Pushing Through!

I was doing the Escarpment Steps on my lunch hour as a workout.  For anyone who doesn't live in Hamilton, these are steps that (surprisingly) go up the Escarpment.  They are generally very steep and many people use them as a workout because it's so hard to do them multiple times.

As I was ascending the stairs, I saw two men in front of me.  The one had stopped, his face red and sweaty.  He was shaking his head.  The other man yelled laughingly to him, "What happened to, 'I'm going to push through'?"

Pushing through.  The one guy had decided he just couldn't do it.

I've been there.  I'm sure we've all been there.

There will come a time when you feel like you just can't keep going.

For example, as I was doing the stairs, I knew there would come a time when I would want to quit.  My breath would be coming fast and hard; my lungs would be screaming out for more oxygen.  Lactic acid would be having a field day with the muscles in my calves and thighs.  I would be sweaty and tired.  My body would be telling me in many ways, on many different levels, and none of them delicate or subtle, that I should just...stop.  Stop now.  Basically the stairs (or whatever) is kicking your *ss and you just want to lie down, roll over, and be done.

However.  I have learned that I can, in fact, push through.  I can take a moment, breathe out as much carbon dioxide as I can, and take in as much oxygen as I can.  And then I keep going.

It's not about hurting or injuring yourself.  It's about challenging yourself and striving to improve.

And once you know that you can do it once, you realize you can do it twice.  And once your mind knows, it will tell your body.  Then your body will grudgingly comply.

And then your self-confidence increases, and your faith in your body too.  And then - the sky's the limit.