I'm not going to lie to you - This is gonna hurt

“I'm not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt.”

He wasn’t lying.

It hurt. Badly.

For the next two days, I was sore. Every time I stood up, or sat down my thighs let me know that I had done bad things to them. They screamed with pain, wondering why I would do this to them.

“Take some ibuprofen,” he cavalierly recommended. I started to question my own sanity.

Why in the world would I willingly part with my hard-earned money to end up hobbled?

But, like most hard work, I started to notice positive changes. The second week it didn't hurt as much, the third week, I noticed definition in my upper arms and calf muscles that I hadn't noticed before.

(Maybe I wasn’t so crazy after all.)

By the third week, it didn't hurt anymore and I could feel myself getting stronger. I started to gain confidence in myself—and more importantly: in my abilities. While the rest of the group ran up the hill, I walked up as fast as I could. The next week I jogged up the hill, never stopping, never slowing, focused on the ground ahead of me and the hill falling away behind me.

The sweet satisfaction of progress!

The next week I discovered another gear, I could move faster than a jog; it was more like running, and I was putting my all in to get up the hill. By the end of the 8-week program, I could sprint up the hill, arms and legs pumping, out of breath by the time I reached the top. I was still the last one to the top, but that didn't matter, after all this is my journey. Not theirs. I was winning. And, that infused me with an energy and passion I’d not felt before.

Every Monday and Wednesday morning I subjected my body to the pain and torture of a leader who never lied: IT DID HURT.

He suggested walking or swimming on the off days to keep the muscles moving—and give them some time for active recovery. So I started swimming in the YMCA pool every Tuesday and Thursday morning and he was right, it did feel better. Then one day while running up and down the hill, I saw the island of Alcatraz with the sun coming up behind it and I had a crazy idea:

I am going to swim from Alcatraz. I am going to voluntarily choose to swim a distance once thought impossible (which is why they build that super-max prison there in the first place!)

(Wait, maybe I was crazy after all.)

So I started swimming in the San Francisco Bay instead of the pool, and I found something I never expected to find.

I LOVE swimming in the Bay.

I am a San Francisco native, born and bred. I grew up two blocks from Ocean Beach and it never dawned on me that people might actually be swimming in that water. But now that I know, it is what I do.

Where has embracing serendipity led me? I’ll tell you.

• I have completed over 25 Alcatraz crossings.

• I circumnavigated Angel Island.

• I swum round trip Alcatraz (from the beach and back) as well as starting on the beach and swimming around the back side of Alcatraz and back.

• I have completed numerous swims from San Francisco to Marin under the Golden Gate Bridge.

• I’ve swum from the Point Bonita Lighthouse and Kirby Cove to Aquatic park, several times.

You get the idea. I have fun swimming in our beautiful Bay.

The point here is this: you never know where your fitness journey will lead you—until you just start, follow your heart— and embrace the sweet serendipity of it all.

My goal was to get healthier. It never dawned on me that the initial pain of working out would lead me to swimming in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. I never dreamed it would lead me to my fitness bliss.

For some, the goal may start off the mere pursuit of health. (Wonderful!) For others, it’s a 5k or ½ marathon. The important thing to remember is that this is your journey and you need to travel your own path at your own pace.

Starting off with a twice-a-week class for 8 weeks can help you take those first steps.

I’m not going to lie to you. That first week is going to hurt. You will be sore from the bike seat. But, I promise you this: if you keep coming back, something remarkable will happen. It will start to hurt less. Your body will start to change. You will get stronger. Your energy will grow. Your life will improve in unimaginable ways. You might even discover your fitness bliss, just as I did.

They say: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Take that step. Live like you mean it. Join the fitness revolution.

We are Outburst—and we look forward to taking that journey with you.