You've Come a Long Way, Baby.

Dinner with some of my lovely ladies recently was a really timely reminder of an important concept for us overachieving A-type personalities.

We were having some general chit chat about my blog when one friend told me that they read about my training and thought I was 'so disciplined'. This came as a bit of a shock to me. I mean, I just do what I do. And I expect, 100%, this level of training from myself.
The comment took me back a few years to when I was overweight, unfit, smoking and thinking that a whole pack of Latina ravioli covered in cheese was a viable dinner. Back then I dreamed that if I could run 5km (I couldn't run more than 300m), 5 times a week, I would be at the pinnacle of fitness, I would have arrived. And I have been moving the goal posts ever since.

On our unending endeavor to reach for the stars, sometimes we forget to turn around and look at how wonderfully far we have already come.

It can be so easy to have goals or 'shoulds' that you set yourself. The problem is that when you chronically have your eyes set on the prize, you don't look around an awful lot, nor do you look back, which can result in the feeling that you are 'never quite there'. If you keep moving the goal posts, chances are that you will do spectacular things and reach spectacular heights, but, in turn, if you keep moving the goal posts you may not take time to stop, be proud, be thankful and be still.

So today on my long ride in the crisp Autumn air, sun shining on my face, I took time to think about how far I have come, rather than all the things I want to be able to achieve in the future. And it was grand. For a moment in time, I even thought that at this rate of progress, I'm fairly sure I will make the Australian cycling team by the time I'm 65 (assuming that all progress is linear of course).

Not a bad view on the morning ride.

This is, quite literally, my office. Thankful much?

So go ahead guys, no matter where you are at, take time today and be thankful; that your legs work, that you are strong, that you have trained your brain enough to push through physical barriers, that the sky may be the limit, but that my oh my, you've come a long way, baby.