Competition
How do you measure yourself?
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
~President Teddy “The Bull Moose” Roosevelt
President Teddy Roosevelt knew a thing or two about pushing his limits. A staunch advocate of the “strenuous life”, the 26th Commander-in-Chief nabbed outlaws in the Dakota Territory, led cavalry charges during the Spanish-American War, hunted big game in Africa, and even co-led an expedition up the “River of Doubt” in the Brazilian Amazon Basin.
So what are you doing to test yourself?
What are you going to do TODAY that will force you out of your comfort zone?
If those questions caught you off-guard, you need a challenge.
You need…an event.
Competition stokes those smoldering primitive fires. You need it. The body craves it.
Especially during the dark days of winter, when the training routines become monotonous, and the smoke-filled days of summer seem forever in the distance, doing an event can boost your spirits. It gives you a near-term goal to shoot for.
If you’re going to do an event, our #1 recommendation is to do a GORUCK Challenge.
GORUCK CLASS 417 | Phoenix, AZ February 14, 2013 (Hotshot Fitness Founder, Michael Kennard is farthest right)
What is GORUCK?
Founded by a group of former Special Forces soldiers, GORUCK seeks to bring the physical intensity and team building components of the military’s legendarily brutal selection process to American masochists.
The GORUCK Challenge is 12+ hours,and participants ruck 20+ miles with a brick-filled backpack through a major city. And there’s a few push-ups too.
It’s Heaven on earth.
When the rucking’s over, it’s tradition to grab a post-event beer and laugh about the epic night that was. It’s a blast, but it’s a brutal event.
Your body will hate you for a week after the event. You will be cut up and bruised. But you can take pride in knowing you did one of the harder events out there today. And that’s something that even the Bull Moose himself would respect.
Find a Race
While we love GORUCK, another great idea is to signup for a 10K or half-marathon over the off-season. It’ll motivate you to keep training even when the fire season seems like a lifetime away.
Active.com is a great resource for finding trail runs and road races in your area.
Check out their widget below!