How do you do it?

You’re in great shape, how do you do it?

I am confronted with answering this question occasionally at social events, and I’m never sure what the correct response should be. Don’t get me wrong, being a recent card carrying member to the Masters Division, I consider this question a compliment. The left and right side of my brain have a virtual arm wrestling match as to how to frame my answer. Here is what usually goes through my mind before I start spouting off. Does the person asking want my workout schedule? Is this Cougar hitting on me? ( I know, I’m an idiot) Do they want diet tips? Are they truly interested in what I have to say? How much do I say? Is the person just being nice or are they looking for a little bit of motivation to grab onto and run with?

I’m never sure, but after this internal George Costanza scenario comes to an end, I usually just say, “I’m pretty active and I sort of watch what I eat”. The standard response is usually, “Oh, ok”. Occasionally, I receive THE follow-up question of all follow-up questions. This is the question every active person wants to hear because it gives us a free pass to open the floodgates, “What does your workout schedule look like?” This is usually the time my wife leaves my side because she knows she just lost me for a least an hour, possibly two hours if the person also wants to know about my diet. Some people rate a dinner party’s success on the atmosphere, the food, the wine, the company, or the conversation……..not my wife, to her a dinner party is a success if she doesn’t loose me for a few hours while I ‘talk shop’ in an isolated corner with another runner, swimmer, or cyclist.

I think every one of us is in shape. Loosely, my definition of ‘In Shape’ is having your body ready for the activities you generally participate in. Depending on the time of year, my 10K time can vary by as much as 12 minutes, but be it winter, spring, summer, or fall, I'm always in shape enough to run a 10K. If you subscribe to the theroy that every person is able to do something, then you should accept my definition that if somebody is able to do something more than once, they would be considered ‘In Shape”. I feel the 55 year old gentleman who lives down the street from me who weighs close to three bills is ‘In Shape’. I watch him fire up his John Deere tractor weekly, he never forgets to fill both cup holders with Busch Light, and he eats up the better part of the afternoon cutting his ½ acre lot. He trains for lawn mowing, he participates in lawn mowing, I guess the recovery depends on how much he consumes while mowing, and he certainly repeats his lawn mowing weekly.

Fitness level, now that is a different story. What runner can admit to not assessing his or her fitness level daily at some point in their running career? Runners seem to constantly be asking themselves things such as, “Where is my fitness level"and "Am I ready for this race?” If I’m able avoid a major injury, over the course of a year, my weight fluctuates no more than a pound or two in either direction, but my fitness level differs greatly depending on the season. Does my fitness level ever measure up to Lance Armstrong’s fitness level? Hell no. But as compared to Busch Light Mower Man, I am Lance Armstrong.

I have also formulated a definition for ‘Fitness Level’ as well. To me, fitness level relates to having the capacity, and ability, to meet or exceed your expectations on race day. Of course, that is if you have committed yourself to train adequately and appropriately for the event. Again, we have established that Mr. Busch Light Mover Man is ‘In-Shape’ to mow his lawn, but it can be argued that his ‘Fitness Level’ is lacking because his body, after all the cheap beer intake, is unable to demonstrate the ability to cut his lawn in straight lines. What this gentleman needs is some Straight Line Mower Repeats on the inside grass portion of a 400m oval.

As the years and miles add up, I’m not as concerned about my fitness level as much as I once was. I feel that if you are committed and put in the time, effort, and training, the results will be there. When I look back in old marathon training logs and I see little notes questioning my fitness level on a certain date because I ran the same 8 mile loop one minute faster two weeks prior, it is difficult not to laugh. Have I matured that much in a short period of time, or have I just come to a time and place in my life where things like that don’t matter much any more? Ultimately, is my fitness level higher than the average Joe Forty Year Old who’s only exercise is pushing and pulling the reclining lever on his La-Z-Boy? Hell Yeah. Will I ever know what it feels like to run a five minute mile? Hell No. Do I care? Hell No. Am I having fun? Hell Yeah.

If given the chance, will I sneak away from my wife for hours and talk with you in the corner at a social event about running, biking, cycling, racing, and nutrition? Only if you have a can of Busch Light for me too.