The one New Year’s resolution you need to make
You don’t have to go backpacking in Asia to shake up your perspective. This year I went far out of my comfort zone without even leaving the city. A full year after I had originally dismissed it as a feat beyond my abilities, I challenged myself to complete an obstacle course race (OCR).
The end result? I completed several obstacle races, each one tougher than the last. I got muddy, earned a lot of medals and there are scars on my knees that I’ll probably carry for the rest of my life. But another thing I’ll carry is the unshakeable confidence that I can achieve a lot more than I’d credit myself for.
Let me introduce you to the inverted wall:
This sucker is one of the most common obstacles in OCRs. Requiring a fair amount of upper body strength and perseverance, it was an obstacle I couldn’t complete without help in my first race.
So it was a stand-out moment of the year when I finally got over one of these walls — without help — in the fifth hour of the Spartan Beast, the toughest race I’ve finished to date.
I didn’t get over the wall because of a massive increase in upper body strength, I got over it because I persevered for longer than the previous times. Wet and tired, I clung onto that wall with my elbows, trying in various ways to get my lower half of the body over on the other side. In each race I persevered for a bit longer, building up momentum that would finally get me over this wall in the last race of the year.
When I feel insecure about something today, I only need to remember the inverted wall and how I beat my old self who’d found that obstacle as one of the most daunting. That’s the thing about OCRs — even though they’re called a “race”, the only person you’re competing against is your own ego.
Think you couldn’t climb a six-foot wall? You’re wrong. Think you couldn’t jump into muddy water up to your neck, without a moment’s hesitation? Yes you could. Your ego and whatever mental chatter you struggle with daily, loses a lot of its power out there on the field. You’re not just crushing physical obstacles, you’re overcoming mental defeats too.
There’s a reason that few people do just one obstacle race and call it quits. That feeling of pushing past your limits feels good for the body and for the soul.
Like my experience with the inverted wall, most OCR finishers have a story of perseverance which ripples through the rest of their daily life, making them better employees, better partners and just flat-out better (kinder) humans.
I could go on about the many ways in which committing to just one obstacle course race (OCR) can improve your life — by teaching you teamwork and leadership, helping you get fitter (emphasising function over looks), etc.
But the only way to really understand what I mean, is to try it out for yourself. Why not commit to just one OCR, a 5k? As little as a month of training can reveal a whole new you out there on the field, a kick-ass you which you’ll be able to rely on forever after to smash your goals in all areas of your life.
So — who will you be in 2016?
Written for Grit Camp, your guide to obstacle racing. Find the advice you need to get started here or follow us on Instagram (@gritcamp) for OCR training tips and motivation!
