so important to me. We’re not there yet, of course – we might never be – but we’re making progress.
Side note: It totally helps my stress levels that my Trainers are fun to be around. I laugh a lot and am getting top notch training in the meantime. Gen is a Complete Riot. I told her last week that we should just understand that even though she calls me crazy she is actually several notches above me on the crazy scale and operates on a level I can never hope to approach. But let’s face it – the craziest one of all has to be Ninja CMD.
It is encouraging to me that the Scriptures tell us to train hard. The language can often be quite martial…
“He trains my hands for battle | So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze…” Psalm 18.34
But in the next breath the Psalmist says, “Your gentleness makes me great.” Psalm 18.35
Paul talks about training like an Olympic athlete:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. – I Corinthians 9 (NASB – © Lockman Foundation)
And it is a great comfort to me, especially after I went to college and had to take Georgetown’s Freshman Intro to Theology classes, that we are encouraged not to operate from an imbalanced emotionalism, but to learn how to handle the Sword of the Spirit deftly. Thank the Lord that the Word is “living and powerful” and cuts to the heart on it’s own, often in spite of our attempts to wield it skillfully, but this is no reason not to try.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2.15
Now that I’ve gotten sick I understand that what was a big deal in college was really child’s play. This is the major leagues now. And it’s clear that there is definitely a place for intellectual argument – a systematic defense of your faith via the judicious deployment of information. I earned respect from professors and peers bc I was willing and able to engage at that level. Your logic must be sound but I realized then and have found it to be true now that personal devotion to Christ puts an end to discussion.
Learning How... 