Doing the Damn Work (Rowing)

So as you know, I train in krav maga. And as you may or may not know, I am training to get certified through Gym Jones. As a result, I am busting my ass to fix my conditioning. Why do I bring this up? Because yesterday was an excellent example of training and doing the damn work.

For the past week, there has been a young woman, approximately 15 years old, training with us in krav. From what I gather, she was traveling for the summer vacation and wanted a place to keep up with her training. Now I will say that she is very bright, and very intelligent. I will also say that she has been told as much. What do I mean? I mean she had the attitude of a 15-year-old that is trying to show that she knows something and can keep up with the older crowd. That's fine, nothing wrong with it, but still a marker for age.

Now why do I give this background? Because yesterday I was training. I row 2k meters everyday, working toward dropping my time. Yesterday I was rowing at krav, before training started. For reference, the training was out of a 3-car garage, with only an industrial fan for A/C. At this point, I want to thank the krav instructor for letting me use his rower. As I am getting ready to start the fourth interval of 400 meters, the girl is dropped off by her father. I finish the round, and we have the following interaction:

15: "Why are you rowing?"

Me: "Because it is part of my programming."

15: "Why are you rowing here?"

Me: "....because the rower is here..."

15: "But why not row somewhere else?"

Me: "...because the rower is kept out in the garage...."

15: "But why row in the heat and humidity?"

Me: "...because this is where the rower is....and I need to row....."

15: "But that sounds miserable."

Me: "....and.....?"

I then completed my rowing, and continued to push through the actual krav training and subsequent finisher workout. With the finisher, there was five rounds of farmer carries, push-ups, and overhead press. I chose to carry 90 lbs, while the other elected for either 45 lbs or less. Again, the girl seemed surprised that I would willingly add the level of difficulty. When she asked, I said that, "If it doesn't challenge you, then it doesn't change you. And if it doesn't change you, then what's the fuckin' point?"

Moral of the Story: The 15-year-old showed her age, and I get inspirational as fuck when I get ready to train. Also, my rowing is getting better.