Just did 8 rounds of HIIT on the hotel elliptical.  Boy, those really kick my rear, and I love it!

Gotta share this: I was on the rest period before round four and thinking I'd probably skip round 4 - just have a double rest period.  I'm okay with myself if I do that - I don't want to burn out and all and, well, doing 7 out of 8 is a lot better than I had been doing (0 out of 0).

Then I got this image of myself, much slimmer in the belly, and muscled in the chest and arms - in the plane I plan on training in, sitting in the left seat.  Pilot-in-Command.  In my imagination I was flipping switches for the pre-flight check, getting ready to taxi out.  Looking forward to punching the throttle to the firewall and feeling that bird lift me up off the ground.

I said, "Okay, I guess I have one more - I'll do round 4 and instead skip round 5."

I did round 4.  5 was approaching and I'm still on the fence about skipping it or pushing through.  And the words just reverbed through my head, "left seat, left seat."

I pushed round 5 harder than any other round yet.  And round 6.  And round 7.  And round 8. All of them I pushed hard.  "Left seat, left seat."

I feel great right now - the endorphins flowing are a big part of course - but there's another aspect to it.

I kind of had another epiphany at the end of the workout.  This isn't the first time I've attempted serious fitness - but it is the first time I've committed to a dream that motivates me so much and that is dependent on me making the weight for that little plane.  I have a lot of choices to make over the next year.  Daily, moment-to-moment hoices about whether to take the easy road or to push through.  Choices about whether to eat a healthy meal of proteins and veggies or to give in to carbs and sweets.

I don't expect that I'll make the hard choice every single time.  But this is the epiphany that I had:  every time I do make the hard choice, that left seat is closer to me - and it won't ever get a bit closer EXCEPT when I make each hard choice.  And it's okay if I sometimes make the easy choice instead - but that means that I now have to make TWO hard choices to make up for it.

It's actually easier to make the hard choice each time then to make the easy.  The easy choice turns out to be twice as hard, in the end.