Fit for Life: This Truly…!
Saturday, March 11, 2023
A couple of years ago, the founder of Fit Body Bootcamp (Bedros Keuilian) created an event called “suck fest.”
I wasn’t able to attend that event for various reasons, however, a friend, fellow FBBC owner, and Project Brother from New Hampshire named David Fisher did the event via zoom.
It is a 12-hour event that starts at sundown and goes to sunrise the next morning.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTI am not 100% sure of the exact format, but I know you run the equivalent of a marathon, broken up into short bursts, with some resistance exercises performed 15 reps per set at a time.
Altogether, you run 26.2 miles & do something like 4500 repetitions of different exercises.
This year, the format changed to an overnight hike.
Bedros and his So Cal crew did it in early December through the streets of Chino Hills, California. I believe they hiked over 40 miles throughout the “chilly” night, which is pretty impressive.
Dave, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky.
He did it the weekend in December that produced the worst weather of the year, and no one finished.
Some became hypothermic due to the wind and freezing rain that came at them, but Dave isn’t a quitter and was determined to complete this event.
So he postponed it to a better time of year when the weather was more likely to cooperate. That date was last weekend, and I was fortunate enough to get invited to join him and his crew to participate.
I was thinking we would get a 40-degree night, and the worst part would be the lack of sleep we would endure throughout the event, so I was excited to see my friend, and catch up with him on this nice leisurely hike.
Earlier that week, my girlfriend Melody/researcher/worry wort, sent a text saying, “Fun fact, New Hampshire is getting 8-15” of snow from Friday night at 9 pm until Saturday am” which happened to be the exact time we would be in the woods hiking. WTF, I thought; this is gonna SUCK!!
Then for some reason, I started getting nervous as the week progressed.
I was hoping to get a phone call saying the event is off until a later date, but that never happened.
I thought about claiming my bad knee and plantar fasciitis flared up and I couldn’t participate, but excuses don’t work well with me, so that method was out.
What was I going to do, and why the hell did I agree to this?
So what did I do, you may ask?
I went to my basement, and dug out every piece of winter gear/clothing I had, as I didn’t want to be the one to not finish this event. We also went to REI, so I could get the appropriate footwear & some miscellaneous gear to deal with the elements.
I did the Death Race last June for 35 hours straight, and in 2019, I graduated from The Project, which was 75 hours of straight mental & physical punishment, so I knew that I can endure adversity, and not quit.
But hiking through the snow in freezing temps was a whole new element to tackle, and I wanted to be ready.
We’ll the event lived up to its name: SUCK FEST.
We completed nearly 35 miles wet, cold, and trudging through snow that accumulated to 6-8” by the time we finished. I was exhausted, my feet, knees and hamstrings were fried, but the feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction overshadowed the pain.
So why do I do these things and what were my takeaways & value from doing this?
First, as I mentioned, the feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction would not be possible if we always search for shortcuts and the easy way out. When things come easy, there is no sense of satisfaction.
The physical pain was far less than the pain of regret I would’ve felt if I had quit or backed out. After a few hours of rest, the physical pain went away, however, waking up and looking at myself as a quitter would have stung forever.
Be prepared for everything!! I had food, water, and changed my clothes & shoes a few times, and that was the difference. Whatever it is in life, when you prepare, you are more likely to succeed.
The lesson of self-talk, knowing you were doing something difficult, making a commitment to not quit.
You need to keep telling yourself that just because things hurt a little bit you still can’t stop.
You need to push through and rest when it’s time.
My leg wasn’t broken, and I wasn’t coughing blood, so as long as I could physically continue, I wasn’t letting my mental state stop me. There were times my inner bitch was trying to negotiate with me, but I realized that our minds would usually quit before we needed to, so I talked my way through the pain and suffering.
You can’t let the weather dictate your life. There will be sunny days and rainy days; it shouldn’t matter when you have goals to accomplish. If it’s not life-threatening, then we need to push through.
Don't be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone and embrace adversity. Through these experiences, we grow and learn the most about ourselves.
There is something incredibly empowering about choosing to put yourself through adversity and prevailing, so stop seeking comfort and the easy route in life.
The important lesson that we all need to be reminded of from time to time is:
Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But you can choose your hard.
My whole life has been a struggle from the time I was young, so doing hard things will prepare us for future adversity.
Hell, if I can endure things like suck fest, going to the gym and eating healthy is an easy task.
Choosing the hard road may be more difficult in the short term, but in the long run, it will lead to a more fulfilling and rewarding life, as it puts things into perspective as to what’s really hard & what’s fabricated as being hard.
Remember, no one is entitled to an easy life, so embrace the suck and move on!!
Committed to your growth,
Coach Matt
