A Brief Post on Challenge

The other day I read an article about combat training for women in the military. I didn't read it carefully, and I didn't think about it much at all. Nevertheless, I woke up this morning thinking, By gum, a 62-year-old woman in the Army is required to run two miles in 25 minutes, so I've got myself a goal.

Seriously. I may have mentioned that I started running this summer. Well, I haven't stopped, but I am slow. Really slow. I'd been thinking about how to get myself to speed up. My blond, ponytailed, Star Trac treadmill, personal coach avatar - starting now, I call her Tina* - has been very encouraging; but I am still slow.

According to the article, there will be some changes to requirements for combat, such as how many chin ups women will have to do now (three) versus how many they used to have to do (none. They did the flexed arm hang, which I recall from taking the Presidential Physical Fitness Test in P.E.). These requirements vary by division - Army, Marines, etc. However, it was the 25 minutes for two miles thing that really bought my eye (Python speak, FYI.).

(Oh my God, I have suddenly become so confused about punctuation of parenthetical phrases at the ends of sentences, thanks to David Rakoff, whose usage completely upends what little I thought I knew. Now I will have to find my Strunk & White and check it out.)

So this morning, I determined I would start on my journey towards the 12.5 minute mile.

Readers, I did it. Today. I met my goal immediately.

This would be cause for congratulation, but for two things:

1. I am multiple years south of 62, though I am a woman. I've been told. Which means that unless I pick things up, speedwise, by 62 I probably won't be able to run at all. 
2. My self-image is so lame I thought that it might take me months longer to reach this goal. 

I think that sometimes I under-challenge myself. I did in this case. My starting speed turned out to be what I'd intended as a goal. And because we live in a culture rife with sports-life metaphors, this under-challenging thing must be applicable to other areas of my life.

Hmmmm. To ponder.

Do you do this? Or do you expect too much from yourselves?

In the meantime, take a quick look at the video.


*A moment's research on YouTube has brought this: Kimberly, not Tina, the Star Trac Coach. Not that I'm trying to advertise for Star Trac. You can watch just a few seconds to see her.