Big events always bring out the desire in people to look their best. And I'm one of the people many seek out to get ready. Want to shave some time off your time in the Brooklyn half marathon? I'm your guy. Want your shoulders and arms to look fierce in that strapless black gown for the charity gala you're attending? You'll probably be told about us at some point.

Well, I had my own event recently, and it was nowhere close to home. Like many of us in Maplewood, I'm a transplant—most recently from Brooklyn, but raised in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Thanks to the powers of Facebook, I was informed of my 20 year high school reunion.

It's an event many have spent a lot of time fretting about.

I, on the other hand, hadn't thought about it much at all. Frankly, high school wasn't my favorite period of my life. Many of you who have met me might not understand why, but let's just say I didn't win any popularity contests in high school. In fact, I probably didn't fit in so well at all. I'm not too scarred by any of that. In fact, I never give it much thought. It took me a while to "find out" who I was.  Thank goodness I did…I still know many folks who are still trying to answer that big question.

Going back was somewhat of a big deal for me. Understand, my father passed away in that little rural town I grew up in, and we were (and still are) a very tight family.  So going back was, well, difficult. It felt a bit morbid, and I tried to remember the last time I'd been back…somewhere around 16 years ago.

So, I drive back into this little rural town, and it was unbelievable. The streets were so much smaller than I had remembered them. It was all so much smaller. The experience was absolutely bizarre. So, I drive straight up to the house I grew up in.  I have a lot of memories of that home, including my father's passing. I have only one word to describe it: surreal.

"Hi, my name is Tim Reynolds. I am not a serial killer. I actually grew up in this house.  And I…"  Right there he cuts me off. "I know exactly who you are." He grabs my arm and pulls me into the house. "My wife was much younger than you, but she went to your church. My father in law was a good friend of your father's." 

He walks me straight down to the basement, and shows me a column.  "Here you all are."  From 1981 up, there we were. My dad, my mom, my brother and me, showing how we'd grown over the years. Pencil markings showing how I sprouted over the years in my own writing…needless to say, I was a wreck. But it's a beautiful way to start a weekend.

So off I go to the reunion. I felt no nerves. I know who I am. I'm proud of how I look and what I've accomplished in my life. And yet, I decide on a glass of "liquid courage" before I show my face. I go to a local spot, owned by a high school buddy, and as I walk in the door I see every one of the popular/pretty girls from high school before me. 

Was I scared? No. I walked in, a bit struck but confident. And their reaction was, well, very positive. Interesting…

Let's just say I look a lot different than I did back then. But not one push-up I've done was completed with the mission of showing up for my reunion. If it had, I would've probably started jumping jacks when the emails began about putting this day together. And I probably wouldn't have gotten very far.

You see it actually does take time, and a lot of preparation, to get yourself truly physically fit for any event. Be it a marathon, playing ultimate Frisbee or a gala in NYC, it takes time to see true results. I've often had this conversation with clients and in initial consults, that if you're looking at fitness as a short term venture, you're going to be found left wanting.

I always wanted to write a book. I think I'd call it "It Actually Takes Thousands of Repetitions to Look Like That." It probably wouldn't sell many copies, though.

We live in a quick fix culture. We always want to see the max for the minimum.  I had multiple conversations that night about how folks did all these crazy diets, starved themselves and went nuts in the gym to get ready for this event.

Good for them, but they might have been able to enjoy the moment a little more if their entire focus wasn't how they'd taken off the 10 lbs. in the last week. Maybe they could've focused more on the amazing nature of this magical night, and hopefully had more fun. 

I've had this conversation with many of my runners. Here's how it goes- "You're going to finish either way. That's not a question. But what you have to ask yourself is this: Do you want the event to be a statement of how you can will yourself to finish this brutal event, or do you want it to be the award for the culmination of all your hard work?"

Well, that answer is pretty obvious, isn't it?

So, now officially off to the reunion. I had maybe the best time of my adult life. It couldn't have possibly been any better.  I'm so glad I went, putting a sense of positive closure around a period of my life I had many question marks around. I felt like being there was my award. I was prepared.

Tim Reynolds is the owner/operator or THE GYM ON SPRINGFIELD, a personal training gym in closing out its 3rd year in Maplewood. He lives in Maplewood with Suzanne and their children, August and Sinikka.