"I believe that mankind will not merely endure, we will prevail."
William Faulkner
The above quote, which was reminded to me by a dear friend this week, has kept me from sending out any of the 20 versions of this post prior to actually putting this one out there. As many of you know, I have taken on a position at INTENT, a new facility located in Woodridge, that truly offers something for everyone, from elite athlete to someone who is just looking to improve their health. And in the time I've been here, I've heard more rumors regarding how I obtained clients while at my former place of business. The conclusion I've come to in handling this - ignore the small minded, close minded, insecurities of those who spread the lies, and focus my efforts on something truly pure and beautiful at INTENT. However, there is one rumor I do want to address - whomever the asshole is that stated "I slept with female clients in exchange for shoes" is not only laughable, its sad and offensive. Its demeaning to any female I trained, painting an absolutely awful and untrue picture of their character, and it blatantly denies the time and effort I put in to get running shoe sponsors. Truthfully, I've worked my fucking ass off for years now to be able to have such amazing sponsors, and its insulting to assume otherwise. Not to mention, any 4 year old can go on the Inov-8 home page and find me under the "Athletes" link. But there's no juice to that story - that someone turned themselves inside out daily, training, living the life of an athlete to get that. How sad you are so insecure. I feel for you.
So, with my faith in humanity a bit shaken, I am renewed every time I walk through the doors at INTENT. The energy, the no bullshit, no drama, straightforward, hard working attitude is not only welcome, its a relief. I don't feel like the Outsider anymore, no longer viewed as a freak for my training or my clothes, or my SHOES. Its home. The openness and honesty of founders and owners, Mary Ann Sedor and Rick Schopp, is incredible and infectious. This is no longer work - its passion, its a lifestyle. It truly is home for me. And on my worst day here, I'm happier than I've ever been. Being valued, being appreciated, its what makes me want to work harder to see INTENT not simple succeed, but as Faulkner said - prevail. Prevail in the way we get people to look at fitness, at health, to make lifestyle changes for the better. Prevail in how we train athletes, showing that it is the future of training for all sports. Creating that "bomb-proof" athlete, but more importantly, the bomb proof person. Giving them courage and confidence they never realized they possessed. That's what we are about.
And because of all of the above, I've had success in racing, putting together a win at Maumee Bay, OH this past weekend, at a new distance - 47.5 mile duathlon - 5K/38 mile bike/6.55 mile run, which I truly enjoyed. I was able to pull away on the bike, which was flat but windy, and it allowed me to get some distance on the field. My legs responded pretty well on the second run, although the lack of shade brought the temperature up, which, forced me to slow a bit, gutting out the last 3 miles in rather ugly fashion. But getting a win in Ohio is very important to me, because of the caliber of athletes that show up to races there as well as the toughness of the courses. Many thanks to my coach, Jennifer Garrison who reminded me Saturday to "race violently", my sponsors, Inov-8, Skins, Yankz, FOCO, the crew from Athletic Recon and the friends who have supported me and have continued to stand by me as I have made this most recent change. Only good things to come.
If you're interested, come check us out - www.intentlife.com. You'll find us laughing and working hard. Our doors are open.
Stay strong,
Guy
