You Vs. You

Pretty kickass right? The only thing I would add to that..is no matter what or who you're up against...the battle is always internal. It's always...YOU VS. YOU. Let me explain..

Today of course is Tuesday...and that means "Tough Mudder" Tuesday at the compound. Typically when we can, the coaches always like to do the workouts one day ahead in order to work out any potential kinks and more importantly to better understand exactly what the class will be going through when they dive head first into the workout.

So yesterday, I needed to do a double header because I couldn't get the workout in on Sunday. So Monday morning at 5:45am I hit up the 6X3 Thruster and 100 Wall Ball for time workout. Then 10 hours later I came in with Trappy and hit up the Tough Mudder Tuesday workout...
400 meter run followed by 20 each of
pullups
pushups
situps
squats
800 meter run, then 30 of each of pullups, pushups, situps, and squats
then finally 1600 meter run followed by 50 pullups, pushups, and squats

On Monday I finished the workout in just over 35 minutes. It was terrible for me, I was slow and sluggish....I took many breaks..I just couldn't push through. I was getting overheated....blah, blah, blah...

After the workout I started to rationalize with myself...

"Hey man...it was 5pm when you did that. It was damn hot. You should be happy you just completed the thing. It was okay to take all those breaks and not push it. Plus that was your 2nd workout of the day. Your legs were already sore from the 100 wall balls. It was Monday dude, that's a hard thing to do after having an extended cheat day over the weekend." 


THAT WAS ALL BULLSHIT.

Yeah, maybe I wasn't feeling like myself and possibly somewhat dehydrated. But the question I kept asking myself was... "Was that your legitimate best effort possible effort you could have given?" 


Could I have finished faster...even if it was 20 seconds faster? The answer was yes....I had not laid it all on the line. I was disappointed and pissed off with myself....Coach Mo knew something was up. I tried to explain to her what was going on.

Her reply was basically..."Dude...don't be a p@ssy. Remember how this feels right now, and don't let it ever happen again." 

Very poignant indeed...

So for the 2nd day in a row. I embarked upon the Tough Mudder Tuesday workout. This time I had all night to think about how I never wanted to go through that type of self-disappointment again.

This time out..I finished in just over 30 minutes. A full 5 minutes faster from the day before.

Sometimes you gotta take a couple steps back to go a bunch more forward. Everyday challenge yourself..empty everything you got into the challenge ahead. Live life with no regrets, hold not a single damn thing back. Above all...

"TO THY OWN SELF BE TRUE" - Shakespeare 

Don't listen to the bullshit excuses that you try to tell yourself. Hold yourself to the highest standards possible. At the end of the day...be brutally honest with yourself. Did you give it all you had. Was it an effort that would make your children or ancestors proud? Last night my answer was no...tonight my answer is yes. 

Everyday what's your answer? God has given you an incredible gift of life....don't piss it away by living your life half assed. It's always You vs. You.....