Abnormal Motivation

Another writer suggested recently that I pick a subject to ponder for the week while running, then write about it after the seven days are up. This week's subject; motivation, though I think it picked me this week rather than the other way around.

A couple of days ago my supervisor, in front of the whole shop, asked me if I was in FEP. The Military loves it's acronyms and in this case FEP stands for "Fitness Enhancement Program". When someone has a hard time passing, or fails, the Navy Physical Readiness Test (PRT) than they are automatically put in FEP and do three mandatory command-coordinated workouts a week.

My supervisor is new to the shift and hasn't been around while I've talked about races I'm running, the tri's I'm training for, or the really cool new workouts that have come out recently. He simply came to the shift, looked at me, and assumed that I wasn't within Navy standards.

A year ago I wouldn't have been insulted, I was out of shape and looked it. I've never had a hard time passing the PRT but I wouldn't have faulted the guy for thinking that I might. Now though, I've lost twenty five pounds, run a marathon and multiple shorter races, and do a variety of workouts at least four times a week. Right now, the Navy PRT (for my age group: 45 pushups, 55 situps, and a timed 1.5 mile run) is basically a warm up. I still look like a big guy, but rather than fat-big I just look stocky (or so I thought).

This supervisor, who smokes and probably weighs 160 pounds soaking wet, looks like he'd have a hard time opening a stubborn pickle jar. I gave him my best you-can't-be-serious look and calmly told him in front of our entire work shift that just for saying that I was going to have to smoke him on the next PRT. He said "Oh" and went back to whatever it was he'd been doing.

So this morning, instead of the long, slow run I would normally do, I did two miles of hard-core intervals around the track. I've been training for some longer races that will lead to the Honolulu Marathon in December but I think for the next month until the PRT I am going to throw in some variety. Namely speedwork, intervals, and some killer hills.

Motivation comes in many forms. Some run for health, some run to lose weight, others run because someone made a negative implication about them in front of their co-workers. Before, I just looked at the PRT as something I had to do every six months, now I'm looking at it like a race. It's something to train for, something to work towards, and in doing so probably setting a new PR. Look out PRT, look out supervisor, here I come.

(Originally Posted 04 September 2009, Runners World and Myspace)