Fit for Life: I Failed

Fit for Life: I Failed

If you read last week’s article, you know what I endured on Thursday & Friday. I attempted to complete the 2022 Spartan Death race which was set to last close to 72 hours.

I was cut in 35 hours.

If you know me, I always play to win, and accepting defeat and failure isn’t an easy task for me, however, in this instance, I am ok with it and am proud of what I DID accomplish.

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Although I gave my best, my best wasn’t good enough to compete with veteran endurance racers, and although I was prepared to go the distance, I wasn’t fast enough, and that was the difference.

 

This was my first Spartan race ever.

It’s customary for people to go through a few smaller events first before attempting the Death Race, however, I decided to cut the line and go right for the top. Although I still completed what was asked of me, it’s still a race, and the faster people prevail in races.

This is one reason why I am accepting defeat because technically, I was out of my league, and still hung around and competed with more experienced people.

 

Other reasons are:

I didn’t quit. Despite how I was feeling after 12 hours in, I kept going.

When you make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings, you carry a lifetime of regret.

Knowing I pushed beyond my limits, I left that mountain feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.

At 12 hours I was defeated mentally and physical, I couldn’t give anymore.

 

My legs were cramping my body felt depleted.

I had to rely on pure will and adrenaline to take it beyond there.

It’s after you give your best and you can still keep going is where you feel your true superpower is kicking in

The first 12 hours is when most of people quit.

That is the separation point where you need to be able to have that extra drive to push forward.

 

That’s where the mental aspect comes in.

When you flip the switch, you go from finding every excuse not to finish to finding every reason you need to finish.

Many don’t understand why I put myself through these challenges

The truth is I don’t really know until it’s over and you get this feeling of fulfillment, satisfaction and gratification knowing you have another level above your best, and you can tap into reserved energy that’s unavailable until called upon.

We passed the test and were brought back in. And we passed another before the hammer came down.

 

There were 17 out of 25 that were to get cut that night, however, we were given a stay of execution.

We were told that if we completed 800 burpees, 1600 push-ups, & 2400 squats before sunrise (6 hours later), then at sunrise climb the mountain (1 mile / over 1000 vertical feet) three times before the 8 that passed the evolution got back, we could unofficially stay in the race.

We did it, and still had an hour to spare. We were allowed to continue the next evolution with the 8 that were still in the race. (Which I completed 1/2 hour ahead of everyone else).

When that evolution concluded, they had us crawl with all our gear about 50 yards, then they separated us. That’s when they put it up for vote, and the team that completed the timed evolution unanimously voted us out of the race.

I accept this because competition means that you “compete” for your seat at the table, and no one deserves a participation trophy.

I know I did my best and had the ability to last, just not at a fast enough pace. I was the oldest guy there, so I achieved my sense of fulfillment, and felt pretty good about myself on the drive home.

 

The big lesson learned is that life isn’t fair, and you need to apply the 3 C’s in every aspect of life.

Control what you can: In this instance, my mindset was the only thing I had any control over.

Cope with what you can’t. I couldn’t control the fatigue, the guys administering the beat down, or the brutality we all went through, so I kept saying “one more”, they can’t break you over and over in my head.

Concentrate on what matters. Just making it to the next hour was where I was concentrating. When I started thinking about the finish, I brought myself back to the present.

I accept defeat and realize that if you don’t lose sometimes, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough, and that’s the ultimate lesson and message for this week’s email.

 

Challenge yourself, step out of your comfort zone, never quit on your mission, and even if you fail, you will still leave with a sense of fulfillment.

Committed to your success,

Coach Matt