For someone who runs a 5K on occasion, I can't fathom how a person can survive and prevail in these so called "ultra" competitions. Like a 100-mile Ultra-marathon. My half-marathon a few years back was an "ultra" challenge for me!
I was fortunate to recently hear a guest speaker who competed in Hawaii's infamous Epic 5. It's 5 triathlons in a row. One per day... one on each of the Hawaiian islands... covering a total of 703 miles. It's ultra. It's Epic!
Chad Esker from just up the road in Mosinee conquered this grueling challenge of swimming, biking and running earlier this year. I guess only a handful of people around the world get invited to compete in the challenge each session. And, until 2017, only 11 people had ever made it through the competition.
What is impressive about Chad is that he went from out of shape (his words) to a world-class athlete in just a handful of years. He seriously couldn't run a non-stop mile when he decided a few years back to shed some weight and get in shape.
That is impressive and so it his humility. He really is genuine when he says he couldn't have made it through the intense training and competition without the help of his hand-selected support team. Each person had something to bring to the table, he said. Some specific talent, knowledge or skill to keep him going, surviving and thriving.
When Chad and his team shared their inspiring story with my co-workers and me, they also related it to leadership, teamwork, and clarity of purpose. And they challenged us to achieve our own "Epic 5."
Based on today's date and the fact I am facing a milestone in exactly 6 months, I will call mine an Epic 5-0. Uff da.
Funny how I was thinking of this thing today and my twin sister – who will reach this milestone 9 minutes after me – posted a picture of her treadmill, which she resurrected from hibernation today. I guess we are both subconsciously thinking about recapturing our health since we are past the point of recapturing our youth!
What I learned from Chad, his team, and a followup session with co-workers is that we need to get to the heart of our Epic goal so we really know why we are setting it and why we'll make it a priority to reach. Ask yourself "why" 5 times.
Why do I want to get my body in shape? So I can live longer. Why? So I can be active and have fun. Why? Because I want to be around for my husband and children and grandchildren someday. Why? Because they are important to me. Why? Because they make me happy.
See? Really get to the heart of your end goal.
Visualize it happening. Then, set tangible, measurable mini-goals or steps to reach it. And keep it simple. Right now my only mini-goal is to drink the recommended 64 ounces of water a day. Maybe in a week or two, I will add in the daily goal of getting 10,000 steps. But for now, one goal – hopefully a habit-forming one – at a time.
The other takeaway from Chad's presentation and our followup discussions is that we need to hold ourselves accountable. From experience, I can tell you that HAS to involve someone else. I am way too easy on myself. I make and accept any excuse. I let myself fail and lose my determination.
Find a drill sergeant. Create your own "team." Choose a person or people who complement your skills and talents. Find people who want to see you succeed and are willing to call you out when you're not following through. (Critical, if you ask me!) I am a firm believer that together, we can accomplish anything.
So... what does YOUR "Epic 5" look like?
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