Marshall Ramsey

Our last (of six) stations today was boards. Boards on dry turf.  Think “engine without oil.” Or Velcro.  It was the perfect poster child for this week’s bear of a workout.  (And for the record, if the turf is ever that dry again, I’m spraying it with PAM.)

We passed plates during wall-sits. We ran and hit the deck in Wayne’s group. We did some torturous bear crawl exercise with ladders. Clark worked our core again. We played hot potato with a weight and didn’t break any bones. And we pushed boards. Did I mention the turf was dry?

My line mates and I struggled and triumphed.  We pushed and encouraged each other. Bad jokes and encouragement pulled us through the hard moments.

At weigh in, I discovered that I had lost two pounds.  Right now, my right arm is shaking. I’m worn out.

Two more weeks of training and Paul’s back next Monday.  My right arm may disagree, but I’ll miss this. Dry turf and all.

The first time I did PLS, I lost 50 lbs. The second time, I think I lost a pound, but added muscle. This time, I’ve added more muscle and lost a few pounds. I’ve also gotten in the best physical shape in my life. And, I’ll boldly say, I’m in the best mental shape of my life, too.

This has been a tough session. The coaches have pushed us harder than ever before and we’re seeing results out on the field.  I’m doing things that I never would have dreamed of doing a year ago. Or 20 years ago.  I’m stronger, faster and more focused.

That’s why I get up at 4:09 every morning to go work out.

I have amazing people in my line. To a person, they come to work. They’re focused and don’t cut corners. It’s an inspiration.  I’ve heard that you’re a sum of your five closest friends. If that counts for people in your exercise group, then I stand a chance of being a good athlete. They have will. And their personal stories motivate. As we stood on the field this morning, I was tired and wondering, “Why the hell am I out here this morning?” I needed sleep. But I couldn’t let my line down.  So I got my butt (which I finally found yesterday afternoon after popping some ibuprofen) out of bed and went to work.

We had a lot of people out today so our lines were consolidated (line 4, however, was present and nearly accounted for). We did SIX sessions instead of the usual four. That means we do more intense workouts for shorter periods of time. Need a rest? You can do that at 6 a.m.  There was leg and arm work. Lots of carrying 45 and 25lb. weight plates while running and doing arm exercises.  We hopped and shuffled.  And we hit the deck, a lot. We did one of my favorite drills, we thrust the weighted ball down the field 100 yards and back repeatedly. Clark did some core work with us. And then we ran a timed mile.  I shaved a little off my time — not bad for being winded.

Missing: My butt. Last seen location: Local football stadium. If seen, call me ASAP. I ran it off this morning. Call 555.PLS.PAIN

We ran this morning. A lot. We ran 100 yards doing ladder and bag drills. Wayne had us run 12 Kruger (sp?) Sprints. We ran the football stadium during the Gauntlet.  We put the ball in and out of the bucket. And we finished it with 200-yard sprints.

Yes, I said 200-yard sprints.

Wayne talked about the fourth quarter. Line 4 (my line) did his station last. We were tired. Very tired. We were sucking wind. We did the sprints and pushed ourselves.  And then we did the 200-yard sprints.

Yes, I said 200-yard sprints.

It was a good metaphor for life.  You get your most growth when you push yourself past your limit. That limit is in the fourth quarter.  Sure, we could have quit.  But that’s when you miss the reward.

Life is hard. Many of us have had our lives changed radically by the Great Recession.  I told my wife last night that I can’t remember being this tired.

It’s the fourth quarter. Like this morning’s runapalooza, it’s time to push it even harder. Success is found in the fourth quarter.

Keep pushing. That’s how you get to the next level.