What Have You Done For Yourself Lately?
Not for Instagram. Or your parents. Or a friend. Or a colleague. For you.
Welcome back to the Weekly Hurdle! Every Friday, I’ll share a blog post, follow it up with a thought-provoking prompt to take you into the weekend, and finish things off with some content picks. Please, tag or DM me on social @hurdlepodcast and @emilyabbate with your thoughts! This newsletter is free and will stay free thanks to the people that opt-in to give. Please, consider signing up as a paid subscriber.
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I felt as though I could pass out at any moment. Each inhale came with a side of unwanted humidity. This is exactly what I’m not supposed to be doing, I thought to myself. Rule No. 1 of a pandemic: Social distancing is king. Rule No. 2: Don’t push your body too hard, shit’s tough enough as it is. There I was, testing my limits. Yet, I persisted. Roughly 1.2 miles into a 5K run, I felt as though I was giving 110 percent while not moving nearly as fast as I had hoped. I wondered:
Do I call this?
At the time, no one knew about the struggle or the goal. The questioning or the doubts. Not a single friend, family member, or follower had intel that I’d be out on the West Side Highway at 7:34 a.m. wearing a barely-worn pair of NEXT%s and Lululemon shorts doing a time trial on this particular Thursday morning.
1.4 miles.
If I stopped, I knew I could delete the workout from my Garmin. It would be like it never happened. I’d likely go on with my day, wondering if perhaps tomorrow would be better for the attempt. I’d check the weather and wonder about the average percentage humidity for this time of year. Then the guilt would kick in. I was already more than halfway through.
Halfway is a lot.
2.0 miles.
I asked myself: Why do you want to do this in the first place? Like the 50 miles in May challenge from earlier this year, running a fast 5K was on the to-do list for one of the groups I run with — albeit from a distance at the moment — regularly. But I went deeper than surface level: Why do I want to do this? Why do I care about finding my fast?
I’ve come to learn that the answer’s never singular with sport. Whether it’s going after a new Murph personal best, lifting more weight than the week before, or simply picking up the pace, each and every goal I set for myself is about more than just “being better.’” It’s about what it represents: The will to get uncomfortable. Me proving to myself that time and time again, I’m worthy of this effort.
In a time that conventional road racing is completely off the table, reaching for new wins that have nothing to do with someone else’s predetermined start and finish lines feels exciting. It makes me feel like me.
2.7 miles.
And besides. Let’s be real. When was the last time you truly learned something from one of your b-i-g successes? That’s not to say that you never will. Or haven’t. But the failures. The failures! Those are what make us change course of action. What an opportunity! An opportunity to pivot.
… an opportunity I wasn’t exactly stoked for at this very moment. I was convinced that I’d given too much too soon. The soaked black bandana draped around my warm neck felt as though it was choking me. In the home stretch, my singular goal became to finish the effort — period, regardless of what the graphite-colored watch said on my left wrist. Then, the haptic came.
3.0 miles.
With .1 to go, I let it rip. I threw everything I had left in the tank onto the damp pavement below. I wondered what the people running the opposite direction thought, staring at my Chariots of Fire moment. As the watch clicked to 3.1, I came to a stop, excited, absolutely beside myself, gasping for air.
I stuck it out.
I smiled.
About three minutes later, I peeled myself off of a small park bench and was instantly reminded by my quads of what I had just accomplished. According to Athlinks, I had tied my previous 5K PR. As I sauntered my way to a Citi Bike station, I felt proud — well before the results of my morning effort made it anywhere near social media.
I didn’t pass out.
And more importantly —
I didn’t give up.
I did it for me.
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PROMPT: What do you do because it matters to you? And what do you do because you want to signal something to other people?
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LISTEN: Zack to the Future
I find it hard to believe that Mark-Paul Gosselaar (AKA Zack Morris) has never watched an episode of Saved by the Bell. In this new podcast, Gosselaar joins Dashiell Driscoll — who is currently writing for the series reboot and who wrote Funny or Die’s series Zach Morris is Trash — to revisit the show’s most epic moments. I think most of us have been suckers for nostalgia during the past seven months (cough: happier times), so I’d say this is definitely worth checking out.
WATCH: Uncorked on Netflix
I was scrolling for something different to watch on Netflix the other night, found this, and I loved it. Starring Mamoudou Athie, it’s about a man who forgoes joining the family BBQ business to pursue his dream of becoming a sommelier, against his dad’s wishes. The film marks the directorial debut of Insecure executive producer Prentice Penny (he wrote it, too). Also, Athie is very attractive. There, I said it.
READ: Systemic Racism Can’t Be Fixed Without Tackling It Within Cycling from Bicycling
Bicycling featured 14 different stories from Black people who love bikes in this month’s issue, and they’re all really impactful. There’s a lot of great perspective in the mix here that makes you think — a lot. Big ups to the team that put this together, and a huge kudos to those featured for their vulnerability and openness.
DOWNLOAD: Haha
I was turned onto this yesterday from another newsletter I read (sign up for the Whalebone Afternoon Delight here), and I think it’s great. Sometimes, you just need to laugh. I find this useful when I’m staring into space sitting at my computer and need to snap out of it.
BUY: WHOOP
Yes, WHOOP has been a Hurdle sponsor in the past. However, I’ve just gotta reiterate why I’m obsessing over mine right now. As someone who has definitely had her fair share of paranoia around COVID living in New York, wearing this wrist-based heart rate monitor gives me a sense of calm every single morning when I wake up and check in on the app. There, I can peep things like my sleep score, respiratory rate, HRV, and resting heart rate. I won’t word vomit about why those are all super important in the age of COVID, but you can read all about it here. Make sure to use code “HURDLE” at checkout for a free WHOOP band plus 15 percent off any membership.
BUY: Apartment Upgrades
I get so many messages on IG about things inside my apartment. I know I usually take this space to share a handful of fitness picks, but this week I figured I’d offer up a few things in my home that I’m obsessing over lately. I’m currently in one of those throw-everything-away-that-doesn’t-serve-you phases, and some of these are replacing old favorites:
These wine glasses from Target ($25)
My desk from Wayfair ($177.99)
The chair that goes in front of the desk ($83.99)
New York or Nowhere “Icons” print ($50)
Tall woven laundry hamper in black and white ($27.99)
On that note, if anyone reading this is an interior designer (or just design-savvy) and wants to help me upgrade my living room, do me a favor and leave a comment.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT HURDLE?
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SUBSCRIBE, RATE, AND REVIEW HURDLE: We’re now over 800 reviews in the iTunes store! BIG GOAL: Get to 1,000 by August 31. Go on, get after it.
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REGISTER: Hurdle Sessions
This month I launched Hurdle Sessions: New online seminar programming, aiming to provide Hurdlers with education surrounding topics I’m well-versed in as a veteran journalist, entrepreneur, and run coach. This week, we covered “How to Start (and Stay!) Running,” which is now available for purchase on the Hurdle website. Coming up next week on August 11 is “How to Turn Your Side Hustle into Your Main Gig.” Each Hurdle Session includes downloadable materials and a charitable donation.
Another (weekly) Hurdle conquered. Catch you guys next week.
Disclosure: Some of the items above are hyperlinked to an affiliate program. I am a (new!) participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.