Woody Cavenaugh

They say an intelligent man will look before crossing a one way street. They also say a wise man will look both ways. Wisdom often comes from unexpected places, usually in a painful way. This is where I come in.

I found my self standing in front of the boulivard of unrealistic expectations located one block from the boulivard of broken dreams to the north and one block from the road paved with good intentions to the south. For the first time in a long time I looked both ways, of course not before getting ambushed from behind by the thunderous crack of realities whip. What I discovered behind me was a roadway filled with signs marking unrealistic expectations and lame excuses.

I am ready.
It was the heat.
I am ready.
I need to drop down to 300lbs first.
Walking for an hour on the treadmill will be just the ticket.
I need new equipment.
I will take it slowly at first and gradually build up.
I was unwell.
It was the altitude.
I'm big boned.
Its genetic.

Not a very inspiring view is it? But let me make it perfectly clear, this is not a pitty party, I don't want your pitty. Save that for the starving babies in Africa who have no choice. I'm a scientist. All problems can be overcome through observation, analysis, and experimentation. If the experimentation doesn't yeild the expected results, then my analysis is wrong, I stop, reassess my situation, make more observations and start over from the beginning. Every new beginning is another new beginning's end. It is progress, and I am proud to be a part of it.

I feel that as of this moment I am at the end of a failed experimental phase. I will take some time off to gather the data, reassess my situation, formulate a new better plan and impliment that plan. It is the circle of life. :)

Preliminary Data:
1. Stretching is not an aerobic exercise.
2. Warmup activities should not keep you from the actual activity.
3. If you skip warmup so you will be able to participate in an activity you might be fooling yourself.
4. If proper hydration and a healthy focus on heat reduction doesn't keep you out of trouble, you might be over your head.
5. "It will learn" is not an appropriate response to seeing stars during exercise.
6. "It will learn" is not an appropriate response to not being able to easily catch your breath.

"It will learn" is really more of a macro attitude, and not a micro attitude. I will learn. Eventually, with enough blows to the back of the head by reality.

Feeling embarassment, feeling disappointment, feeling fear, feelings of failure to myself and others, these things are not real and I don't need them, they do not exist. So don't piss me off by assuming they do. The feelings aren't real, but the anger will be.