Deep down inside every person, there’s a wimp trying not to be noticed. I’ve spent years helping people discover the champion within, and one thing I’ve learned, even with elite professional athletes, is that the wimp never completely disappears.
I caught my inner wimp sleeping last year and accepted a challenge that I could finish the 2006 Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in less than nine hours. At the time, I probably couldn’t have finished in 11 hours, if at all, but since I’ve never backed away from a challenge, I accepted anyway.
I didn’t think I had anything to worry about, but the more I read about the 11,000 feet of climbing at elevations ranging from 9,000-12,600 feet, the more I realized that I had some serious work to do. Historically, out of 700-plus starters, only the top 60 to 80 ride sub-nine hour times.
Starting in January, I threw myself into training, which meant rearranging my work schedule to allow for more frequent rides, and compromising with my wife to make sure my training wasn’t disruptive to our family life: I wanted to put in major miles, so we agreed that I could ride as long as I wanted on one day each weekend, provided I left the house by 6:30 a.m.
I also changed my eating habits. I didn’t go on any crazy diet; I just sliced out the clutter and useless calories. I cut out alcohol and stopped drinking soda, ignored snack foods packed with high fructose corn syrup, and switched from sugar-laden coffee drinks to black coffee or espresso.
I didn’t have to do anything else because I was already eating a healthy diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat dairy. And here’s a tip from the thousands of dietary analyses I’ve done with my clients: I’ve found that for most people, simply cutting the clutter, like I did, reveals a sound nutrition program that was already there and leads easily to healthy weight loss.
So, did I win the challenge? No, but I came a lot closer than anyone thought I would, and realized something very important along the way: The first step to making a really big improvement in your fitness is kicking your inner wimp to the side and setting a goal that’s beyond your current capacity. Your inner wimp likes safe bets, goals that feel challenging but are really within your grasp. Getting outside that comfort zone is important because it adds a sense of real purpose to your training: Success is not guaranteed.
After 35 years as a cyclist, I can ride 100 miles any day of the week, but the goal of finishing the Leadville 100 in under nine hours was ominous enough that it made me sit up and take notice.
My advice to you: Stop playing it safe and sign up for something that scares you a bit, something you’ll really have to prepare for. Your inner champion needs the challenge.
For more info on the latest in training, fitness and nutrition from Chris Carmichael and the coaches at Carmichael Training Systems, go to www.trainright.com/newsletter.
