ENDURE: May 10, 2013

It's a LONG and winding road

On more than a few occasions we have attempted to show the very close tie between achievement (whether health, safety, prevention, etc) and the ability to remain steady over the long term; to be resilient against the challenges that life throws our way and continue moving forward toward the goal.  We often refer to this as a critical "element" associated with human achievement that we call ENDURE.  Earlier in the year I wrote about my personal 2013 quest to ENDURE a new challenge, a fifty-mile ultra-marathon, not as some new super fitness concept, but rather as a way to push myself out of my comfort zone and do something I wasn't at all sure I could.....and of course learn more about my own ability to safely get to the other side......simply put, it was to be this year's test.

If you've read along you know that my training was not perfect.  In fact, it was far from perfect by conventional standards.  It had many ups and downs, good-days and not-so-good-days, which made this challenge an almost perfect test of Pro-Activity's methodology, which to summarize like a recipe would go like this:

Combine a strong base of MOVE with plenty of good FUEL and proper strategies to RECOVER. Add-in the help of those you CONNECT with along the way to ultimately ENDURE any challenge.

So last Saturday my teammates and I, along with the good wishes and energy from family and friends* (CONNECT) set out to conquer the "Rock the Ridge 50 mile Challenge" in New Paltz, NY.  A course that amounted to more than 8,000 feet of vertical ascending (and 8,000+ descending) over a 50 mile span pushed me to (and beyond) my previous limit.  There was some discomfort along the way, but there were plenty of smiles and laughing (believe it or not) too.  There was a need to intensely listen to my body to make sure the little nags didn't become an injury, and it was not easy to maintain the fine balance between pushing, but not too hard.  Was it a flawless performance?  No.  But it didn't have to be.  Was it without any setbacks?  No.  There were moments that pushed me to what felt like the brink of giving up. However I am proud to say that the recipe worked. 

We were all spent afterward, but we were not injured.  We all knew we could have done more to prepare better, but we relied on each other and got through it.  Without a doubt, this new experience only solidifies our appreciation for how far the right method can get you. If you've been following along this year, I hope you don't think this story has been about running......that's simply the test we chose.  This story is about how much "extraordinary" each and every one of us ordinary people (you included) CAN do when we approach it in a deliberate and methodical way.  This story is about taking the reins off yourself and making progress until you surprise even yourself.

Are we recommending a 50 mile test for everyone?  Of course not.  Your 50 mile test might be to be pain free, or improve your health enough that your medical provider wants to adjust medication DOWNWARD.  Your 50 mile test might be having enough left after a long career to do all those amazing things you've planned for yourself......or working safely enough to get home every night for many years to come.  Your 50 mile test might be to be in the best shape of your life, to be the happiest you've ever been or it might just be to run 50 miles.  The goal only needs to be important to you......the method is the same......and we'll keep offering to help whenever you're ready.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.

*Special thanks to those of you who helped with encouraging words, emails, phone calls, etc along the way - you know who you are.