I love a challenge. Actually, to put that more accurately, I >LOVE< a challenge.

When things are routine, I can easily stay focused, and get the job done. (This counts for training, and for work.) However, it is only when faced with a real challenge that I truly shine. The tougher things get the more I relish the experience, and the more strength, power, and even skill, I seem to be able to employ. More than that, though, when I am really pushed, my determination, and to be honest, stubbornness helps me not just to push back, but to drive right through.

Its also important to understand that at best, I see my body as a machine to be driven solely by my will. At worst, I see my body as an opponent to be brutally beaten into submission. (I actually have some opinions about the human body in general, and mine in particular that many people would probably find .. odd.) This means that for me, discomfort is not something to be avoided, or necessarily minimized. Discomfort, and even pain, can be tools to subjugating the flesh to the dictates of the spirit.

If all goes well, this summer I should be able to begin training properly again. Its been too long since I have had a proper regular training program.