I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  We are winding down for the year, so the next few entries will be things to think about as you wrap up.  This week is about reflecting on why our challenges were challenging this year.

As you might know, obstacle course racing is my new hobby.  Let me be clear.  I’m not good at these races.  I fail a lot of obstacles and I’m slow.  With that said, usually I can get up and over the 6-foot wall obstacle with little difficulty.  I have the strength and skill to do that one (other obstacles, not so much 😉)  Recently, I completed a race in Arizona.  When I got to the 6-foot wall I struggled a few times before I got over it.  I started thinking about why I had an issue with something that I can normally do on the first try.  I realized a few things.  Usually, the 6-foot wall is one of the first obstacles and happens early in the race around mile 1.  Also, I was used to races in the Midwest where I was running on dirt and grass.  This particular 6-foot wall came around mile 3, after I had completed other obstacles and spent a fair amount of time running on loose sand.  Clearing the 6-foot wall on its own is challenging, but doable.  Clearing the 6-foot wall after getting through a series of challenges BEFORE I ever got there, made it more difficult because my legs and body were more tired than usual.

What does this have to do with anything?  As we finish the year, we likely will have some kind of end of year discussion.  During this time, you’ll likely be asked to talk about your successes as well as the areas where you struggled and could improve.  When you think about those areas where you could have improved, spend time thinking about why it was difficult.  Was it difficult because you didn’t have the knowledge or skillset to do it?  Or was it something you normally could have done, but it became a challenge since it came after so many other obstacles that popped up in your path?  As I reflect, there were some things I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, because they were new to me.  There were other situations where I had the skills and talent to handle them well, but since they came at the end of a slew of barriers, I didn’t handle them as well as I could have.  As you can see, these are two different root causes for why you could struggle with something, and each root cause has its own set of solutions.  I know I’m continuing to reflect on what I can do to improve in each instance.

The challenge: Why did you find certain things challenging this year?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry