To feel pure and utter joy, untethered to a particular result or outcome – what a beautiful feeling. š
š Iām learning itās possible to feel as much joy as we want at any given time. Itās not something we have to go earn; itās a mindset we can cultivate.
š What a transformation from the deep disappointment I felt after finishing 7th place at my last world championship to the full joy I feel today after finishing 7th at Spartan Trifecta Worlds.
š We can WANT a different result (like I did today, before the rain turned my running trails into a muddy mess) and itās natural to feel disappointment if we donāt reach it, butā¦we donāt HAVE to.
š Although I prefer to fly while racing, that mud slowed me down enough to see the the beauty of Spartaās mountains, and the fistbump fist a volunteer held out for me after I pushed through a muddy set of burpees.
š Itās like after two days of intense racing, Life forced me to slow down to soak it all in and realize that, hey, Iām running (in Sparta!) the third longest Iāve ever run in my life and only the second time Iāve raced three endurance races in a row (and this time with my body holding up well, injury-free). Thatās alone is a personal feat to celebrate.
š What a gift to someone always so focused on getting through a race as quickly as possible, focused on achieving a particular result – a chance to savor.
š To be able to hold both the pursuit of future greatness and full appreciation of present momentās simple beauty in one handā¦
šItās like 20 years of reading self-help books finally came together.
šIāve reached a finish line Iāve always wanted – a balance that feels just rightā¦wanting more but not needing it for joyā¦an inner peace that can thrive next to my inner fireā¦
Morning mantra: āMy body is rested and my mind is clear. Today is going to be a great day.ā
Two minute meditation (remembered it right before my run and used it to stall, since I was tired/dehydrated from dealing with Montezumaās Revenge after returning from a race in Mexico recently)
STOP READING if youāre already living your best life; this blog is not for you…
But if youāre like me, and you feel pretty good about your life, but you have a feeling you could do, learn, give, discover, and/or accomplish MORE, come along for the ride ā weāll grow together.
With so many ways to reach new heights and deeper levels as a human (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, intellectually), where the hell does one begin?
Some might start with their highest priority, or some with their biggest weakness, but Iām going to start with what I know best and work out from there: the physical.
I have a goalā¦
The OCRWC 3k World Championship race is in 101 days, and I want to put myself in the best possible position to win it.
Despite leading by a hair for most of the race last year, I finished third. Like before, Iām training very hard, but if one wants a different outcome, they must do something different. So Iām ready to take things to the next level. To have a shot at being THE best, Iāve got to discover and develop MY best. Letās start with first thing in the morningā¦
How are your mornings? My mornings have a solid foundation of healthy habits already (https://medium.com/authority-magazine/rose-wetzel-american-ninja-warrior-athlete-on-the-morning-routines-and-habits-of-highly-a4b8814f0812), but they can definitely be better.
One might think that to be a better athlete, one should just do more working out, and I will be adding in almost-daily, ever-increasing pushup and pullup challenges, but thereās a saying in Chinese medicine that if you have too much yang, your body forces you to shift to yin. Think of the last time you over-worked yourself, with too many hours cleaning up messes at work or home and not sleeping well ā we tend to get sick, and our body forces us to take rest, no matter how inconvenient the timing is. I remember many of my personal training clients who worked high-stress corporate jobs would work extra hard to get things lined up before a vacation and thenā¦get sick on vacation.
So, to become the best athlete I can be, in my quest to become the best human I can be (or was it the other way around?), Iām adding in both yang (think things that fire up the nervous system) and yin (think things that slow it down and help it recharge) in the hopes that the yin will allow me to create capacity for more yang (in the form of training) without getting injured or burnt out. Bring on massage therapy after an intense couple weeks of training ā yes, please!
Morning mantra: āMy body is rested and my mind is clear. Today is going to be a great day.ā
2 minute meditation
10 minute yoga/stretch
no social media until 9am
My goal is to share my progress with you everyday to hold myself accountable. Iāll add in a few things that generally take me out of my comfort zone and/or cause me to be more disciplined, such as doing dishes (I hand-washed a TON for my family of 11 people, as a kid), swimming, burpees, heavy carries, and things like changing our carās oil. Iāll add in my typical run training as well, once my body recovers from the 14.7-mile, 2600 feet of climbing, and 31 obstacles my body endured last weekend in Puebla, Mexico!
After five minutes of being harnessed in and looking 75 feet down, my heart raced and my palms sweated. I felt scared – very scared – but leaving the platform via the stairs wasn’t an option…
I was committed to the jump. it was just a matter of gathering the courage.
How did I know in my mind I would do it? Because leaving one’s comfort zone is like a muscle – the more you do it, the easier it gets, even if it still feels difficult.
Ever since moving across the country as a teenager to accept an athletic scholarship to a college where I knew nobody, I’ve slowly gotten comfortable feeling uncomfortable – a skill that has consistently helped me to conquer fear and live a fuller life.
Think of all the brave things you’ve done in life.What’s the next scary thing on your list?
