Suffering

Preparing for the Hunger 500 has forced me to constantly push my boundaries. Over the past few years I have fallen into a workout routine that is comfortable for me. I haven't continued to challenge myself, and my fitness has been impacted.  I have continued to do the types of exercise that I enjoy (pretty much just running), which has not made me very well-rounded.  Although I have dabbled in Crossfit, I have never really stuck to the program enough to see significant results.  The Hunger 500 has provided me with the motivation to step outside of my comfort zone, and I am now lifting weights four times per week with Cody.  As anyone who consistently does so knows, going beyond the comfortable can be...well, uncomfortable.  However, in this lack of comfort, this suffering, lies progress.  I find that the more I put challenge myself, the more I grow.  I have begun to expect suffering, even enjoy it on some level. This expectation has made the difficult times seem less trying.  I feel more resilient knowing that suffering is inevitable if I want to succeed.  In the spirit of suffering I completed my longest run in a few weeks, roughly 32 miles this past weekend.  I ran most of it solo, although I did meet up with Troxell, Bo and Andrea for an hour or so.  The suffering was particularly palpable as my legs were already sore at the start of the run, due to my weightlifting from the week.  As my training continues to progress in the coming weeks, I will try to maintain my mantra of suffering.  Hopefully this will allow me to push through the unavoidable lows so that I may relish the highs.

Suffer on my friends,

Joe