"Where have you been?" Jeff barked as I showed up at the gym 10 minutes late.
"Sorry, Jeff. Class ran over, and I got here as fast as I could," I said.
"Listen, kid. I bust my butt to set up these workouts and make sure your body is ready to take you to the Olympics. You can't just show up late."
"I said I'm sorry, and now I'm here. So, let's get started."
Jeff grabbed my wrist. "I say when we start!" He paused, staring at me. "Now take a knee."
Jeff was my personal trainer. A former Olympian who has run 45 marathons in his 35 years, Jeff had the body to prove it. I never actually found out how much body fat he had -- though he would test mine every week -- but I can't imagine it was any more than 2%. He stood six feet tall, weighed about 185, and was all muscle. He had the kind of hard body you see on boxers, which, in fact, was one of his newer hobbies. Jeff ran about 50 miles a week and I knew he'd be the perfect man to train me for the Olympic Trials. He was tough, no-nonsense, and he'd been there. He knew what it took to win.
So, last year, I signed up with Jeff and told him I wanted to make the Olympics in track-and-field and run my first Ironman. He looked me up and down and told me, flat out: "If we do this, there's no turning back. You do what I say. You train when I tell you. And you have to dedicate your entire body to the effort. Then, I'll take you to the Olympics."
"Sorry, Jeff. Class ran over, and I got here as fast as I could," I said.
"Listen, kid. I bust my butt to set up these workouts and make sure your body is ready to take you to the Olympics. You can't just show up late."
"I said I'm sorry, and now I'm here. So, let's get started."
Jeff grabbed my wrist. "I say when we start!" He paused, staring at me. "Now take a knee."
Jeff was my personal trainer. A former Olympian who has run 45 marathons in his 35 years, Jeff had the body to prove it. I never actually found out how much body fat he had -- though he would test mine every week -- but I can't imagine it was any more than 2%. He stood six feet tall, weighed about 185, and was all muscle. He had the kind of hard body you see on boxers, which, in fact, was one of his newer hobbies. Jeff ran about 50 miles a week and I knew he'd be the perfect man to train me for the Olympic Trials. He was tough, no-nonsense, and he'd been there. He knew what it took to win.
So, last year, I signed up with Jeff and told him I wanted to make the Olympics in track-and-field and run my first Ironman. He looked me up and down and told me, flat out: "If we do this, there's no turning back. You do what I say. You train when I tell you. And you have to dedicate your entire body to the effort. Then, I'll take you to the Olympics."