Friday Ramblings

Happy Friday! We've made it through another week, and since I'm in a bit of a tight spot for time today, I'm going to just throw out a couple of random thoughts instead of a cohesive post, so my apologies.

*Image found here

First, I wanted to follow up regarding the incident that took place with a car on the roadways a couple of weeks ago. In short, nothing will come of any of it. One of the local sergeants went to the car-owner's home and was told that she had let some people borrow her car and "didn't remember" who had it on that particular day [eye roll]. Unless I could definitively identify the driver, the case would just get thrown out of court. Because I only caught a view from the side and rear, obviously, that would be impossible. Although nothing will come of this particular incident, I hope that others will continue to report these types of moments in the future.

Of note in this process though, I will be adding to my list of things to be aware of in case of an altercation on the roads. Getting specifics/identifiable characteristics about the driver is pretty necessary it seems, as well as getting an officer involved immediately. While I tried to do that but gave up because of the long wait, the officer I spoke to recommended calling from a comfortable place rather than going into the department itself, as it is often easier to get a report done over the phone. Lesson learned.

One other thing that has been plaguing my mind over the last week or so is this: Is it out of line or inappropriate to tell a cyclist "good job" when riding or driving past him/her? I'll provide some examples and feel free to let me know your thoughts.

*Image found here
Yes, I chose this photo specifically - because it's a little uncomfortable/awkward.

In the first scenario, a male driver is passing a cyclist on the road. He honks, throws a "thumbs up" out the window and yells, "keep it up!" out the side of the car. Does it matter if the cyclist is male or female? Does it make a difference if the cyclist is overweight or not? Is this offensive, or should it be construed as genuine encouragement?

In the second scenario, a female cyclist is passing another cyclist on a road. As the female cyclist pedals by the slower cyclist the female yells out, "Good job!" and pedals on past. The cyclists don't know each other and they aren't involved in any kind of race or organized event. Does it seem presumptuous that the cyclist is doing the best s/he can?  Again, does it matter if the slower cyclist is male or female? Should we say anything to other cyclists as we pass other than "passing" or "on your left" or perhaps "good morning/afternoon/evening?"

I'd love to know what you all think about any of these thoughts that catch your fancy. Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend, and hopefully enjoy a leisurely, fun ride as well!

An Alternate View: Inspiration Rather than Failure

The other day, I wrote about my frustrations with myself and not being able to be proud of something I had accomplished. As I was perusing my morning reads, I happened upon a post from the instructor, Chris, who had actually posted the day after the class took place; however, I didn't see it until this morning. His take on the events that evening are printed below.

Image from Pinterest

" THIS Is What It's All About

When I teach both a morning and a night kickboxing class on the same day, I tend to reuse some of the same sets at night that seemed to work in the morning. Of course, if anyone comes to both classes, I try to vary it up enough to keep it interesting for the “two-a-day”ers. G has only been kickboxing with FCF for a little over two months, but she regularly attends both morning and evening classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tonight was no exception.

When I told everyone to get out their bags tonight except G, she laughed and just said “uh oh”. (If you know G, you know she smiles and laughs through the most intense sets she does. She definitely brings a positive vibe to every class). I brought over a white board and a marker, hung a rope just a few inches above her reach, took her to the back of the studio floor and told her that her entire workout tonight would consist of 100 burpees. Now I don’t know many people who “like” burpees, and G is certainly no exception, though she smiles and pushes through the short sets we do in warmup and during class sometimes. But I’ve always gotten the sense that G REALLY doesn’t like burpees. Like, at all. But I knew if I asked her to do 100, it was a good bet that she would do her best to do 100 burpees. Plus, she’d smile while doing them. After all, I wouldn’t want to bore her with a repeat of her morning workout. 

G did her 100 burpees. She finished with about 20 minutes left in class, so I figured I’d let her cool down a bit while I continued to teach. Next thing I know, she’s doing….more burpees. “I thought I’d do some extra credit” she said, smiling of course, when I asked her what was going on. Who was I to stop her? “Go for it!” I said, and she did. 110. 120. 150. 180. She didn’t think she was going to finish in time, but she was close enough to our regular ending time that I assured her we would stick around if she wanted to get to 200. When she got to 190, the rest of the class finished up doing continuous burpees with G, cheering her on, until she finished her last 10. No pressure, right? And she did them. 200 burpees total tonight. Has she ever done 200 burpees before? “I don’t think I’ve done 200 total in my life” she told me.

This is what it is all about. G is consistenly one of hardest workers in our classes. She FIGHTS through every single set, every single exercise, every single rep when most people would just give up and say it isn’t worth it. I knew if I asked her to do 100 burpees, she would struggle mightily but she would do them. What I did not anticipate was that she would take a set that I figured would be a major accomplishment for her, and she would double it. It was definitely one of the most inspirational moments I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing in quite awhile.

I promise that if anyone wants to attend two classes in a day, I won’t make you do 100 burpees as a “reward”.   Everyone is motivated by something different, and I had hoped this set would help show G what I knew she was capable of doing. What she ended up doing was showing me something that, just an hour prior, I would not have thought possible. G…mighty impressive job tonight. Thanks for the shot of motivation."

When I read this, I have to admit I cried. It never ceases to amaze me that even though I was unable to see the good in my performance, someone else was ready to offer up praise. I am also fascinated that while our recollections of the evening are quite similar, I could do nothing but beat myself up, while Chris found inspiration in my completion of the task. I hope that I can be that inspiration and stop doubting my own capabilities. To Chris, I say thanks for the alternate viewpoint.