How bad do you want it?

So here I am...on the treadmill ramping up my speed and feeling my calves cramp up as the little antagonist in my head screams at me give up or start to cry softly.  This is not unfamiliar territory to me.  I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to pushing myself past my comfort zone.  I am very familiar with what I am capable of and, inversely, what is too far.  However, too far is exactly where I need to go to find the success and gains that I want.  First though...I have to deal with the devil.
The little devil inside my head could take the shape of any number of things.  It could be my boss and the lack of a promotion.  The guy who cut me off and risked both our lives for one extra car length.  The teacher who told me "military or prison". The coworker who catches the breaks.  My mother in law who doubted my resolve.  Even...sorry honey...my wife who has always supported me but knows that sometimes I reach too far.  Any of these things can pop into my head and become an obstacle that knows every dark secret, every weakness, every fear.

It does everything that it can to break you and make you less than who you are.  It shows you the worst that could happen or highlights your flaws.  We all have it...this little devil...and how we deal with it defines not only who we are but the character that we are made of.

"Only through struggle can we determine character."

"Character is not learned, it is revealed."

This "strength of will" or "character" is how we should truly see ourselves and how we should truly know our value.  It is the purest form of US.  It is not for others to judge or critique.  It is not for them.  It's for us.

Family and friends shape and forge it with us, adversity and strife burnish it's lustre...but at the end of the day who we are is just that.  Who.  WE.  Are.

It's understanding that the situation or time in your life may be bigger than you are, difficult to overcome and almost insurmountable in it's scope...but still knowing that you are greater.  That you will triumph.  That when the smoke clears and all that's left is all you have...you are still there.

The little dog giving the big dog pause.

So I find myself still on the treadmill.  Lungs burning, sweat filling my vision and every fiber telling me that I'm not good enough...not strong enough.  So, I do the only thing that's left to me and everything that I am or hope to be.

I turn up the speed.

RIVALUS - COMPLX5 PreWorkout

COMPLX5 is a PreWorkout and energy recycler made by RIVALUS.  Full disclosure.  I do not respond well to stimulants and/or caffeine.  I can remember once using a preworkout where it looked like I was breaking out in hives and was vacuuming at 3:00am to kill the buzz.  COMPLX5 is a great preworkout that I have used before, during and after workouts.  I have also used it during a busy day when I needed a boost with no side effects.  I have been using COMPX5 for over a year now with no crash or side effects.  It mixes easily and has a buffer built in.  Fruit punch is great.
I have recommended this to training partners and coworkers.

COMPLX5 is a revolutionary preworkout energy recycler to immediately increase energy, muscle strength and recovery and delay the onset of fatigue during intense training and exercise. Utilizing micronized bi-carbonate, COMPLX5 assists in removing lactic acid buildup from working muscles, pushing off fatigue and improving performance. (from the RIVALUS website)

Mud Hero

The Mud Hero is a mud run event run by Canadians and for everyone.  It is challenging without being elitist and is a place for comradere with all of the mud brothers and sisters.  The people who organize it are driven to put on the best event for everyone and to keep striving for a better challenge each year.

I participated in my first Mud Hero in Kananaskis last year and had a great time.  My daughter and wife came to cheer me on and watch me participate in my first mud run.

The crowd was great and the course was even better.  A ton of fun, lots of great people on the course and the huge mud pit at the end.

I had just finished when I started asking when and where I could sign up for the next one.  A great party afterwards and a group of people with a shared experience, working to their potential and celebrating their victories.

St. Paddys Day...the day the motivation died.

Dear Innis and Gunn, you make a wonderful beverage.  However, I would like to point out that I am a lightweight and was thusly chastised by my loving spouse when I was thoroughly buzzed after I killed one of the "Irish" members of your family.  Decked out in my Irish/Canadian rugby jersey I found myself oddly perplexed at how quickly my weekend motivation "circled the bowl" at the mere mention of kelly green celebrations.  Oh Saint Patrick...if you could only see us now.

However, salvation was in sight.  In between bouts of trying to eliminate future generations of Innis and Gunn's "Irish" kin (and brain cells), I took a look at the Mud Hero website and some of the upcoming obstacles.  Seems like the boys and girls at Mud Hero have decided to up the stakes this year by revamping some of their obstacles to increase their difficulty and "pucker" factor.

This was a sobering realization for me as the last exercise related post had me crying about running for more than 20 minutes straight.
Tomorrow is a new day...and Mr. Treadmill...I'm coming for you.

RIVALUS - Promasil Protein Powder

RIVALUS' protein powder, Promasil, is one of the cleanest, leanest proteins I have tried.  It mixes great, even with a shaker ball cup, and comes out smooth.  No chalky aftertaste and is filling.

The protein is very lean at 100 Calories and 0 Carbs.  It is also, gluten and soy free, has no fillers (too much protein for anything else to be added) and is sweetened with Stevia.

It's made out of 7 different proteins to cover all the bases.  It's no wonder that so many athletes link their names and their success to a company that spends so much time perfecting a product that has been flooded into the supplement market by too many companies to count.

If you are needing the calories as well as a clean protein source you can always mix the powder with fruit, peanut/almond butter or other ingredients as an increase to the total calories in the shake.
Awesome stuff.  Your other option is to look into their other protein source, Clean Gainer, that is clean but more calorie dense.

RIVALUS Supplements

RIVALUS is a Canadian supplement company started by Dr. Darren Burke.  RIVALUS has a foundation built on the reputation of being a completely clean, banned substance free supplement company.  They have also built a large and steady following of consumers as well as the largest nutrition supplement team of professional athletes in every sport imaginable.

Wonderful company and a wonderful group of people working there.

I plan to do a series on their supplements.  I have tried a lot of different companies, but with RIVALUS I have had great results and no side effects.

Excited to get started and get the results I want.

Running....ughhh.

Been an interesting week for training.  Winter training can be functional for many people.  Goals are reached, boundaries pushed and opportunities experienced.  For me however, winter training sucks.  That being said, I have had to up my "clicks" during my training.  I love to cycle but hate to run, my three events this Summer though are all running and obstacle challenges.  So I thought I would address the "run".

As you've seen in previous posts, the Spartan Race and Mud Hero challenged me physically but also mentally.  Running 5 km on a treadmill or on the road is very different from running a 5 or 6 km race with obstacle stations throughout.  On the one hand.  You may not be running it the whole time (I certainly didn't), but as you meet each obstacle your pace and your energy is challenged.  The obstacles could possibly be cardio based or strength based.  Either way, your training needs to adapt to reflect the event and what type of terrain or obstacles you may encounter.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I understand that for many people 5 or 6 km at a race pace is not considered a challenge, for a non-runner...it's plenty.  Every kilometer is a marathon and every minute is an eternity.

My distances and times are improving and I will, comfortably, complete the races this summer.  However, I feel it's important to discuss the value of the run.

Runners discuss the value of being "in the zone".  That mythical place where Zen Masters and Jedi Masters thrive.

Runners love the zone, bask in it's warmth and count on it for the duration and completion of their events.  This zone is where the mental part comes in.  The "zone" is a mental entity.  Composed of the runner's willingness to compete paired with their desire to complete their goals.  The zone is a tool that is as big, or bigger, than any other part of a runner's tool box or equipment.

I need to find the zone.

As I continue to search for the zone and for my place as a runner...or not.  I will update the blog accordingly.