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Abstract: The point of today’s parable is capitalizing on the energy of overriding reasonbehind our endeavors.WE need 2 Primary Ingredients to keep ourselves Muscularly Young over the long haul:
1) PROPER Stress to keep us ALIVE!
2) The Purpose/People Making the Stress Worthwhile!
Staying Muscularly Young into our 40"s, 50's, 60"s is an unusual thing to do – not easy or intuitive. It takes more than “toning up” or “loosening the hammy’s”. We need a great plan & an emotional charge to journey to a hard-got destination. The flexibility, balance and quickness required are best realized as side effects of reaching meaningful goals. This lesson was reinforced to me this past Thanksgiving.
Ten years ago I haphazardly fell into an Ultimate Frisbee Community that meets up Sunday mornings in Wellesley, MA.Ultimate is tough game of constant running. Nothing makes me more sore the day after...
The Heart of this Disc-Community is a clan of cousins – The Heffernans/Laughins/Jacobs- What a family! A fantastic group of smart, funny, athletic and DECENT people whom I’m honored to call FRIENDS.
Once a year, on Thanksgiving Weekend, the Heffernan, Laughlin, Jacobs gang play together as a family as “Team Doonarie” in a best 3 out of 5 Ultimate Frisbee throw-down against all the non-family players:
A disparate assemblage of disc-toting “Outsiders” in an event named, “The Marie’s Cup.” I’ve been an Outsider team member for several years…
But the truth is, over the last two seasons, I stopped showing up on Sundays – I was busy writing or working or ….whatever…. Last Thanksgiving, my Outsiders got spanked - embarrassed really - in an undisciplined, sloppy Maries Cup showing…I painfully remember my back going out during the pre-Big Game Warm-Up…I personally played like crap & felt slow - it was time to hang up the disc….
This fall of 2009, the Outsider captains – my Thanksgiving coaches – Mike “Eisy” Eisenstadt and Charlie “CW” Walsh e-mailed that Marie’s Cup was nearing - it was time to get up & IN SHAPE. Even though I’d been a no-show all Frisbee season, I got invited to re-join the team – and a funny thing stirred….I wanted to play again!....But I was not sure why…
Sunday practices started in Mid-October – I hadn’t trained that hard in years – Sprints, jump-roping, cones, ladder-drills and a giant truck tire from G-d Knows Where…
At the risk of divulging too much info, that first practice actually liquefied my breakfast remainders leading to an unmentionable post-practice near-miss.
The weeks and practices piled up – The Outsiders got better – I got better –and a realization grew clear–
Even though I restore people physically professionally – (not for nuthin’, - I know LOTS about the human body), the presence of a GAME-DAY PURPOSE was amplifying my efforts– I was hustling because I didn’t want to let these Great Guys -both my teammates and the big-hearted DOONARIE- down! –
We fundamentally need in our training –especially as we plan to age –the magnetic pull of “purpose.” OUR best teachers, trainers, therapists and coaches wake this within us…
And it doesn’t matter what our destination is so long as we commit.
The first point WE TRACK in Ranks Training is “BENCHMARK.” We ask and decide, “Where do I want to be??” We write the Benchmark(s) down and bring them to life....
Then, Ranks Training Provides the Ticket to Ride.…Physical journeys to a resolved destination are potentially littered with pulled hamstrings, twisted ankles and sore backs. We create a map of our lurking vulnerabilities. The Gluing Energy Process, Postural Elucidations and Active Recovery kept me (and a few teammates) ready to go – Purpose kept us moving…
Did a few of my boys need some fixing? Absolutely!
Did Ol’ Adam have to fix himself – Hell Yeah!
Was it all worth the trouble???...The outcome of the BIG GAME was GREAT: I got stronger and Re-Connected with Great Friends.....
So this Post-Thanksgiving week, I give thanks to my Frisbee Life– My Outsider and Doonarie Brothers….. I know what I’ll be doing next year this time….
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