Fully committed

I wrote two weeks ago that “I’m fully committed to each and every session ….. I never leave anything in the gym. The tanks are always emptied.” after yet another tough session at David Fairlamb Fitness. They aren’t just words. Those sentiments are being seen in action time and time again in Dave’s gym. Tonight’s double session was no exception. 

I gave as much as I could during the first session. Yet again though the effort levels were slightly below average. Only slightly mind. I use heart rate to measure this by the way. Of course, some weeks aren’t as cardio intensive as others so it’s just a rough guide. The second session is always a carbon copy of the first so that’s when a good comparison can be made. And surprise, the exertion in the second session was way above average. And boy did it feel like it. I had to take myself to places I don’t often have to go in my mind. I was on my limit on many occasions during that second session tonight. 

As tough as it was, I was absolutely loving every second of it. I simply had to use every syllable of Dave’s cues and words of encouragement to my advantage. Dave was the proverbial 12th man! I really wish I’d had the chance to get a photo but, yeah, that’s not happening in a session like that. This isn’t Instagram! Instead, I’ll leave you with a picture of a puppy stolen from Google. 

The image below is the comparison between tonight’s two identical sessions. 

So, once again, I left Dave’s gym feeling like an absolute world beater. I always say that there is a long way to go in this journey. I’ll be speaking more about the next steps soon. I have an exciting plan for 2022. For now, there continues to be an upward trajectory of strength, conditioning, fitness but, most importantly of all, enjoyment.

A "complete week"

It’s been, what I would call a “complete week” of training all carried out at David Fairlamb Fitness. This morning’s session was a Versa Climber class and capped off yet another enjoyable week in the gym. The 30 minute climbing session at 0715 was all about the intervals. Dave stressed the need for consistency across each set. As a result, my focus was set firmly on maintaining a climbing rate of 140ft per minute. Bearing in mind that when I do a similar session at home my comfortable pace is around 120ft per minute. A session I did last week at home saw me only just get to 100ft per minute. This, for me, just shows what I’ve become aware of over the last 12 months. If you have a commanding inspirational leader of a session then good things can happen in terms of performance. Possibly more important than that is the enjoyment I continue to find at the gym (or Saturday on the beach). 

The enjoyment of sessions got me through the early days last year and gave me a good platform. I’m now able to push myself that bit more with confidence and with the support and encouragement of Dave and the other trainers who take the particular sessions. 

As far back as August 2008, just days before I met Dave, I wrote the following on www.rungeordierun.com - “…a certain Theodore Schumann once said "Surrounding yourself in your practice with the right people who have great attitudes is truly one of the keys to both success and happiness.". So with that in mind, I've been thinking about trying to get a proper coach and mentor to keep me on the straight and narrow and ultimately increase my chances of success. Mr Schumann explains further - "In order to grow in your field, you need a voice that understands where you're coming from and what your goals are. A mentor provides the wisdom you haven't yet achieved, or the motivation you need to take bold action. While you won't always agree with your mentor, you will learn to appreciate all he or she teaches you.".” 

I wrote those paragraphs as a 37 year old. Today, I’m 50 and I could not agree more with what my younger self had to say. The blog went on to say “So, after having read this, I'm sure you'll agree that the chances of success are set to increase now that David and Mark are on board. Mark, I know fairly well. David, I only met for the first time last Thursday. It is easy to see why personal training is his field. He has an infectious motivational attitude about himself. I felt like I could be a world beater after the chat I had with him. That, together with Mark's drive and support means I may actually stand a chance of completing the required amount of training and ultimately the next big run across the USA in 2011.”. 

Now that paragraph is uncanny as I often leave the gym feeling, as I put it, “like a world beater”. I often also use the phrase “I now feel like a million dollars”. The physical, mental and charitable benefits from working with Dave and Mark have been and continue to be absolutely priceless. Regular readers will remember when they both returned to the USA for a second unplanned surprise week of support. "Who would even do that?" is a phrase I've also used many times.

There is still much further to travel on this journey. I’m fully committed to each and every session and, as you can tell from the picture below, I never leave anything in the gym. The tanks are always emptied. 

If I could go back and tell my younger self anything it would be “This will turn out to be a great decision. You’re going to enjoy training with Dave and Mark. It will change your life. Stick at it mate”. Dave and Mark - thanks for everything you do. See you on the beach tomorrow for another tough Beach Bootcamp.