6 Ways To Embrace the Daily Suffering to Crush Your Goals

By Head Coach Scotty Farrell

“Without a struggle, there can be no progress” – Frederick Douglass
 
It’s talked about regularly – in order to achieve that next level result, you have to be prepared to endure a good sold smattering of cold hard suffering on race day. But how many of you are prepared to ‘suffer’ just a little more than the rest, on a daily basis? How much are you really prepared to sacrifice in order to put yourself in a position to even attempt to reach the outer limits of what is possible? Do you take the easy option? Are you doing the mundane, extra little things, that makes the difference between a successful and mediocre performance?
 
These are big, somewhat deep questions – but honest questions nonetheless and questions that for those of you who want to go next level, need to be asking yourself on an almost daily basis. Stick a post it note on your mirror – “have you suffered a little today?”
 
The word suffer can mean a few different things depending on what angle you’re coming from, so let me explain what I mean when I say suffer, for the purpose of this article at least. Firstly, keep it in the context of triathlon and your life bubble, and relate it directly to your ultimate goal (ultimate goals – this is a whole other blog, but for now, let’s just go out on a limb and suggest that for most of us, this means putting together a truly honest, grit filled performance that you can step away from and smile with pride. Not so much a number on the clock, but a performance worthy of a deep, intrinsic smile and maybe a few tears of guts and heart). I digress (sorry, I’m a tangent master at the best of times – mum called me a day dreamer). Back to suffer and its definition.
 
The Oxford dictionary defines the word suffer as “To experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant).” Let’s define suffer for our bubble as ‘putting yourself in situations you’d rather not be in and enduring it for want of facing fears and improving your weaknesses’ – much the same as the dictionary, but with a slight twist, geared at performance.
 
If you’re still with me and you’re willing to endure a few more tangents (possibly suffer a little), I will attempt to share with you, my thoughts and opinion on what it takes to suffer on a daily basis and take yourself closer to living your potential.
 
How to suffer 101

1. How big is your ‘why’? This is something we aim to spread and foster within the culture of T:Zero and speak regularly about. This is your reason behind your ‘being’, your ‘carpe diem’ – is your reason for doing this sport bigger than the comfort of your nice warm bed early on a cool winter’s morning? If it is, then your have your ‘why’. If it’s not, then you may need to search a little deeper until you find your reason why and make that sucker prominent in your mind – cause without it, you ain’t suffering one iota more than the next comfy soul. I believe this one factor is the master key to unlocking your ability to suffer on a daily basis – combined with a few of the following.
2. Get a coach – and I’m not just saying this because I’m a coach. Nobody said you have to do the journey towards mastering your process solo. Sure, the first part of any forward progress is you deciding where it is you want to be in life, but geesh, she’s a hard lonely road if you’re attempting to conquer your demons and reach your true potential if you’re trying to mono your way through it all by your lonesome. So, choose carefully, someone who inspires you, some with some street cred, someone who cares and is prepared to endure, feel the feels with you and will keep you sane/healthy in the process – all the while, gently helping you suffer a little, each and every day. The accountability, reassurance and guidance of a coach is huge – done right, working with the right coach for you is a must. When my ‘why’ and my motivation to go next level is at the forefront of my current focus, whether for life, business or specifically for endurance related goals – I get myself a coach and always will.
3. Get set up properly – if your goal is go next level, you have accepted your fate and are ready to suffer, you need to be organised. Unless your name is David Goggins, you are a mere mortal person getting amongst the daily grind and it’s our default mechanism to take the comfy, easy option, most days of the week. If you’re organised however, you’re taking the sleep in and do it later option out of the equation. Simple things like setting your bike, training gear and nutrition up the night before so you can get up and get amongst it in the early hours of the morning, can make that split-second decision a whole lot easier. Go to bed thinking you’ll do it all in the morning = sleep-ins and cuddles – we both know that isn’t going to help you suffer a little each day. Sure, it’s nice and I’m not saying cuddles and lie-ins aren’t required – but if you’re truly ready and willing to endure suffering, then get you’re A into G!
4. Work on your weaknesses – you’ve heard it a million times. But do you do it? I doubt it. “My left hip is tight and my lower back is sore” (If I had a dollar). Have you done your strength work, yoga, rolled lately? Working on your weaknesses doesn’t mean getting a massage every week (although this is very nice and good for the soul as much as the body). It means 2-3 times per week, consistently, for months/years on end, subjecting yourself to the planks, bridges, lunges, uncomfortable Yoga moves, rolling out your quads etc. The things we easily let slide are the things that make the difference. ‘Suffering’ and enduring working on your weaknesses are an integral part of you becoming the athlete/person you aspire to be.
5. Do it now – in a similar vein to step three above, you need to stop procrastinating and get it done. “I’ll do it later” won’t happen. Get yourself out of bed and do it now. Stop putting it off and just get it done. It’s so easy to put it off until later, but it won’t get you any closer to your goal. Stop making excuses for being soft  and lazy – do it now.
6. Love it – there’s no denying it, suffering is an integral part of what it means to be an endurance athlete. So, you may as well enjoy the pants of the process while you’re suffering your way through hours and hours of training each week, in pursuit of that stellar performance you’ve been searching for. Embrace the moments, the good and the bad, but mostly the uncomfortable ones. For those moments are the ones that build character and resilience. And most of all, smile your way through it, you chose to do this sport, so quit whining and get after it!

 
It’s a broad and subjective term is ‘suffer’. We can define it in a few different ways. But ultimately, it’s the collective ability to consistently put yourself in positions where you feel discomfort and work towards being a better person/athlete. You don’t have to be a navy seal and put yourself through hell week every day of your life, but if you want to take your performance to the next level, then you have to be willing to suffer, every day, period – even just a little.
 
Want to know more about Head Coach Scotty Farrell? Click here!