The Game Changer Session- Setting Goals & Making Them Happen {Mommy & Boot Camper Guest Post}
Last night was one of the windiest and coldest since I moved out here 6 months ago. It was also my night to run 13.1 miles. I could have tried to reschedule that run, but I had arranged childcare and booked it as a date with my husband (we used to run long distances together regularly before we entered into the world of parenting; now we take turns running more often than not). AND the number one reason I had to do this run either then or within the next 48 hours from then was because of my boot camp game-changer.
What is the game changer? Angela challenged us all to set goals that we would accomplish outside of boot camp, and we had to reach those goals by the end of this session. Partly, this exercise in reaching beyond our standard workout routine was to help us realize how consistent work over time can really add up to something big. For example, I ran two or three times per week outside of boot camp and ran more than my 50 mile goal. I just kept at it, knowing that each Friday morning Alyson (an amazing person who works for Body Inspired Fitness) would come around with her clipboard to ask me what I did toward my goals that week. Having that accountability really makes a difference when it’s 5:00 am and everyone else (including my dog) is sound asleep in the house.
The other part of the game-changer mission was to get us to move ourselves up to another level of fitness, toughness, and empowerment. That’s certainly what I got out of it, anyway.
A side note about running: when I first started running, I hated it. I only started running because, in the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania, the gym is an easy choice for working out when it’s dark and cold. The elliptical machines were so high in demand at the gym that I eventually decided to use the dreaded treadmill. I couldn’t run for more than 15 minutes at a time, and running is a loose term for the pace I kept. I just kept at it, though, because I started to see improvement after even just a few days of consistent work. Within one year from that point, I ran a marathon and actually enjoyed running it.
Running is so physically demanding that it has changed me from the inside out. When I started running consistently as a normal part of my life, it made me a tougher human being. It made me decide that the only way I’d let myself fail was trying my hardest to still succeed. I could modify, take a rest, whatever I needed—but I would keep going. It’s impossible to fail with that rule. It has served me well in life in general.
In addition to setting the goal of running 50 cumulative miles outside of boot camp over the 6-week session, I also set the goal of running a half marathon (13.1 miles) all in one shot. This was important to me because I hadn’t done this since before pregnancy 2 1/2 years ago. Something about the fact that my body was primarily considering someone else’s life for the better part of two years (between pregnancy and nursing) made me wonder if I would ever be able to push my body to run a long distance like that again. Those two years were wonderful and well worth the physical sacrifices, but–as the word sacrifice indicates–there are some physical limitations that come with the arrangement. Also, within the course of those two years, I turned 30.
With the above changes in mind, I felt that I needed to know that I could still run hard for a long time to feel like a fully functioning and happy version of myself. I needed to reaffirm to myself that even though I’ve changed my social roles in some major ways over the past two years (not in my 20’s anymore and a mother), I still get to determine my identity.
I want to have a quality of life that requires being in the kind of shape where I can scamper up mountains on the weekend if my husband and I get a chance to steal away on our own for 24 hours. I want to be able to go for a post-Valentine’s day run and know that I’m putting those chocolates I ate to good use. I want to have the energy and vitality to play with my daughter who is constantly on the move. In my life, being happy means being fit.
Not only do I want to take advantage of my youth now to be fit and healthy, but I want to build a foundation of health that will last my lifetime. My husband and I would like to have another child at some point, and I know that will mean another couple of years where my physical activity might not be quite so vigorous. Proving to myself that I could go through those intense physical changes of pregnancy, child birth, nursing, and then back to running long distances was pretty darn empowering. It helps me know that if I did it once, I can do it again. Thanks to all the balanced workouts that Angela designs (various types of strength training, cardio, and stretching), my body cranked out that 13.1 mile run faster than I ever did pre-pregnancy.
Also, I hope to enjoy many years ahead of me. I want to be able to eventually do these favorite active pastimes as a whole family once our kids are grown and then continue to do them into my older age. I have a Great Uncle who runs marathons and is in his upper 70s. I’m keeping my eye on that guy, and I hope to follow in his footsteps.
The game changer component of this boot camp reminded me that I want to reach new goals. I want to keep dreaming about and planning new mountains to climb, more races to run, and new trails to backpack. Whatever adventures I can imagine, I want to be physically ready to enjoy them. Boot camp is about more than just what happens at class. It’s also about what you do with that strength and training on your own time. The two combined: that’s the game changer. Take your fitness to a new level. Set concrete goals and design a plan to achieve those goals in a specified amount of time. Don’t limit yourself by society’s idea about what someone “your age”, “your gender”, or someone in a social role that you have can be. You decide who you are. You decide what you do. Be confident in who you are and then reach a little further to keep defying limits. In the words of the great Angela Parker, “You are stronger than you think you are.”
