The Halfway point....

...excerpt from my daily message to the company.

"Make friends with pain and you will never be alone " - Ken Clouber, Founder Leadville 100 Trail run held each August in Leadville, CO (elevation 10,200)

Halfway Point

The halfway point for the Leadville 100 mile trail run is a real old west ghost town called Winfield. After crossing the highest elevation point of the race "Hope Pass" at 12,600 ft, the backside of the mountain is a skinny goat path trail with sheer drop-offs heading into the ghost town of Winfield that has now come alive with spectators, race officials, and volunteers. Winfield is also the aid station where the race officials start weighing runners to compare the gain/loss to your pre-race weight marked on your bracelet to ensure runner safety and health.  

On one hand it is a relief to reach Winfield, halfway there, halfway done, and on the other you are staring up at a mountain you just traversed that you now must now run back up to the top. I thought of another of Ken's quotes "you thought this was going to be easy Cupcake?" and off I went back up the mountain for the 2nd half of the race. I had been running for 13 hours since the 4 am start time, and the year of training allowed me to feel pretty good at this point. However, I was now heading into the real meat of the race, the heart of the Leadville 100, the true test of self happens on that back 50.  

Leadville is an out and back race - Leadville to Winfield, turn around, and come right back, all through the same rough rugged Colorado mountain terrain. This 50 mile stretch is with headlamps on in absolute darkness, you are cold, hungry, tired, physically exhausted, and hurt. This is the real race, the part that chews you up, that unforgiving Leadville that stamps your heart when you make it through to the finish line. The stamp that lasts forever, the love for Leadville that endures and marks your life. Overcoming and defeating the quit in your mind is an experience you don't forget. Every step of this back 50 progressively gets harder and harder, until you crest the 6th Street hill looking down at the finish line at mile 99.5. Then pain, exhaustion, hunger somehow disappears.

Ken Clouber the founder of the Leadville 100 said in the pre-race briefing "the first 50 miles is physical, the 2nd 50 is all mental". The first 50 (1st half) is falling back on the mechanics of my past sales experience. The back 50 (2nd half) is all mental - you vs. you.  

This is the real race that we have at Potrero each day:

"Can I beat myself?"  

"Can I beat that voice in my head that is screaming to stop the race?"  

"Can I figure out a way to beat the clock and finish the race?"  

"Can I slow the game down - focus on the activities that will generate results?"  

"Can I remove distractions that prevent me from achieving my desired results?"  

"Can I have the discipline to push these sales efforts to the finish line?"  

For the sales team - I am so excited to see the month and then quarter close, the sales that you have worked so hard to achieve, the sales that you have fought for and won. YOU WILL WIN!!

Bring it home and win!!

Have a great day!!

Joe

This is a series of articles based on the daily letters that I write to my company (slightly modified - company specifics removed). My hope is to share some positive thoughts that gently push the world toward positive thinking and encourage many to achieve their fullest God-given potential