How Long Would the Movies Have Been If Frodo and Sam Were Out Of Shape?

I don't have a car. I live a 20 minute walk from downtown and my work and easy access to major bus routes mere metres from my front door. The lack of a car has never been a huge issue. However, it means that getting from the bus stop to my gym means a 10 minute walk up a fairly steep hill.

It looks just like Mt. Doom in the background there complete with lava.
Honest!

The first time Katie and I arrived at the bottom of the hill, I almost turned around right then and there. I highly doubted that kickboxing would be worth climbing that hill every time we came. While I quickly learned that kickboxing was worth it, it didn't stop either of us from saying a word that rhymes with puck every time we reached the foot of it. When we were really lucky, a fellow gym-goer would pass in her car and offer us a lift before we reached the hill. I'm not going to lie, I love those nights!

Between the illness and car rides, I had managed to avoid the hill for a good two months.  I had almost forgotten just how much I hated it. Then on Tuesday night, I had to face the hill. I was meeting Katie at class which meant I could catch the early bus after work. It also meant there was zero chance a fellow gym-goer would be driving by at that time.

Actually, you kind of do, Boromir.

I cringed when I saw the hill. It is the Newman to my Seinfeld, the cylon to my Adama, the cilantro to my any-food-people-mistakenly-think-tastes-better-with-cilantro, and I hate it with a passion.  I cursed Katie and I started my long trudge up the damn thing.

And it was easy.

I was still huffing when I reached the top but I didn't have to stop to catch my breath.  In fact, I was moving at almost the same speed I had on the flat parts of the road. I was proud of myself and I texted Katie to tell her I had made the hill my witch... or something like that.

It can be hard to remember to celebrate the little victories on the road to fitness when you have a long way to go. You lost 5lbs? Great. Now go lose that other extra 85 you're packing around with you. It takes moments like this to remind me that I am making progress.

That was the night I realised my rib cage below my chest is smaller than when I started. That was the night that I upped my weights. That was the night I noticed my upper arms don't jiggle as much when I shake them. That was the night I did a combined total of 15 minutes worth of burpees (before switching to skipping for the last five rounds because burpees just suck). That was the night my trainer stopped giving me an alternative to chin ups and just made me do them.

That was the night I conquered my Mt. Doom.

I am becoming a healthier, fitter me and this hill is proof of it.

No Question today. I just want to bask in my own awesomeness for a little while longer.