Moments

Did you miss it? Have you had one? is there ever a time in your training when you are prepared to bust a gut, bleed and lose skin to make the lift. I'm not talking after when you noticed it had happened but a conscious thought on your part along the lines of 'damned if I do so screw it - if it happens!' then you pull or push anyway.

If the answer is no then your not getting all that you might get from yourself.

We've seen it happen to others. The athlete, obviously in pain, maybe bleeding, but carrying on. They don't have to be the winner but the winner turns, sees them ready to die to make it and starts leading the applause for what even he sees as something special. A well known middle distance runner (Colin Jackson I think) appeared in an ad for a soft drink for years where his dad ran on to the track and helped him make the finish line after he pulled a hamstring 100metres out. Obviously that immediately disqualified him but the crowd as one rises to their feet and cheers him the last few meters.

Any athlete worthy of the title MUST have moments like these. I've told the story of pulling 200-kilos in the one hand deadlift with a hook grip and everything fazing out and my only focus was the refs down signal. After both my big toes, having lifted in socks, turned black for months. If the strongest man you know (maybe it's you) has never had this feeling then he has something more he could have given.

Reality bites as NO ONE has these often. But of you apply much of the advice given in the other articles on this site, especially the peaking and cycling ones, then when and if it is needed you can hope to have a few of these a year.

Enjoy them. They're special.