There's a sign on a local church in town that reads, "You must learn from your failures, or you fail to learn." I think that's an important concept to not only understand, but to put into practice. Even the old saying, "you live and you learn," may have biblical roots. Job tells us 12:12, "Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days."
So this got me to thinking, what did I learn from last weekend in Asheville with friends, away from Thomas, and doing the Spartan Race?
1. Parents really do need time away from their children. I'm sure most people reading this are either thinking, I agree 100%, or I disagree 100%. But it's difficult to find that balance in being a good, involved parent, yet also a good, loving spouse. Brittnee and I are happy, let me just get that out there before someone reads too much into that. But that doesn't mean we can't be happier does it? We love playing with Thomas, watching him learn new things, react to different experiences, and selfishly, yes I do want him to experience all his "firsts" with us, but sometimes he's going to do new things with grandparents and that's okay. It was nice to ride in the car with her up front with me, and to be able to talk to each other without wondering which one of us was supposed to be watching the baby.
2. Friends matter more than I realized. I've told people that the most difficult time to have a social life is when your children are age 0 - 3 or 4 years. Granted we haven't made it that far yet, but it is difficult timing naps, feedings, and meltdowns around a schedule. But going out to eat with friends Friday and Saturday nights up there was relaxing and actually revitalizing. We had adult conversations and laughed without looking over our shoulder saying "oh crap, where did the baby go?" That thought is sort of what led up to the friend post on FB after the race last Saturday. Would I work out and do as many races if I did them by myself? Possibly. But it sure wouldn't be as fun. Until you've done a race and gone back and compared photos, times, and epic stories of success and failure, you just wouldn't understand. I'm so looking forward to the party after the race airs on NBC September 27th to relive everyone's memories from the race! It's tough to carve out enough time for friends sometimes but I do think it's important and hopefully we are able to do that more going forward.
3. I still have a lot of potential for improvement physically. I came into this race in pretty good shape. I hadn't been dealing with any illness or injury and my training had been pretty consistent. I also sort of knew in the back of my mind that I was heavier than I needed to be, but I kept telling myself I had been running enough so I'd be fine. I was wrong. The inclines and hills multiplied how much extra weight, if even only a few pounds, I was lugging around. There were also some pictures from the creek crossing that I hope were just bad angles based on my body looked in them, but we won't go there too much. So with that said, I plan to focus on maintaining my strength while improving my speed and losing some weight so we'll see how that goes over the next few months. To my workout partners, sorry, but it's gonna get a lot tougher going forward lol.
4. Don't assume something will be the same as it was in the past. Last year's Asheville race was 8 miles, clear trails, and a few inclines. This year's race was, well just ask anybody who did it. But it was 10 miles of tough trails and mountains. I hate predicting a finish time for a race. I hate it even more after the Asheville Super. I based my guess on last year's course and my assumption that they would likely add about a mile to the course. I was wrong on all fronts. But hey, the same is true for situations in our life, and even people. Sometimes, and obstacle will be easier or harder than the year before. Sometimes a person you encounter, or hopefully even you, will be different than you were the year before. My goal is to be a better husband, father, and friend than I was yesterday. So continue improving so that when faced with more difficult challenges, they can be overcome easier because it's you that's better than before.
5. I learned what true greatness is. Seeing as how I was stranded in the wilderness when the winners crossed the finish line, I'm not sure what the crowd's cheers were like when that happened. But I was blessed enough to witness some cheers of greatness. When Team Enduring Warrior came through the rope climb during their 8 hour journey, it was a time of sheer awe. A veteran with one arm was climbing the rope, with slight help. I understood the struggle since I had failed the obstacle earlier in the day. As he began his ascent, everyone's focus on the festival area began to gradually shift. There was literally a buzz and an energy in the air that I've rarely witnessed. He struggled all the way up close to the bell at the top. After one final pull, he swung his arm but missed the bell. You could see the exhaustion on his face and everyone wanted to just lift him up. But he did give up, he continued on being resourceful. He took his hat off and with his one arm took one might swing and rang the bell. I still get chills any time I write or talk about this. The entire are erupted into applause and standing ovations. They may not have had the fastest time out there, but they showed what true greatness is. Sometimes a win is more than crossing the finish line first.
Overall, that weekend was a fun and enlightening experience. It put family, friends, fitness, and faith all into perspective for me. It was awesome getting to hang out with good people, be tested and pushed to my limits physically, have a blast on dates with my wife, and witness what true greatness is all about seeing Enduring Warrior. Thank you to all those who have made the life I've been fortunate enough to live so far possible, and most of all to my wife for putting with my crazy dreams, and to my God for blessing me with the opportunities.
So this got me to thinking, what did I learn from last weekend in Asheville with friends, away from Thomas, and doing the Spartan Race?
1. Parents really do need time away from their children. I'm sure most people reading this are either thinking, I agree 100%, or I disagree 100%. But it's difficult to find that balance in being a good, involved parent, yet also a good, loving spouse. Brittnee and I are happy, let me just get that out there before someone reads too much into that. But that doesn't mean we can't be happier does it? We love playing with Thomas, watching him learn new things, react to different experiences, and selfishly, yes I do want him to experience all his "firsts" with us, but sometimes he's going to do new things with grandparents and that's okay. It was nice to ride in the car with her up front with me, and to be able to talk to each other without wondering which one of us was supposed to be watching the baby.
2. Friends matter more than I realized. I've told people that the most difficult time to have a social life is when your children are age 0 - 3 or 4 years. Granted we haven't made it that far yet, but it is difficult timing naps, feedings, and meltdowns around a schedule. But going out to eat with friends Friday and Saturday nights up there was relaxing and actually revitalizing. We had adult conversations and laughed without looking over our shoulder saying "oh crap, where did the baby go?" That thought is sort of what led up to the friend post on FB after the race last Saturday. Would I work out and do as many races if I did them by myself? Possibly. But it sure wouldn't be as fun. Until you've done a race and gone back and compared photos, times, and epic stories of success and failure, you just wouldn't understand. I'm so looking forward to the party after the race airs on NBC September 27th to relive everyone's memories from the race! It's tough to carve out enough time for friends sometimes but I do think it's important and hopefully we are able to do that more going forward.
3. I still have a lot of potential for improvement physically. I came into this race in pretty good shape. I hadn't been dealing with any illness or injury and my training had been pretty consistent. I also sort of knew in the back of my mind that I was heavier than I needed to be, but I kept telling myself I had been running enough so I'd be fine. I was wrong. The inclines and hills multiplied how much extra weight, if even only a few pounds, I was lugging around. There were also some pictures from the creek crossing that I hope were just bad angles based on my body looked in them, but we won't go there too much. So with that said, I plan to focus on maintaining my strength while improving my speed and losing some weight so we'll see how that goes over the next few months. To my workout partners, sorry, but it's gonna get a lot tougher going forward lol.
4. Don't assume something will be the same as it was in the past. Last year's Asheville race was 8 miles, clear trails, and a few inclines. This year's race was, well just ask anybody who did it. But it was 10 miles of tough trails and mountains. I hate predicting a finish time for a race. I hate it even more after the Asheville Super. I based my guess on last year's course and my assumption that they would likely add about a mile to the course. I was wrong on all fronts. But hey, the same is true for situations in our life, and even people. Sometimes, and obstacle will be easier or harder than the year before. Sometimes a person you encounter, or hopefully even you, will be different than you were the year before. My goal is to be a better husband, father, and friend than I was yesterday. So continue improving so that when faced with more difficult challenges, they can be overcome easier because it's you that's better than before.
5. I learned what true greatness is. Seeing as how I was stranded in the wilderness when the winners crossed the finish line, I'm not sure what the crowd's cheers were like when that happened. But I was blessed enough to witness some cheers of greatness. When Team Enduring Warrior came through the rope climb during their 8 hour journey, it was a time of sheer awe. A veteran with one arm was climbing the rope, with slight help. I understood the struggle since I had failed the obstacle earlier in the day. As he began his ascent, everyone's focus on the festival area began to gradually shift. There was literally a buzz and an energy in the air that I've rarely witnessed. He struggled all the way up close to the bell at the top. After one final pull, he swung his arm but missed the bell. You could see the exhaustion on his face and everyone wanted to just lift him up. But he did give up, he continued on being resourceful. He took his hat off and with his one arm took one might swing and rang the bell. I still get chills any time I write or talk about this. The entire are erupted into applause and standing ovations. They may not have had the fastest time out there, but they showed what true greatness is. Sometimes a win is more than crossing the finish line first.
Overall, that weekend was a fun and enlightening experience. It put family, friends, fitness, and faith all into perspective for me. It was awesome getting to hang out with good people, be tested and pushed to my limits physically, have a blast on dates with my wife, and witness what true greatness is all about seeing Enduring Warrior. Thank you to all those who have made the life I've been fortunate enough to live so far possible, and most of all to my wife for putting with my crazy dreams, and to my God for blessing me with the opportunities.
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