Go Hard for As Long as You Can

After procrastinating, putting the workout off until I got back from coaching and doing chores around the house I finally completed my second day of Insanity. Shaun T. killed me but at least I finished. For some reason, I feel like when they film the workout, they aren't being honest. There are way too many of them who look like they are going through the motions. Here I am sweating like crazy and jumping all over my living room and they look like they are going for a Sunday stroll through the park. I'd like to see them jump just a little bit higher, after all, they are in way better shape than I am.

With all that being said, I know they are really working hard. In fact, we are probably working at our "Just Right" ability. I haven't really worked out in 5 months so when I stop to contemplate hitting the pause button or to get another drink of water, the people in the video are still getting after it.

When I felt like giving up it wasn't Shaun T. yelling, "Dig deeper," or "Let's go! Let's go!" that got me moving again. What got me to stop my pity party and start moving my feet was something I told some JV basketball players earlier today. I was filling in for the JV coach who was out of town by running his practice. With only 5 JV guys, it is nearly impossible to run an effective full practice. Fortunately 10 of my guys showed up even though it was an optional day.

After doing some shooting drills and some light running I had the the JV boys play the Freshmen boys in a best of 5 series up to 5. At the end of the first game I huddled up the JV boys and one of them asked me, "Coach, how long are we going to do this for?" At first I was annoyed because it sounded like he was questioning my coaching decision. He said it like he had something better to be doing or as if he had somewhere else to be. After further probing he eventually said, "I just want to know how long we are going to play so I can pace myself."

I was confuzzled. Yes, I said confuzzeled. Here are a couple of thoughts that went running through my head.

• How do you plan to beat the other team if you pace yourself? I bet they are going to go hard every possession.
• Why are you going to play if you need to think about pacing yourself?
• High school kids are supposed to be bubbling over with energy.
• Aren't the JV kids supposed to be setting a good example by destroying the Freshmen every possession regardless of being tired?
• Was I like this when I was a kid?
• Are you sure you want to be here? If so, buck up and get after it.

All those thoughts, and more that I can't mention, went raging through my head. After an awkward silence I looked at him and said, "You should go as hard as you can for as long as you can."

He obviously didn't agree with me so I continued. "If you always go 100%, that will be the only speed you know."

He began to nod his head. "When you are contemplating pacing yourself and your "busy" going at sixty or seventy-five percent, when are you ever going to decide to go up to 100%?" I see his face look as perplexed as mine just was. "You'll get comfortable at whatever your pace is and when you need to go 100% you won't have any experience being any good at it."

Those words haunted me when I felt like throwing in the towel. "Go as hard as I can for as long as I can." I've never been a long distance runner and there is absolutely no guessing why not. That mentality is definitely better suited for sprinters. However, going 100% all the time isn't always conducive to working out or playing sports. It's more about being in control but still pushing yourself.  Teaching the young man when to turn the gas on might have been a more appropriate lesson. It is always good to have 20/20 hindsight.

So I've given myself a new goal when I plan to work out or when I play with my basketball players. I am going to go as hard as I can but be in control. There is no way I can overcome the 5 month layoff, but through hard work and effort anything is possible.