“Put one foot in front of the other, focus on the little goal right in front of you, and almost anything is possible.”
Joe Desena
This was my strategy to get through today's workout. It's only day 2, and already it's tough.
I'm lucky. Coming off the back of a Spartan Beast last weekend I have a solid base to work on and I know what to expect. That said, by the last lap of my heavy and awkward carry it was simply a matter of look down and put one foot in front of the other until I get there.
Upon completion of the final lap I sought out the cause of the pain in my left foot. The final stage of this workout is an unloaded run, which I expected to feel pretty good after all the heavy carrying. Every step felt like a pin pricking into the ball of my left foot under the 4th toe - ouch! Am I or am I not a princess? I sat down and found stuck into the sole of my minimalist vibram shoes a 1cm long thorn with a sharp sharp point.
What this bore out for me was that by focusing on the big goal today I was able to eliminate the focus on other minor pains that I may have been experiencing. I suspect the thorn was in my foot for a while, but the sheer intensity of the carry load was all that my brain could focus on. Get the big rocks in the jar and the rest of life will fit in around it. The workout is done, the thorn is gone, and I am ready to get on with my weekend.
I'm a happy Spartan in training today having completed the workout without putting the load down.
Looking forward to some LSD tomorrow - the healthy kind - long slow distance on the trails - and a nice night of chilling with my boys tonight.
