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Monday, Jul. 19, 2004 - 12:42 a.m. CATALYST Last night my brother called me to ask if I wanted to run a half-marathon with him in January. To do so would require a commitment to alter my lifestyle so that I will be ready to run the distance. However, as I found out tonight, this commitment would require more than simply running a couple miles a few days a week. In a previous entry several months ago, I said that one of my goals was to run a weekend race at least twice a month. I was full of crap. So many times in my life I say I am going to do something, but I just do not do it. There is always an excuse I make up, and I do not change a thing about my life. This applies not only to exercise, but everything else in my life as well. My yard looks like crap. My living room is hardly furnished. My social life is barely off the ground. One of the guys from Lafayette who moved to Baton Rouge that I befriended--I will call him Ryan--is the direct opposite of who I am and basically represents all I want to be when it comes to achieving my goals. I am not sure how old he is; I assume he is 20 or 21 or so. He is actually a nurse at a local hospital and plans to go back to school for a more advanced nursing degree here in Baton Rouge in the fall. He is also a serious triathlete. A few days a week, he runs a 10 mile trek around the LSU lakes. Along with his running, he trains for swimming and biking. Ryan also runs serious game when it comes to women. When I went to a party with him, the women hung on him like leaches. His cell phone constantly rings with another young girl calling him up. His personality is so friendly, easy-going, and outgoing, it is virtually impossible not to like the guy. He dresses GQ, he ends up giving a back massage to every girl he meets, and he is completely spontaneous with everything he does. But what also baffles my mind is how religious Ryan is. I met him at the retreat reunion and have since learned that he was involved in youth ministry among other things. He told me that the reason he moved to Baton Rouge is because the nursing program is at a religious hospital. If he is religiously devout as I think he is, then his moral standards are also admirable. I told my brother that I would consult Ryan for some inspiration and advice on a training regimen. As late as 9-o’clock tonight, right after my phone call, Ryan wanted to meet with me to show me a book on nutrition and training. Then he told me that he wants to run the half-marathon with me so that when I get tired around mile 10 or so, he can push me. Now I have done it to myself. I wanted inspiration to change, and now I feel enormous peer pressure to do so. My diet has to change, my sleep schedule must change, and I have to commit to my exercise regimen. For all practical purpose, this means my life must change. This guy is eventually going to want to come to my house, because it is so near the LSU lakes where he runs, and due to his popularity, the entourage of friends he carries will want to come to. He already hosts dinners at his apartment for all his friends. Out of courtesy, I probably should do the same. I write all this today, but I wonder if I have the wherewithal to accomplish my goals. I do not know if I can live up to the same standard of excellence that Ryan lives up to. Not that it matters; after all, I just want to be myself. Whether I change or not, I honestly do not care what other people think in this regard. The issue is becoming what I want to be, and if Ryan’s standards approximate my own, then those are the standards I will shoot for. And it will certainly help to have his pushing me along. |