Doing then talking vs. Talking then doing
30 January 2014I recently read a good, short book titled “The Little Book of Talent – 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills.” Each chapter or tip is only a page or so long. One stood out; “Tip #51: Keep Your Big Goals Secret,” and it read in part:
“While it’s natural and oh so tempting to want to announce big goals, it’s smarter to keep them to yourself.
In a 2009 experiment at New York University, 163 subjects were given a difficult work project and forty-five minutes to spend on it. Half of the subjects were told to announce their goals, while half were told to keep quiet. The subjects who announced their goals quit after only an average of thirty-three minutes, and reported feeling satisfied with their work. Those who kept their mouths shut, however, worked the entire forty-five minutes, and remained strongly motivated. In fact, when the experiment ended, they wanted to keep working.
Telling others about your big goals makes them less likely to happen, because it creates an unconscious payoff – tricking our brains into thinking we’ve already accomplished the goal. Keeping our big goals to ourselves is one of the smartest goals we can set.”
That really seemed to resonate with me. While I believe certain undertakings are best when shared, to be put out there as lofty goals so that others can help keep us accountable, some big goals are best to keep secret.
It had been a few years since I had seen the finish line at a challenging ultra-marathon. After six consecutive finishes at the Death Valley Badwater 135-mile Utramarathon, I endured the heartbreak of two DNFs (did not finish). In my recent training I was suffering from injuries that were foreign to me that kept me from putting in my desired mileage.
Yet, way back on October 10, 2013 I signed up for the St. Croix Scenic 50 mile race (factoid: my wife Nilsa was raised in St. Croix!).
Other than my family, my doctors and a few spiritual advisors, I did not share the fact that I had signed up for what turned out to be one the most challenging and visually stunning 50 mile races I can imagine exist on the planet.
I wanted to see the finish line of a race that would push me, andheck, 50 continuous miles regardless of location will do that! For context, in past 50 mile runs, I would finish in 10+/- hours.
Thinking the race was more of a road race, me, Nilsa, Laura, and Laura’s friend Julie landed at the St. Croix airport on Friday, January 24 (St. Croix is a small US possession in the Caribbean measuring 28 miles from tip to tip). We rented a four-wheel drive jeep and decided to drive the course so I could become familiar with it.
The course turned out to be far from just your average road race! While there is about 10 miles of road, the rest turned out to be a mix of remote rain forest with 25% grade, sections aptly named “The Beast” and “Crusher,” potholes the size of putting greens filled with water and ankle-deep mud, broken concrete, uneven asphalt, four burned out and rusting cars and trucks strewn along the course and some of the most beautiful oceanscape scenery you can imagine.
What I anticipated being able to drive in about an hour took us almost four hours, that’s right nearly four long hours averaging a little over 12mph. To put that in perspective, the fastest 50-mile ultramarathonrunning time is around 5 hours! What in the world did I get myself into!?
On Sunday the 26th the race would start at 5:00am. I had been battling a lingering hamstring injury. In recent training I hadn’t been able to run more than 3 miles without my hamstring giving out, so I wrapped it tight, wore special compression shorts and decided to walk the first few miles to give it time to warm up.
As the rest of the pack left me behind, there I was in last place with the 50-mile gauntlet I had driven two days before ahead of me.
My plan was to start slow, then slow down. Knowing that I wasn’t properly trained for 50 continuous miles, let alone 50 miles on a course that was more obstacle course – turned funhouse – turned mudwrestling pit – turned downhill ski jump ramp in the summer, oh and all with stunning views of the ocean, I knew I was in for a very long day.
Hey, living in Florida my idea of a hill is 2.5 blocks going up the Linton Boulevard bridge at a 5% grade. How was I going to deal with 25% grade up AND down for an extended period of time!? Here’s acourse map and elevation profile.
Not caring about being in last place, and watching the sun come up over the ocean as I looked down (way down!) on the breaking waves below, I started to get into a rhythm.
As I ticked off the miles and the hamstring was still intact I started to gain a little confidence. At the 15th mile I was passing a few of the abandoned cars I had seen the day before. Although I was completely alone on the trail, I was in my own slice of heaven.
Getting close to the turnaround at mile 25, I started seeing some of the front runners. Actually, I started to see everyone passing me going back in the opposite direction.
There I was, still in last place, but I was moving at a respectable pace and had survived “The Beast and Crusher” once. All I needed to do was turn around and do them again, only this time my legs were already pretty tried, there was going to be more elevation change, and it was going to be 85 degrees with 80% humidity.
As I headed back toward the finish line I felt that I did well enough on the first half that I had a small cushion built up toward the overall 14-hour cut off time.
A 14-hour cut off for a 50 mile race is considered very generous in the ultra-running world, yet given the challenging nature of the course, I can see why many don’t make it. Each time station has a cutoff, so if you don’t check in on time, you are pulled from the course.
As it got hotter, the temperature and radiating heat took me back toBadwater, where it can push 130 degrees and the pavement can exceed 200. The hotter it got the better I started to perform.
Now believing that my hamstring was not going to give out, and passing the 40 mile mark, I actually started passing a few runners. Mind you, at one point early in the race I was in last place by over 30 minutes.
With three miles to go I felt like I was walking up the 18th green at Augusta National golf course with a 5 stroke lead at the Masters. No, I wasn’t leading the field, but I was going to see a finish line for the first time in nearly two years.
With blisters covering the bottom of both feet and on nearly every toe (at any time of the year my feet are so sensitive I have to put slippers on to go to the bathroom at night), I hobbled across the finish line in 12 hours, 31 minutes, 12 seconds good enough for 7th place!
I think I was part of a miracle for my hamstring to have held out for the entire 50 miles on this challenging of a course. I honestly can’t explain how that happened. I am thankful to God and Nilsa for the blessings found in allowing me to experience such a magical day. I also want to thank the race director, Matt Halk, for inviting me to compete.
So, next time you decide to undertake a significant change or challenge in your life think twice about talking all about it before you actually do it. Go ahead and try at least once to set your mind to something big, then keeping that undertaking to yourself until you have closed the loop on it. Then, take a minute to share and celebrate your achievement!
Unrelated:
Response after the first few weeks of Infidel being released on DVD (www.frank-mckinney.com/infidelthemovie/) has been tremendous! Visit the link to learn more about this new Psycho-Spiritual thriller where I was fortunate to play an unusual co-lead role with a cast of some far superior actors!
Haiti Trip 2014 – I invite you to visit Haiti with me to see our newest village as I host you for our www.HaitiTrip2014.com!
P.S. In case you were wondering, there were only 9 people in the race, but I am beyond thrilled with my result!
Feel The Tap,
