A Fitness Carol

This evening you will be visited by three sprits: the Ghost of Fitness Past, the Ghost Fitness Present and the Ghost of Fitness Yet to Come.

Let’s face it, you need this intervention. COVID, politics, and the death of Eddie Van Halen left you reeling in 2020. A spiral of event cancellations and doom-scrolling transformed you from an optimistic athlete into a curmudgeon. Only this miracle can help you discover the true meaning of Fitness.

The Ghost of Fitness Past will arrive as the clock strikes one and will appear in a spritely form resembling Mirinda Carfrae. Don’t let her diminutive figure fool you. Her legendary power-to-weight ratio will speed you from memory to memory, revisiting your happiest and most bittersweet racing moments and reminding you why you fell in love with endurance spots.

When the clock strikes two the Ghost of Fitness Present materializes. It’s Eddie Van Halen. He explains this assignment is a recent gig. Eddie projects visions of empty swimming pools, abandoned weight rooms, and sobbing race directors now driving for Uber. The endurance sports picture is presently bleak, but you knew that already.

As the hour approaches three you feel an encroaching sense of dread. At the third chime, to your pleasant surprise, it isn’t a ghost at all. It’s Joe Friel (who is alive and well to be clear). Joe explains that although your Fitness future is indeed bright, Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Whether or not you compete in a single event in 2021, the process of continuous improvement and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are why you’ll remain an athlete in 2021. That’s the true meaning of Fitness.