Superman and Tough Mothers

I did not want to go the the gym today.

I've been back crossfitting now for almost 2 months, and I'm signed up for 3 classes per week (really, with my schedule, fitting anything more would be a challenge. Eh, who am I kidding, with my schedule, fitting in 3 classes per week is a challenge). Since I registered for Tough Mudder Georgia (April 6!), I have officially put myself into training - which means making it into the box (Crossfit term for the gym) 3 times per week, as well as getting at least one run in per week. In order to meet my goal, I dutifully packed up my gym bag and threw it in my car, so I could go to the box right after work.

Well, my box posts its daily WODs (workout of the day) on its website. During an idle moment at work this afternoon, I decided to look up the WOD, to get an idea of what I would be in for.

Bad move.

The WOD was rowing. Intervals of 250m rowing sprints followed by 3 minutes of rest, 8 times on the Concept 2 (C2) rower.

I hate rowing. It makes me legs feel all rubbery and my forearms all stiff. It doesn't help that I am always the slowest rower, either.

I sat there, at work, staring at the computer screen, and excuses started popping into my head. I needed to spend more time with the kids. I really needed to finish up a report. I could always go on Friday and then Saturday and still get my 3 classes in this week - no harm, no foul, right?

And then, it hit me: if I ran away from this challenge, this WOD, I might as well quit training for the Tough Mudder right then and there. Because nothing about Tough Mudder is going to be easy: not the obstacles, not the cold, nothing. Just like the Spartan Beast, it will be about facing my limits and pushing through them. I am not going to be the toughest or strongest or fastest at the Tough Mudder (or, let's face it, at any race), but it shouldn't even be about that. Just showing up to take on something you know will be a challenge takes tremendous amounts of strength and courage. There was a great movie called "Angus" from the mid-90s. In it, Angus's grandfather is trying to impart words of wisdom to his teenage grandson, Angus, who has been the target of bullies for years. He tells Angus, "Superman isn't brave."

You don't understand. He's smart, handsome, even decent. But he's not brave. No, listen to me. Superman is indestructible, and you can't be brave if you're indestructible. It's people like you and your mother. People who are different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep on going out there every time. 

I went to the box this evening. I did my WOD. Out of the the 8 other people who came for the 6pm class, I was, by far, the slowest. Out of all of the people who did the WOD today, I was the second slowest. But I did it. I showed up, gave it my all, and I walked out proud of myself for not running away.

Sometimes training isn't just about the physical - it's about the mental too. And, today, I totally smoked the WOD when it came to the mental.