I Might Have Continued Training and Never ‘Run the Race’
It had been about a month that I’d been working towards my first pull-up at CrossFit. I hadn’t yet had the courage to even try an actual pull up. I worked on banded pull-ups, negatives, grip strength. I followed the Coach’s recommendations to build up. There was a nagging fear inside that it would be a waste if I couldn’t get a pull-up. I think I might have just gone on training to be able to do it.
That day was different - a member who had noticed me working on it everyday while their class finished up walked over and said - “Alright, give it a try!” I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, my mind raced looking for a response… a decision about whether or not I was prepared to fail and have all of the past months effort feel like a waste. I gestured toward the class, and muttered “I don’t want to fail in front of everyone!” In that moment it felt like I was wearing flourescent orange and the whole world was going to watch me fail. My fellow member, laughed, and said, “No one’s watching but me, and I think you can do it!”
He then walked a few feet further down the gym away from the group and gestured toward the rig for me to hop up. I hung on to the last few words he said, and thought “here goes nothing…” I hopped up on the bar. Set my shoulders back, started the pull by depressing my scapulas, just the way the Coach had been telling me. My body started to move upward in a way I’d never experienced. Then it got hard, I had stopped moving. I dropped off the bar. My cheeks were on fire at this point. I had failed. I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready.
The member smiled, and said, “You gave up! You almost had it! Try moving your hands a little closer together and do it again.” My head was all over the map, ‘why did this guy think I could do this?’ My attention shifted down the gym toward the class that was finishing. No one was looking, so I figured I had a small window to try again. I hopped back up on the bar. Inched my hands a bit closer together, and went through my mental steps. I started the movement with the small muscles, my body responded and moved up toward the bar. I stopped again, my forehead in line with that damn bar. Ugh… now I was mad!
I don’t know what came over me in that minute, but I held on right where I was stuck. The member started cheering me on loudly, all I could think was ‘Crap, I’m sure everyone is looking now!’ I gave it one last deep breath and suddenly, I was moving upward again! My eyes glanced over the bar and my body picked up speed! I let out a muffled scream, and dropped off the bar. By now the entire class was watching, and cheering. I couldn’t stop smiling, I did it, my first pull-up!!
In hindsight, the only thing more powerful than having done the pull-up is what the moment taught me. I had failed less than 2 minutes before the miracle happened. I had given up. I had hit the sticky spot. Two minutes later, I mustered up all of my will and pushed right past the same spot that had crippled me moments earlier.
How often in life do we hit that sticky spot, the one that feels like we are standing still, exerting everything we have with nothing left, and accepted that feeling and let go of the goal? What if we had mentally decided we were capable of holding on a little longer, squeezing out a little more breath or energy toward what we were trying to accomplish? What would be possible for you?
Where in life have you invested all your energy preparing for something, then stayed in that preparation because it was safer than not achieving your goal? Imagine training for months and deciding to keep putting off running the marathon, watching everyone else achieve their goals instead.
Stop standing on the sidelines hoping to win, get in the game! Get out of your comfort zone, your goals are waiting!
