Treatment and recovery taught me freedom was using my free will to make choices, not feeling dependent on a substance. My TitaniumPerson career taught me how good it felt to choose my health. It taught me to rise to the challenge and to not only set goals, but achieve them.
I started racing to prove to myself how capable I was. Physically and mentally.
Laney seems to be racing to prove it to everyone else.
When I reach the lobby I clear my head of the philosophical thoughts and run over the training plan for today. It’s going to be a manageable set of strength training and calisthenics, focused on her lower body and then next week we’ll do an upper body workout and give her legs some rest ahead of the race.
She’s supposed to meet me in five minutes.
And she hasn’t texted me with a delay.
So, should I expect her in five minutes? Eight? Ten?
I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to her loose association with time.
“Hey Coach!” She calls as she pushes through the revolving door.
“Morning Laney.” She steps up close and her rose garden scent curls around me. I’m distracted as my senses strive to figure out how to handle their pleasure when she places her hand on my chest, lifts up, and presses her warm, soft lips to my jaw.
I blink down at her as my fingers float to touch the spot she kissed.
Her smile is sweet and bright and her vibrant energy is in direct proportion to how grounded I feel in this moment.
I clear my throat. “You ready to workout?”
“You betcha!” She cheers and I laugh despite myself.
Her energy is a gift.
“Let’s see how long this enthusiasm lasts.”
“Do you plan to work me over…hard?” She whispers up at me as I turn down the hallway to the gym.
We reach the door and instead of opening it, I stand in front of her and lean close to her ear. “Yes Laney, you’re going to ache. And beg me to finish.”
Her eyes widen as I lean back and give her a smug smile. One that shows her I’m well aware of the promises I just made.
Luckily for her I don’t make promises I can’t keep.
We step inside and the music is loud. Just as well, I like having to get close to Laney to speak to her.
“We’re going to start with some warm up moves. Make sure your spine is loose. So, ten neck retractions, an upper trapezius stretch on each side for fifteen seconds, and then let’s do ten roll ups with a scapular squeeze at the top.”
“So you want me to give myself a double chin ten times, pull my neck like I’m a giraffe and then pretend to be one of those car dealership air dancer guys.”
I think about it.
“More or less, yes.”
“Got it.”
With a smile from Laney, and a reluctant one from me, we get started.
I keep an eye on her form and her posture. The marathon is always the toughest part simply because it’s the third discipline. It’s a mental battle more than a physical one.
But if your spine is straight, your body subconsciously thinks you’re doing better than you might actually be doing. I want to keep her back strong but loose.
We move to the roll ups and start with a rag doll hang for a few moments. Laney rounds her back more fluidly and slowly than I do so I get to watch her in the mirror as she rises.
