Comfort doesn't grow you
A couple of years ago I ran a Backyard Ultra. Fascinated by the format, it’s a race designed to find your breaking point and it’s something I’d put off for a long time.
The rules are simple. You run a 4.1 mile loop, on the hour, every hour, until only one person is left. Everyone who stops gets a wooden spoon and a DNF next to their name.
Under the right conditions it goes on for days. The world record was broken again last month and now stands at 123 laps, over 512 miles, and more than five days of running.
I started at midday on Saturday and ran until 1am on Sunday. 13 laps, 54 miles, and on that last lap I knew I was done.
As I slumped into my camping chair after and put away countless Mars Bars, I felt completely content with my effort.
And here’s what stuck with me. There are very few moments in modern life where we’re genuinely tested. Things are comfortable now, if we let them be.
But choosing to do hard things is one of the best ways to grow. Every time you do something you weren’t sure you could, you quietly increase what you believe you’re capable of.
You don’t need an ultra but you do need one thing that scares you slightly. So what’s yours?
A quote worth sitting with
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
She wasn’t talking about running, but she may as well have been.
The Saturday Standard
This one is a repeatability test, built in the spirit of the race above. Control beats ego here.
Backyard
Every 8 minutes, on the clock:
- 800m run
- 20 air squats
- 15 press-ups
- 10 burpees
Whatever time is left in the 8 minutes is your rest. Then you go again. You’re aiming for 6 rounds.
And here’s the catch. You have to hold the same round time every single time. The moment a round takes you longer than the one before, you’re finished.
It’s hard because it punishes going out too fast. Anyone can blow up in one round. Very few people can pace themselves and repeat it when their legs are begging them to slow down.
And if you find you have less than a minutes rest in the first round, increase the round time.
What’s happening with me
Quick bit of news. I’ve given my coaching website a full revamp, and I’m now offering personal training and group classes alongside the online coaching.
If you’ve been curious about working together, or you just fancy a look at what’s changed, check it out at stuart-white.co.uk