The Climb

I've come to this place in my life, at 44 years old, where internal motivation comes hard regarding exercise and fitness.  I find this ironic, since I received a degree in Health and Fitness from college, and worked for 15 years in corporate fitness. Go figure!  Still, because I KNEW I needed a swift kick in the behind to get moving, I decided to sign myself up for a duathalon (run-bike-run) this October, in my home city of Green Bay.

I'm happy to report that training has been going well!  Especially since I feel somewhat legit with a new bike, cyclometer, heart rate monitor, bike gloves, pink shades and cycling jersey.  I've gone on many long bike rides, which quite often, include having go up these wonderful things called "hills". And although I do not dread them as much as I once did, I find that the hills have taught me an important life lesson.  They are always tough, and never "fun".  But there's power in the "knowing" as I climb up that hill........that I get to enjoy the pleasure of coasting down it too. 

Sometimes life is like a long bike ride.   Sometimes the road is straight and narrow.  Sometimes the road is filled with hills and valleys. Most of the time it's a mixture of both.  How we choose to respond to those hills and valleys ultimately determines whether or not we will experience the gleeful victory ride down the hill after we've conquered it.  I have personally experienced joy in the midst of  sorrow; but only because I KNEW that God was using those valleys to bring incredible joy after the struggle.  I knew their was purpose in the pain, and I knew if I surrendered that situation (that uphill climb) to Him, one day I would get to coast down from the mountaintop.  Somehow the uphill climbs of life make us stronger and build in us an incredible endurance for the next battle that comes our way.  And when you've conquered those hills - those inevitable battles- you get to ride down it, legs out to the side, and yell at the top of your lungs, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"