Exploring limits have been a theme in my house lately, in many ways. Reese is pushing his limits as a now four-year-old. I am exploring my limits as a parent and what I can and will tolerate. And Fran and I are pushing our limits with regards to fitness.
Fran and I have always been active. We enjoy being athletic and thrive on the next big challenge. I have done half-marathons, full marathons and sprint triathlons. Fran has done mountain bike races and the same half-marathons and full marathons. But the first of the year brought a new push to our limits.
I started a boot camp class. I discovered muscles I didn't know were still there from my younger days. The workouts are reminiscent of my Virginia Tech Crew days, when I was much younger and more energetically inclined. I find myself in extreme oxygen deprivation three times per week for 30 minutes at a stretch, and I LOVE it.
I am most proud of Fran, who just committed himself to the Shenandoah 100 Backcountry Mountain Bike Race, a tour on the bike covering 100 miles of fire road and single track in the Shenandoah Mountains. He knows it is going to be his biggest challenge to date, and he is totally jazzed about it.
We watched a documentary recently called "Bicycle Dreams" about the Race Across America, a 3000+ mile road race from San Diego to Atlantic City. These athletes ride for 40+ hours before sleeping, rest about an hour and then jump back on their bikes. They repeat this over the course of about nine days until they finish. They cover approximately 350 miles per day and suffer symptoms such as delirium, hallucinations and extreme physical pain. And they love it too. And although I have no desire to put my body through that much pain, I understand their thinking.
This movie made me ponder why we love the physical challenges we set ourselves out to complete, no matter how much pain we experience from them. For some, it's improving their time, qualifying for another race, or beating an opponent they haven't before. For me, it is seeing how far I can push my body. Nothing feels better than crossing over the finish line knowing I did it and raced as fast as I possibly could have that day. Just using everything I have in me to race and leaving a race exhausted is so fulfilling.
So I ask, what is your limit? What would you want to do if you put your mind to it and committed to it? A 5k? Marathon? Ironman? Bike race? Feel free to share. I'd love to hear about your fitness goals and what you are inspired to accomplish!
