A Word on Personal Bests (PBs)

Joy here…Back in 2010 when Nomi and I had this crazy idea to get over our December holiday gluttony by signing up for a 10km race, I started reading sporting blogs and looking at running magazines to see what I had gotten myself into.

The gym where I workout twice per week.

Many of them had this thing called "PBs" that would be listed, followed by a number.  In my world, "PB" means Peanut Butter.  And any number following would be how many peanut butter sandwiches I may have consumed.

Me deadlifting a new Personal Best.

Somehow, I figured that wasn't what each of these articles referred to.  In fact, I now know that PBs are Personal Bests, and athletes tally them up like notches on a belt.  They try to best their Personal Bests; they try to set new Personal Bests; and they rate their performance in races in reference to their Personal Bests.

Now when I started running with my running coach, he asked me what my PBs were for some distances - 10km, 5km, that sort of thing.  And, well, I was like "um, I've only ever run one 5km race, so I guess that's my personal best, but doesn't 'best' imply comparison?"

I think I liked it when PB meant Peanut Butter better.

My computer at the top of the hill with
my new Personal Best time climbing.

But as this week has unfolded, filled with its holiday cheer and gluttony (the kind that usually has me feeling fat and out of shape at this time of the year), I have hit my workouts and set some new PBs.  For the first time in memory, the holiday season hasn't left me bursting out of my pants.

I've squatted 70kgs (a new PB);
I've dead-lifted 67.5kgs (a new PB);
and I rode up that damn hill in under 53mins (a new PB).

So while I have a ways to go before I find my tenacious stick-to-it-ness, I'm dedicating this post to the notion of Personal Bests, whatever they may be.

I think that I (like many people out there) have a tendency to be rather hard, to see the failings and flaws rather than the strengths and gifts, and I find it waaaaaay easier to judge or criticize myself than to pay myself a compliment.

But this idea of Personal Bests isn't just about sport, it's about always striving to improve, about gauging one's efforts and testing one's limits.

Take time to remember all PBs!

We all do that:  we want to be a better mom today than we were yesterday; we want to be a better friend; we want to achieve our professional ambitions; we want to be better to our partners; we promise ourselves we'll keep a cleaner house; etc. etc.

So while I'm taking a moment to tally some of my PBs this week in the realm of sport, I'll also remind myself of some of my other PBs in life this week, like the lovely dinner I made for friends on Friday night, or that I stayed up late to be able to chat on Christmas with my nephew in Canada, or that the kids' books I write are starting to pick up steam sales-wise, or that even with mailing all the way from Malaysia I got our holiday newsletter in the post early enough for most people to receive it before Christmas, or that so far over the holiday season I've kept my holiday cheer to a minimum and not gotten blisteringly drunk (as usual), and I could keep going.

But you get the point.

Every now and then, it's worth taking some time to think about PBs outside of sport and pat ourselves on the back!

Over and out,
Joy