26.2 miles worth of commitment

I want to get a few things straight about the "Quest for Your Best": it is NOT Maine's "Biggest Loser", as many of my friends have tried to sum it up as.

We are not competing for money. Our trainer's intent is not to kick the crap out of us (although I feel the day is coming sooner rather than later). We are not starving ourselves in an effort to hit a big number, in terms of weight loss, in any given week.

We are not voting each other off, or competing in goofy challenges. The full name of what we are doing is "Quest for your Best: Body, Mind & Spirit". Each week we are tasked with becoming healthier through fitness, focus, and commitment to taking care of ourselves both physically and spiritually.

The changes we are choosing to make over the remaining 8 weeks are meant to be sustainable; the cast and crew assembled to guide us through this experiment recognize that we are all adults who have chosen this path. No one is forcing us to do anything. Remember, we're the ones who asked for this opportunity.

Last night we had a conference call with Paige and Brian, our "Life Coaches". Over the past couple of weeks, they have asked us to envision ourselves not just at the end of the ten weeks, but months, even years, after this experience and how it will effect who we are. They have asked us to set goals for ourselves in the future that incorporate the person we want to be on track to be after our ten week experience at The Landing.

They recognized that I have a love of running, and helped me envision how this "Quest" can positively impact my goals in this part of my life. In a way, they are preparing us for life after the "Quest".

This afternoon, I sent in my registration form for the Maine Marathon. I don't know how long I would have left the registration form on my desk without filling it out or recycling it, but with the support I've received so far from Catherine, Paige, Brian, all of the personnel at The Landing, and my co-questers, I'm ready to commit to this. It's been only a couple of weeks since I found out I had been chosen for the "Quest for Your Best", and thought to myself "what have I gotten myself into?" Already I have another "what have I gotten myself into" in my life, and am looking for more of them.

Fitness isn't always "No pain, no gain."

As I get ready to start week two of my Quest for Your Best journey, I'm anxious to see what lies ahead for me in the coming days.

The first week was filled with new experiences, meeting a great group of people who are on their own journey, and some pretty darn tough workouts.

We met for the first time as group on Monday, got acquainted with each other, and Catherine (our trainer) got us right to work with a workout that was quick, yet challenging for everyone in the group.

After our first class as a group, I decided to stick around for a Pilates class, something I've really never done before, but I was there and wanted to get on my way to fulfilling the expectations that have been put out there for me. It was tough, but the instructor (Sharon, I believe) was great and coached me through it. I definitely felt it the next day.

For the rest of the week, I chose to attend a Sivananda Yoga class, which was a great change of pace from the "no pain, no gain" attitude I've always sort of had towards fitness. Then on Friday, we met again as group for a quick workout and I stayed for a cardio pilates class. It was really, really tough. It was also very new to me, and I'm still sore from it. But, I'm going to try and make it back this week.

Trying to make all this fit into a very busy schedule is going to be a tremendous challenge. However, it's an opportunity that I'm so very grateful for, I want to take advantage of every sweaty, sore, tiring, exciting and fun second of it.

What have I gotten myself into?

"What in the world have I gotten myself into?"

It is a question I've asked myself a few times since getting the phone call last week notifying me that I had been selected as one of the four winners of the "Quest for Your Best" contest.

Well, I got a little taste of what I'm in for last Wednesday night, when I went into The Landing to get fit for my BodyBugg (you know, the thing they wear on their arms on The Biggest Loser) and meet Catherine, our trainer and apparent physical and spiritual leader on this journey.

When you walk into The Landing, you instantly sense a very cool vibe; the kind of place where everyone is hipper than you without even trying, and yet they open their arms to you.

My first impression of Catherine is somewhat of a super-person, someone who gladly fits twice as much into a day as most of us, and could fit three times as much if need be. I sign papers, answer a bunch of questions about my diet and exercise history, and am instructed to show up Monday ready to meet my four partners in this quest and be ready to work out. I'm so ready.

When I found out I had been chosen to participate in this quest, I was instantly faced with a dilemma I had faced in the past: what do I tell people? This had always been awkward for me when I tried the South Beach Diet, the Atkins diet, Weight Watchers, etc, etc.

I always sort of kept these a secret to most people, for reasons I don't really understand, except for fear of failure. I have found this opportunity totally different, as I've been so excited about informing my friends, family, and co-workers of this chance to really make improvements to the way I approach fitness, my diet, and emotional well-being.

These are my expectations of the next ten weeks. I'll find out tomorrow morning at seven what their expectations of me are.