Embrace The Discomfort
It’s been just over 3 years now since a friend of mine came to me on a Friday evening showing me a Groupon offer for a Spartan Race that was taking place the next morning at Fort Benning. I had done one 3 years prior in Atlanta and it was pretty miserable. I got chewed up and spat out over and over again during that race and considered it my last. So, when he came to me with this offer, my level of excitement was pretty low. But I decided to give it another go and if anything, tag along so we could support each other and try to get through it.
Fast forward to today and my desire for Spartan Races and the sport of Obstacle Course Racing has changed completely. Yesterday I completed my 28th Spartan Race since that day in Fort Benning and I see OCR as a permanent fixture in my future. What has changed? Well, I realized there is so much more to OCR than the speed at which you complete a given course. Don’t get me wrong, each time I lace up at an event I am making every effort to finish the race as fast as I physically can, and I am always striving for better times. However, it is the unique psychological impact of OCR that has me hooked.
First, there is the preparation. Training for OCR events is laborious – especially when you start competing in the longer distance events. OCR demands that you have a high level of grip strength and an ability to heavy carry. It also requires you to be a very competent runner. This is where I enter the first big battle with myself. As a stand-alone activity, I despise running. I find it incredibly boring and used to think it was a massive waste of time. However, if you are to give any sort of a decent account of yourself in an OCR event, you must be at the very least, a half decent runner. Therefore, I typically train specifically for OCR 2-3 days per week and they are usually very running dominant. These sessions are long, very uncomfortable, and a struggle to get through – not always physically, but certainly mentally. What is the best way I have found to get through it? Embrace the discomfort.
Second, is during the actual event itself. There are so many situations that I have come across in the last 28 events I have done. But one always continues to stick out to me and that was a Spartan Race in Palmerton, Pennsylvania back in 2017. The Blue Mountain Ski Resort played host to the event and if I had any doubt as to how valuable these experiences were, this eliminated it. I remember standing at the start line and looking up the mountain thinking to myself – there is no way there are going to take us all the way to the top! Not only did they take us there, they took us straight up there. And then halfway down, and then back up, and back down, and back up with two 50 lb. sandbags. It was soul crushing. I contemplated quitting at least 10 times. I still remember being on one part of the mountain – just me, no one else around – and there was a sign that said, “To the bottom”. I was very close to taking it. You learn a lot about yourself in those situations. What is the best way I have found to get through it? Embrace the discomfort.
The beauty of these experiences is that not only does it help me improve in OCR events, it also has so much carryover to everyday life. Doing what you have always done and staying in your comfort zone is no way to live. Does that mean you quit your job and move cities? No! But venture out and do something that makes you a little uneasy. Something that is not all cozy and warm. Something that makes you to do things you don’t really like to do. Something that calls for you to embrace the discomfort.
