Helllo sportsfans!!! Yes its been a while, and I need to catch up on a lot. In a nutshell, here it is -
I've completely recovered from the hip fracture, and did so in time to do the following -
Win 6 races this season, at every distance of duathlon, from sprint, to olympic to hybrid to long course,
and with the last win - a 4.2 mile run/56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run, I took the overall and the course record too boot. Its been a fantastic season, and its not done yet. Miamiman is looming large in November, another long course du, another great challenge.
People have asked me a number of times - how did it happen? How did you recover so fast and get stronger? I took a really hard look at what was ahead of me and realized, I wasn't really living. I was still afraid of a lot of things. And then, I went to California in Mid-march to hang with my brothers Bmack and Doug K, and it hit me like a truck -live life UNSCARED.
To sum it all up and get back on track - here's the latest as to how and why.
Now, I know we have been discussing the concept of Chasing Performance the last couple weeks, and I think, based off of the feedback I have been getting, that you are all understanding what that means. If anything we have discussed prior to today is confusing, please let me know. Understand that in programming, even in the world of CF and CFE where constantly varied movement is the rule, there still needs to be a plan for furthering fitness. For example, if you train in a class, you should feel that you are making incremental gains weekly. Your programming should reflect that. The same applies to you endurance monsters - although I don't agree with the philosophy of periodization, there still needs to be a plan for progression, a plan that provides you with solid metrics that will give you solid proof of your improvement. Remember - specificity is key.
The more specific the metrics, the easier it is to check your fitness. Specific, measurable and constantly progressing. Let that be your mantra as you go forward. But the glue to this process, and in my opinion, the one critical element that I see missing from a lot of programs, and as a by-product in a lot of athletes, is the mindset that should be prevalent as you do anything in life. I started this newsletter with a quote from one of my all-time favorite authors, and one that has been used to define yours truly and some of my closest friends. What makes us "mutants" isn't just the training, nutrition and sleep patterns. We live UNSCARED. I use this word alot, I know. And a couple weeks ago UNSCARED founder Brian MacKenzie was awarded a WAC championship ring from the San Jose State Womens Swim team b/c of his pre-conference UNSCARED speech.
But there is a second part of that speech that I would like to add - my take on UNSCARED and how I apply it to my life. So, for the first time anywhere is the second part of UNSCARED, its what I have created from my life experiences, particularly in the last 2 years - REGRET NOTHING. As we get older, things get taken from us in life. Not just the tangibles like money, but things much more valuable; our time, our passions, our dreams, our freedom. Its funny, b/c as a kid you can't wait for the "freedom" of college, or the "freedom" of turning 21. We don't see the responsibilities that come with being an adult, the possible sacrifices, I call them sacrifices not compromises, b/c if they were a compromise, you wouldn't regret them.
But here's the thing, once you start to live facing your fears down, you realize that making decisions is not as difficult as they once were. Example - I don't know when, but at some point, we turned into a passive-aggressive, sniveling, weak-willed, and mediocre society. We pass along back-handed compliments instead of speaking our mind, out of fear of? Rejection? Guilt? Social pressure? Here's the thing - its all bullshit. Our forefathers didn't risk everything, literally everything by trying to be politically correct. If they did, we'd all be speaking the King's right now. Thomas Jefferson was known for saying "One man with courage is a majority". I take that to mean that even if a man or woman is alone in their convictions, as long as they stay true to them, they are more powerful than a stadium full of lemmings.
Its my contention that our grandparents, or relatives who came across the pond in search of a better life also lived by that credo. They survived poverty, disease, racism, sexism, racial profiling - yes it existed prior to 9/11 and it went for "caucasians" who were dealing with other white folk. And then, our generation, one that wailed along with Pearl Jam, Nirvana, the disinfranchised youth movement of the early 1990's, got soft. We now watch our society of "every kid gets a medal" and tip-toeing around one another so as to not to offend, letting our dreams, our passions die slowly, haunting us in the quiet moments we have.
Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "That's not what I wanted to say. I didn't make my point b/c I went soft". That's regret. And those quick moments multiply. Soon we find ourselves actually turning into the things we never said we would. I was there. I hated myself everyday. I lived in half light. I compromised. I sold out. I lived everyday with the albatross of regret. That fire that burned inside me was dulled, its embers barely hanging on. Then I got hit by a car. Literally. It was at that moment that my eyes were open. I was open to living UNSCARED. What I came to realize was that living UNSCARED meant regretting nothing. Its not just speaking my mind. Its not about being inappropriate. I'm not suggesting that you live like an uncaged animal violating the law or the laws of morality, However, I am suggesting that when your life, and I do mean your life - i.e. health and fitness are at stake, then step up and say something. Start a revolution. Be your own majority.
Once you do, you will realize that you are not alone. Its not too late to live your dreams. Start small, and build. Progress. Believe. Encourage one another. But stop living scared. Stop having that internal debate of "ohh, I didn't mean that, I meant something else; this is not what I wanted to do; I expected more out of life". Is that what you want on your tombstone? "Here lies X. he/she lived life at half speed, and died of a life of regret". Screw that. I wish I walked around with a tape recorder so that I could replay all the negative stuff I hear people say daily about themselves. You want to know why you aren't getting farther? You are damning yourself before you walk out the door.
Look, I don't suggest any of you to model yourselves after me. I am adamant when I say I am not a role model. With great confidence I can say that none of us at CFE consider ourselves to be one. What I know is that inside each of you, is that same fire. What it burns for is yours and yours only. So when are you going to stop regretting your pursuit of it? When are you going to get yours? When will you realize that taking that first step, that leap of faith, that first time you say NO, I am not following what everyone else is doing, NO I will not blindly allow someone else to handle my health and fitness without asking questions, NO I will not go quietly into that good night, will open the floodgates of empowerment? Step one - don't regret the decision you are about to make. Don't compromise. Don't be afraid to fail. Failure is living.
If you never fail, how will you know the true sweetness and joy of success? How will you know what you are capable of by simply playing it safe? Because playing it safe, makes your world a lot smaller every day. You are giving away your ability to make decisions for yourself. You are losing yourself. Stop. Right now. Many people will say I am aggressive, or abrasive. That's cowardice talking. That's fear. And yes, it leaves me often as a party of one, but that's ok. Because when I go to sleep, the things that keep me up aren't regret. And that gives me a sense of peace that provides a sleep that many don't get. I challenge each of you to live your life not only UNSCARED, but to start with regretting nothing. Try it. You might find the real you come out.
I'm out.
Guy
