The workout on this brisk — ok it was outright COLD — morning was There And Back Again. It’s the workout where you work hard to get out as far as you can during the first half of the workout, and then you use the second half to work your ass off to get back again.
The challenge is that you either push too hard on the way out, and then can’t get back because you burn out. We call this the “Fly and Die” method. Or you hold back on your way out to “save yourself” for the way back, and you end up standing around at the end waiting for everyone else who is absolutely crushing their last sections. We call this the “Oops, I sandbagged” method.
If you hit it just right, you find a speed and pace that you can really dig into on the way out there, and then you find a way to hold on to it on your way back–so you finish exactly where you started and you have nothing left to give.
I have to say, as someone who attends a whole lot of Wednesday stadium workouts, there are few workouts that keep EVERYONE moving as long and as hard as There And Back Again. I believe this morning was one of the handful I’ve ever observed where the view when time was called at 7:20 was one of everyone gasping for air, wiggly-legged stances, people dropping to sit wherever they were, other standing with hands dug into knees as they bend over trying to catch their breath, juuuuust on the verge of vomiting. (Don’t remind me about #Raceman…people definitely get beyond the verge of puking during that one). Everyone was crushing it today.
Which makes me wonder whether the challenge of going There And Back Again is not just a good workout challenge, but it’s possibly GREAT for us as athletes and in so many other ways too. Think about what happens to you when you don’t quite know how far you’ll get around the stadium…it removes you from some of those preconceived notions about what you are and are not capable of. Maybe you just see how you feel and plug away toward that yet-to-be-determined goal point. Maybe you surprise yourself at how far you can get. And then you don’t worry or wonder about the “getting back” part until it’s time to get back.
Imagine how much we could accomplish or what goals we could achieve in our lives if we took it more like There And Back Again. Anyone else besides me sometimes need to have the entire picture all mapped out before we take the first step? But what could be possible if we first focus on getting THERE. And then we put all our time, attention, and energy into getting back again. I’m not saying we just say “fuck it” to all planning or preparation.* But damn, when you throw a little caution to the wind and just see what’s possible, we not only sometimes–but usually–surprise ourselves.
One more thought for today, inspired by the giving out of the Positivity Award to our friend Rick who literally doesn’t actually live in Boston anymore but has to kind of live other places around the world but always, always, always shows the fuck up when he’s back in town. Ever think about how going There And Back Again is like showing up to NP? Sometimes you, we, your friend who you started coming with, that person you remember from way back…we get kinda far away from NP. And just like that moment half-way through the workout today when we turned around and worked our way back home, most of us really appreciate that feeling of coming back again. If NP has become a far away thing, let this be the reminder that wherever “there” is for you, you can always come back again.
We’ll see you soon.
Keep changing the world. #kindness #community #freefitness
*A good example of this strategy being a bad idea is to go hiking with only enough food and water for half the trip. This is not advised, not recommended, and not suggested by NP.
DATES TO KNOW
SATURDAY NOV 11: 7pm Brooklyn Boulders BKBeastmode event where #EmC2 will be guest judging. See details for the event and info to get tickets HERE.
FRIDAY DEC 1: 6:30pm NP event you just. don’t. want. to. miss. Save the date and start booking everyone you know to join us.
