Fit for Life: Slay the Beast

Saturday, September 23, 2023

 

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This past weekend, I participated in the Spartan Beast and completed it in 7 hours & 30 seconds. It was not necessarily a time that would describe "slaying the course," but I finished it nonetheless.

 

To give you some perspective on what that is, Spartan has a network of races geared to challenge people with different abilities and levels of craziness.

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The Sprint is a 5k, The Super is a 10k, The Beast is 21k, and the Ultra is 50k!!

 

When I initially decided to sign up for one of these races, my sick mind went to the Ultra because I have this thought process that I need to push myself to the limits with everything I do. I am glad I didn't.

 

Here's why.

 

As you know by now, I am a geek in growth, self-development, and learning new lessons, so the whole time I participated in this race, I was thinking and learning about myself and life in general.

 

Here are some lessons I learned from this race that can be applied to everyday life and help us excel to the next level.

 

1. Be realistic with your expectations. Setting lofty goals beyond reason is excellent, but you need to be realistic with your expectations. If I had signed up for the Ultra, it would have not only been disrespectful to the caliber of the race but unrealistic that I could have done it in a reasonable time. The overall winner of the "Ultra" finished in the same amount of time it took me to complete the Beast, which was less than 1/2 the distance!!

2. Train and prepare. I was trained and ready for the Beast and finished it despite the pain in my right knee. I climbed fine, but the downhill killed me and slowed down my time substantially. I had been climbing Diamond Hill in Cumberland with a 70# sandbag, running Jenkes St. hill on the east side, and putting in the work required to complete what I did. However, I found out later that Ultra racers are some of the best-trained and conditioned athletes on the planet. I am not at that level, nor was I prepared to take on that type of element, and it would have inflicted permanent damage. (Ex. I was cut from the Death Race last year for not making time)

3. Keep taking steps up the hill, even small steps. I am NOT FAST by any stretch of the imagination, but what I was noticing on the uphill portions of the race was that I was passing EVERYONE. Younger and more athletic people were stopping along the way to rest and take in the views during the climbs, but I kept moving. I kept telling myself, "You're slow, but you are faster than the people stopping, so keep putting one foot in front of the other".

4. Talk to yourself. This may sound crazy, but it works. Your inner critic or inner bitch will keep telling you to slow down, rest, or even quit, but when you listen to your internal advocate or inner Beast, things change. "You don't stop, you don't get tired, and you won't quit" are the words I kept repeating throughout the race. People may have thought I was nuts, but it worked for me.

5. Don't follow the slackers; beat to the tune of your own drum. One of the last obstacles (in mile #13 or 14) was a sandbag carried up the mountain and back down before moving to the previous couple of obstacles. I, along with everyone else, was tired and beat, so it was also mentally draining when we saw what we still had to do. I grabbed my sandbag and started up the hill when I noticed something interesting. A guy 20 yards ahead of me dropped his sandbag and rested. Then, I noticed almost everyone followed suit and started dropping their sandbags to rest. This gave me permission to do the same, BUT I DIDN'T!! I kept chugging one small step at a time and passed everyone on that hill. That was the point in the race that made me feel unbreakable because I refused to follow the pack and take a rest when, in all reality, I didn't need to.

6. Surround yourself with people better than you. Hence the saying, "If you are the smartest person in the room, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG ROOM." I consider myself a fit person, but being surrounded by these elite athletes humbled me and made me realize that there is always someone stronger and faster out there. When we stopped at a rest stop, were thrown back into the general population, and saw the masses in line to eat McDonald's, I realized that although I was not the best on that race course, I still felt accomplished and fulfilled. I felt inferior in that circle, yet when I came back to reality and surrounded myself with "normal" people, I felt pretty amazing, so put yourself in a circle with the elite if you want to grow.

 

So, there are some lessons you can apply to everyday life.

 

It could be making more money, getting in better shape, being a better parent, doing better in school, or anything you want to accomplish. Apply these principles, and watch progress happen.

 

Set unrealistic goals, be realistic with your expectations, work hard and be prepared, keep striving, even or especially when others stop, talk to the inner Beast, don't let others influence you to quit, and surround yourself with winners!!

 

Committed to our success,

Coach Matt

 

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