The bar has been raised!

Structured training with the group is paying off, as we saw last night during Hell Night plus again at this morning's session. (The Westcliff stairs saw one change, and that was the addition of a long cardio run to move us from the top of the stairs to the start line at the bottom. All other exercises remained the same, and I felt great afterwards. I can definitely feel an improvement in recovery times and strength.)

It's amazing how motivating yourself to begin something is one thing, but then actually going through the motions is quite another. There are many phases to getting anything done, and I feel it particularly when doing physical training where it's out of my comfort zone. Group sessions really work for me.

• You psych yourself up to the point where you are ready to make a plan and hit a goal
• Friends get involved and it's all a bit easier, as the vision (and nerves) are shared
• First training session is planned and a date is set
• You arrive excited and amped to go
• You begin strong ... 
• Then mere moments later you begin to regret your decision to even think about starting
• Your friends feel the same and the blame game begins. "Who's stupid idea was this in the first place?" (all in jest of course)
• But that thought exists only for seconds, as nobody else is giving up just yet.
• You carry on in silence for a while as each person finds a way to muster up more courage in their own way
• You pick up energy in the knowledge that you are not alone, and the talking begins again
• Finally on completion of that first dreaded full SET, which felt like death half way through, you feel energised, immortal and ready to go
• By the end, it's all a blur and you wonder how you got through all of those SETS
• But you feel great, and the smiles all around afterwards pick you up even more
• We meet again tomorrow, and the cycle begins again!