The President's Challenge

Remember the President's Physical Fitness Test from elementary school back-in-the-day?   As part of National Employee Health and Fitness day, Team Reesy did the President's Challenge during our Monday group workout.   I remember how I felt about the test back in elementary school.  Boy, I would dread that day.  Today I was excited to give it a shot and see if I could do it! Totally different attitude some twenty-some years later.

It was tough! Crunches, push ups, pull ups and of course: the mile.   That was hardest for me because it took me the longest.  It's hard to see those folks that you started out working out with, but who have less weight to lose than you do, achieving their fitness goals before you do. If we had been actually doing the mile outside instead of indoors on treadmills, my team mates would have literally left me behind, the way my faster classmates did back in school during the President's test.   Even more challenging is the fact that the treadmill hurts my heel so bad that it feels like a nail driving into it with every step.   But I didn't want to give up.   I wanted to finish this challenge.   The last three tenths I decided to run and the only thing I could do to keep me going was saying audibly to myself, "Push, push, push."  I probably sounded like a labor and delivery coach.   I wanted to cry.  Something about working out makes me emotional.    It's hard when you want to be the best and you just physically can't do it yet.

But I completed the challenge!  And from what I can remember, I did better than what I did in elementary school.   I have to remind myself that you don't always have to win....it's staying in the race that counts.