UNSCARED - The art of dealing with fear, living outside your comfort zone
I'm sitting here, on the first of November, and reflecting on the last 4 weeks. And the word that is above has pretty much summed up the way I see the last month. Where does the word come from? Is it something you are going to find in Webster's dictionary? Well, 1. You will find it on www.iamunscared.com, and 2. No, its not in Webster's, at least not yet.
Since I was cleared to race on October 1, my schedule and mind shifted from getting healthy to getting back to racing and getting my career off the ground the right way. A lot to ask, but thanks to some very special people, I was able to do that and more. Step 1, getting back to a race. And the timing was good, the weather was decent, and it was a Saturday, October 9, the day of my sister's wedding anniversary. So off to Charleston, IL and the Dueces Wild Duathlon. I didn't know what to expect, but the day before the race, I got an inspiring email. It was from Brian MacKenzie, the founder of Crossfit Endurance, and a very good friend. The email simply said - "The race is going to be great, b/c its going to be great. Its the only way it can go." With those words in mind, I lined up for my first race in 3 and a half months. I was nervous and excited. But once the gun went off, a sense of clarity came over me that I haven't experienced in years. That clarity came from the confidence of my training, and the constant support of friends. And before I knew it, I was running down 4th and 3rd place, finishing 2nd overall with the fastest run splits. It was the best second place finish I ever had. And the wave of emotions I felt after was amazing.
The real test though was could I recover in time to race hard again. So 2 weeks later I headed to central Illinois again to see what was in the tank. And once again, even in gale force winds, pushing me and the field all over the country roads I held on tight and did something I haven't done since college, ran someone down. The leader, a TT specialist, had put 5 minutes into me on the bike, and with a hilly 10k left, I knew that I had a lot of work to do. But I put my head down and just ran my ass off. I ran blind, pushing past pain and wind trying to catch the leader. Even though I came up short, I had put 4:40 into the leader, and gave him a hell of a scare. 2 2nd overalls in 2 weeks. Only 4 weeks of being able to go aero on the bike. Only 4 months removed from major surgery.
The question everyone asked was, what changed? What happened since early August? 3 people - Brian, Nate and John. The introduction of Crossfit Endurance, the benefits of Crossfit DuPage, all helped me recognize that there is much more inside me than ever before. These 3 guys, who haven't known me for more than a few months, have been there, every step of the way, encouraging me and showing me, that to truly live, is to be UNSCARED. These men are all ex-special forces, and have seen things that Americans don't want to know but should be thankful that the these men and thier troops have handled. And its given them the confidence to move forward and want to share thier knowledge with others. Its a complete 180 from what traditional triathlon training has shown us. These guys want to help others, they want to show people that old school methods don't work anymore. They have a new and exciting way to get fitter and faster. But the best part, without even realizing it, you are gaining confidence along the way. I admit, I was lacking a lot of confidence before the accident, but after I started to work with these 3, I started to notice things, small things. More focus, more clarity in workouts, more drive, faster recovery, more strength and speed, all promoting confidence.
I know there are some skeptics out there reading this, saying Crossfit is dangerous or unproven. And to that I say, good. Don't try it. B/c for those of us who are using it, its a leg up. And I have to thank the 3 of them, especially Brian, for promoting me, giving me words of encouragement, and featuring me on www.iamunscared.com, I am truly honored and humbled.
What I realized this month was that this wasn't about me, it was about all those who helped me. Brian, Nate, John, Jenny and Gina Pongetti. They are my heroes, b/c their selfless acts got me here and are excited about the journey ahead. B/c the journey doesn't end here, it continues, changes form, and evolves, as we do as athletes and people. B/c of these individuals, I live every day UNSCARED. I challenge all of you to do the same.
Stay strong,
Guy
