"The Daily Commute" PDX -> SLC

I returned late Sunday night from a long weekend in Salt Lake City at Gym Jones assisting at the Fundamentals seminar. This was my sixth visit to Gym Jones since my first visit in February of 2009.

A few people asked me this week why I travel to Gym Jones so often, especially considering this was my fourth Fundamentals seminar (one as an attendee, three as an assistant).

Though the reasons are numerous the primary reason I travel to Gym Jones so often is to realign myself to my chosen path. For the same reasons Gym Jones is private is the same reason I seek them out.

"We surround ourselves with people like ourselves, and with those whom we admire and want to become. Instead of proscribing discomfort we prescribe it. When we exercise we also exorcise. We value horsepower ahead of appearance not vice-versa. We control our environment to produce the results we seek.

Gym Jones is private. Rules and standards separate it from the norm. Private implies control, which means Gym Jones is not open to everyone. However, private does not mean closed."

I believe we all need to be reminded what hard, intelligent work is. All too often we convince ourselves not only that our daily level of intensity is the best we can do, but that our program is the best one to meet our needs. We all make this mistake, myself included. To avoid this mishap, to stray from the path if you will, I provide myself a reoccurring reality check.

And I'm not the only one. This weekend I watched three Philadelphia Eagles starters hammer away on the rower, I cheered on two 140 pound cyclists attempting to squeeze 300 calories out of an AirDyne (if you understand physics you'll understand how hard it is for a lightweight individual to do this). I met two men that had traveled from Denmark to be there; even the heinous jet lag wasn't enough to diminish their enthusiasm for being there and training. I saw my coaches, made some new friends, and caught  up with some old ones. It was home.

We were all here for the same reason: we want to be the best we can be given the other constraints our lives. And for this reason we choose to work with the best. It is the reason I will keep making "the daily commute".

All photos courtesy of Gym Jones.

Made some new friends...

...caught up with some old ones.

Some traveled from as far as Denmark...

...and couldn't be more excited to be there.