I have never had workouts as hard as the ones I've had the past week at the ATC. Obviously long bike or ski races might be more taxing, but that's different. This is just a beat-down, every single time. Three times a week, and it feels like a pressure cooker before every single one. Everything is so foreign, I'm always sore, I'm one of the weakest ones in the group, and I know I'm going to suffer. But you know what? I love it. I like figuring it out, figuring out how to get better. Today I made a mantra to keep having fun no matter what. I think last week I was almost overwhelmed by how much it hurt – psyched out if you will – and that made it even harder. A different approach today helped.  I did better.  Just have fun and laugh at the adversity. I think that, more than anything else, is the lesson from sports that can be transferred over to real life.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress in two months time.

Elaine just had a nice analogy. She's building the fire tonight. She noticed how fire can be so powerful and destructive, yet when it's in it's formation stage it's exceptionally fragile. You have to coddle it and care for it. Much like life. In the beginning, things are fragile, be it with a kid, or a business or a love interest. But if you care for it enough, you can create something that can set the world ablaze.