Find your weaknesses

I recently participated in a Spartan Race alongside thousands of other athletes and weekend warriors. For those who aren’t familiar, Spartan Race is one brand of a growing sport called Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) that is expanding in popularity around the world. My race combined a half-marathon trail run with about 35 boot-camp style obstacles. So why am I publishing this to my business social network when it has nothing to do with work? Because it has everything to do with work, specifically personal and professional development.

Joe DeSena, the founder of Spartan Race, takes pride in saying “Spartan races help you find your weaknesses.”

My experience with half-dozen of his races under my belt confirms this fact. No matter how much I train for the event, there’s always something on the course that catches me off guard where I find myself unprepared. You see, they don’t publish the course details before arriving on site. Sure, after a few races you know some of the obstacles you can expect (rope climbs, lifting and carrying heavy things, etc.). What you don’t know is the sequence of the obstacles or where they will be on the course. Will the vertical rope climb be towards the beginning when you’re fresh, or towards the end when you’re exhausted? It makes a big difference, I promise.

The sequence of obstacles and their seemingly random location on the course always stands out to me. There's always a moment when I’m running, getting some rhythm to my stride, then think to myself “I’m feeling pretty good right now”. Then WHAM!, around the corner is something heavy that must be carried up a steep hill. Sometimes it’s the very act of getting out of rhythm that causes you to feel the fatigue and pain setting in. Not to mention that the obstacle ahead is going to cause you to dig pretty deep into your physical and mental reserves.

So why do thousands of us pay good money and voluntarily throw ourselves into this misery? As Joe also says,

“Spartan Races are a metaphor for life.”

In the real world we seldom get to settle in to a nice rhythm and keep our stride for very long. Even outside the world of OCR, we often prepare diligently yet we still find something on race day that leaves us feeling unprepared. In life, “race day” may be an important customer meeting, a coaching session with a team member, or a difficult challenge with a teenage son. It’s those moments in life that force us to dig deep mentally and overcome the weakness. We have to find a way to overcome the obstacle even though our minds and bodies are telling us we’re done.

I happen to like being outdoors and trying to keep myself in shape. I could do these things without subjecting myself to the challenge and frustration of OCR races. But here’s the thing: I find a significant source of energy in the challenge. Bringing myself to a state of utter physical and mental exhaustion actually gives me strength in all areas outside of OCR. It reminds me that tackling obstacles, whether it's climbing a vertical rope or working out a difficult problem at work, can be solved with a formula that includes skills development, practice, and a exponential dose of perseverance.

Sometimes we have to push ourselves to our limits to find our weaknesses. Those momentary shortcomings guide our personal development. They remind us that no matter how much we prepare, we have to be nimble and mentally tough to tackle the unexpected.

Have you pushed yourself hard enough to find your weaknesses lately?