keepin' on when keepin' on hurts, bad.

Perseverance. Endurance. Fortitude.

As a CrossFit coach I am awarded to see awesome physical feats. Deadlifting 450 pounds, running a 5 minute mile, 40inch vertical leap, you get the picture. However, many people are born with a set of talents (I'm still trying to find mine) that most of us could never conceive of having.  Before we get into an argument, I cannot throw down any references to scholarly articles proving this, but what I can lay down are years of actual experience.

Example. Do you remember on the playground as a 4th grader playing basketball and there was one person who was just faster, could jump higher, and could make three pointers all while you couldn't even dribble? How about playing little league baseball and the average pitch from most players was say around 45mph but then a little skinny kid could throw it 65mph? Or when you start lifting weights and for some reason the first time you max out at bench press you are so excited that you benched 135 pounds (that is a 45pound plate on each side for you non meathead types) to be stomped on by the new kid who did 225? I see examples everyday. While I lifted weights outside of football and had a speed coach there was a guy I played football with who never trained outside of what our coach made us do, never lifted an extra weight or did an extra sprint outside of our football compound, yet he was one of the most gifted athletes on the field. Oh, he also ate 2 western bacon cheeseburgers from Carl's Jr everyday for lunch and had a six pack on top of a six pack. These things I am describing I believe are things that you are born with, but that is no excuse for someone to get rid of their goal cause they weren't dealt the same hand of cards as someone else.

It's easy to complain, make excuses, and find some way to make you feel better about yourself. But what does it really do in terms of making you better at your individual goals? Nothing, it makes those goals seem even more unattainable. The paragraph above are things we cannot control. Obviously the kid who could throw a 65mph fastball has a different muscle makeup than I, but the excuses and the way we perceive and act on things we can control, and that is what makes us who we are. Whether it be in the gym, relationships, or your job, the way you let outside things affect you is solely on you and you alone.

The reason why I bring up amazing feats in a Crossfit Gym and title this the way I do is because I spend most of my time in a CrossFit gym since it is my 'job'. Every once in a while you will witness something that inspires you, or puts things in perspective. Last night I witnessed an incredible scene. It did not have anything to do with one physical act, rather it was covered in perseverance, endurance, and fortitude.

To keep it brief, one of our members who normally finishes at the top of the pack in regards to a workout that is timed (meaning complete the set number of sets and reps as fast as possible), was not doing so hot in the workout. Being a personal friend I know she has a lot on her plate and does not get much sleep paired with quite a bite of stress. When most people were finishing up the workout I would venture to say she was about half way there with a look in her face that appeared to be ready to break out in tears at any moment. I know this look as I see it often. When every thought is consumed by the same one of 'stop', she continued on with rep, after rep, after rep. For someone like her who does not play a sport, want to compete in Crossfit, or even have a job where physical fitness is relied upon, why do this? Why would she punish her body when she already is in a state of physical and mental fatigue? Because her mind told her to finish, she was not going to let this workout break her.

 Scenes like this say a lot about individual character, and I whole heartedly believe that what happens inside that gym translates 100% to the real world. Again, it's easy to make excuses, miscount reps, take weight off, and tell yourself I'll make it up tomorrow. And witnessing this display of mental fortitude was truely awe inspiring.

CrossFit workouts are hard, very hard. They are not for everybody and it takes a special person to endure. Everybody wants to be first place or the best, and if you don't we need to have a serious talk. But when an individual knows they are finishing last and holding up the rest of the group from going home, it is all too easy to stop and say I am done, or maybe 'miscount a rep'. But it is one of the most difficult things to push past physical pain through the mind...aka...keepin on when keepin on hurts, bad.