2012 Training: Hooking up with enduraLab
I consider myself an athlete, as should anyone with as many accomplishments under my belt (3 marathons, nearly a dozen half-marathons, an amateur soccer championship). However, much of that was accomplished by natural talent vs. preparation. I’m naturally lazy and for years have gotten away with it.
Even though I am older, I’ve still got the power to my body less than ideal yet still wake up to pound out a great run. However, it’s time that I do more to achieve my potential. I’ve always wanted to be 80 years old and running a marathon — the twist is that I want to be the strongest, fastest, and happiest I can possibly be while doing so. This is a new paradigm for me.
Like most people, my wife and I both come from families where we don’t take health for granted. We regularly pledge to always take care of ourselves, as we owed it stay alive for each other as long as we can. This has become more paramount as we’ve had children.
Having kids slowed us both down on that pledge. Any parent will tell you about the yeah-duhh tradeoff we make between doing a workout vs. a night of extra sleep. But it easily slips into eating your kid’s Pop Tart vs. some scrambled egg whites, etc. It’s time to not only get back on the wagon, but to be more the driver and less the passenger.
I work best when made accountable for my actions. And if the accountability doesn’t exist naturally (work deadlines, for example), then I must force it. In the past, I did this by joining the excellent running programs at Luke’s Locker & signing up for races far in advance. Later I volunteered to coach in those programs.
This year, my accountability is The enduraLab and its amazing athletes. While I’ve always been interested in their offerings, the distance to their gym (Ft. Worth) was prohibitive from McKinney, where I live. I will be participating in their online training program, where their roster of experienced coaches is accessible with just a few keystrokes. The amount of resources which will be at my disposal is exciting. And the goals they’ve help me craft, while aggressive, will be great new achievements.
I’ll talk more about The Lab, my goals, and the overaall experience over the next several months, as they not only help me prepare for my fall and winter races (including the New Year’s Double) but also get me to a better place athletically than I was just a year ago.
