Olympic Spirit

Just got done watching the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay in swimming for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Fantastic! Just when it appeared that the U.S. was going to come in second, Jason Lezak came from behind in the last lap to upset the French in their bid for the gold. It's what I love most about the Olympics, what everyone loves about sports, I think, is the possibility of a loss, or even an almost certainty of loss, but still a team or an individual rises above the odds to come out on top and win!

Doesn't matter what event I'm watching (well, maybe not curling, for crying out loud), but I am so inspired by the Olympics every time I watch it. It makes me want to go out and achieve my personal best in something athletic. I think, "I'm 36 now, and 40's not that far away. What goal can I have, where at the end, I get to feel like those athletes do, who are screaming and jumping up and down, in a perfect moment of victory?" When I started exercising regularly over a year ago, I would listen to energizing music, and feel something close to that, pushing myself to get it done, imagining myself kicking butt (I'm not a violent person, really, ha ha), or some other feat of accomplishment. But I wouldn't mind some actual, real goal rather than a temporary buzz inside my own head. Hmmm...