"Make him cry" -Trainer Freddy Roach to his fighter, Manny Pacqiao during an episode of "24/7 - Pacqiao v. Margarito"
People find inspiration in a number of different places, in a variety of ways. And I've learned that its not fair to knock someone for what that inspiration might be. If it works, good for them. In the last 5 weeks I was looking for some inspiration myself, having called it a season for multisport and preparing for a marathon. And its probably not one you've ever heard of. The "Run the Ranch" marathon set for December 19, 2010, in Springfield, MO, falls one week prior to the biggest American holiday, and is not set someplace that gaurantees great weather. Plus, its an 8 loop course. Yes you read that right, 8 loops. I'm seriously considering listening to the people who keep telling me to get my head examined.
Let me go on record right now - I don't like the marathon. Which is why I don't care if its held in Vegas or London or Italy or Figi. Every marathon I've run hurts like hell, takes too long to recover from, and is BORING. I know by saying this I'm violating every multisport rule about discussing distance racing. But its true. Without the swim and the bike, the marathon isn't exciting to me. Although this time, its shaping up to be different. A couple of reasons - first, using Crossfit Endurance principles to train for it have made me feel more confident going in, and second, watching Manny Pacqiao made me realize I need to shut up and keep training.
Let me explain the CFE stuff first. The reason I'm actually enjoying this marathon training is due to the plan I'm using. My coach, Jenny Garrison is of the opinion that B-Mack and company at CFE are- you race the way you train. If you go out and run 4 20 milers before the marathon at 8:30 pace, what pace do you think you'll run your marathon at? Its not going to be 6:30 that's for sure. So, the actual mileage I run a week may be less than what you'd expect, but there is no fluff. No garbage miles. Not even on a long run. Trust me, my legs are still churning out lots of miles, but compared to the last marathon I trained for 4 years ago, its at least 1/3 less. But I'm 10 times stornger physically, cardiovascularly and mentally. Why? B/c I'm not just running to run. If I run 18 miles, its all broken down, and its not about going easy. Its about living in the zone of discomfort and making peace with it, on all levels. but when you do that, your LT goes up, your AT goes up, and your muscular development is magnified. For more insight, check out Jessi Stensland's "Cardio System Development" for more insight and detail. Then hop over to www.crossfitendurance.com and email Brian about why this stuff works.
Now how does this relate to Manny Pacqiao? Well, watching the "24/7" and the actual fight, which was epic, this diminutive fighter has just won 8 titles in 8 different weight classes, most recently at 154 lbs. And this is a guy who normally walks around at 130-135. His last 8 fights have been against bigger guys. Margarito was at least 4.5 inches taller and on fight night, 17 lbs heavier than Manny. And Manny wrecked him. For those of you who didn't see it, he broke Margarito's left orbital bone and nearly broke his right to match. And this was by punching upwards for the first 6 rds, a style that normally robs fighters of power. As I watched the fight a couple things became crystal clear - 1. This is the greatest fighter of my generation, (although some will argue Roy Jones in his prime) and 2. This is someone who is not afraid to be uncomfortable. That's really what fighting bigger opponents comes down to, you are going to be in a position where you are leaving your comfort zone of equally sized fighters and tackling the task of being in a position where life can be less than great. So for the last 4 years, Manny has actually turned training and fighting outside his comfort zone into familiarity.
The same can be said for how we train in our sport. Its why I embrace CFE and am interested to see how its going to play out on race day. Is every workout super intense and crazy? No, but its not a picnic either. Which is fine- if I want to run a quality marathon then I have to be willing to train hard and smart for it. The same goes for anyone else. Of course, this doesn't mean I'm going to love the marathon. But what the hell else am I going to do in December?
Don't tell my mother about the last line. She already doesn't like the fact that I don't like Christmas. And for those who know my mother or have an Italian mother, you know the guilt trip for not liking holidays usually starts 2 months before the actual holiday. She doesn't need more ammo.
Stay Strong,
Guy
