Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

"C'mon, Scott, hang in there, keep pressing, and don't let go." 

Despite what my body was telling me, I kept repeating the phrase. The pace was blistering fast, and I was suffering. In the early miles, I managed to get away from the field with another competitor, and we worked together to establish an early lead. But, one of us would have to make a move at some point, and about four miles into this 10k race, I decided I would be the one to make the first move. I accelerated and threw a hard surge to try and create a gap. If I could get a few meters on him, it might be enough to break him; it's like a rubber band if you stretch it far enough it breaks.

There's an inherent risk in making the first move, you have no idea how your opponent feels, and they may respond with a counter surge. My first attempt at trying to break him resulted in just this scenario. He responded to my surge, stayed right on my shoulder, and promptly countered. Already uncomfortable, I had a decision to make, I could let him go and hope he faded or respond and match him. These are the moments that define you as an athlete; I jumped on his shoulder and hung on for dear life, hoping he would slow down at some point.

This cat and mouse proceeded for several miles, my legs screaming, lungs burning, and fingers going numb, I couldn't shake this guy. Surge after surge, we traded places, the finish line looming closer and closer. With a quarter-mile to go, it became clear it would be a sprint finish. I had reasonable confidence in my leg speed, but I was pretty much red-lined and didn't have a lot left to give. Somewhere I was going to have to find more, dig a little deeper, and find one more gear. I put my head down, drove my arms, and gave everything I had left. It was enough, and I got a well- earned win.

There is an art in racing, a delicate balancing act of hard enough but not too hard. It's a lesson of learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Through training, you learn to explore the sensations of being uncomfortable, press the boundaries, and redefine your limits. It's a process of acceptance that it's ok to be uncomfortable to perform well. 

You'll question and wonder whether it's worth it, you'll have self-doubt, and at times, you'll want to quit. My race certainly could've have gone the other way, I could've lost. The question is whether I would've been ok with that outcome. In this case, the answer was yes; I didn't have anything left to give, didn't quit, embraced temporary discomfort, and challenged my limits. These are the defining moments in life, how you answer these questions, has profound lifelong implications.