Prepare for Glory

By Chris Kidawski

For www.EliteFTS.com

There are many smart people who say many smart things, but there are very few smart people who actually do what they say. I’ve researched everything I could on the Parisi School and Elite Fitness, and I’ve read every article by Louie Simmons and Joe DeFranco. I’ve read and read and put everything into action to improve myself as a coach and improve the abilities of the kids who I train. However, when I read the article by Martin Rooney about how he conquered his own personal Everest, I knew I had to take my training to a completely different level. I had to put the words into action, like those of the hero Leonidas—“prepare for glory!”



 

Martin’s article complimented a program I was watching on David Blaine. David trained with the Navy SEALS in order to prepare for his amazing attempt to break the world record for holding his breath. While he was training, the SEALS taught him about coping with pain. They taught him to realize that it’s there but never give in to it. So with these two ideas in mind, Bryson, Jordan, Max, Aaron the Plenty, Aaron the Lesser, Adam, Matt, Thomas, Brenton, Liko, Jay-Ar, Ashley, and I set off to conquer Kokohead.



Kokohead, on the island of Oahu, was used as a lookout for the military in World War II and has an old, railway transit system that rises all the way to the top. For the most part, the stairs are 1–2 feet apart and rise gradually until the last 300 meters or so at a 75-degree angle. I told everybody on Friday to meet on Sunday, our normal speed day, an hour earlier than usual. I also told them that if they didn’t come on Sunday, don’t show up on Monday. To my delight, everyone took me seriously.



To say the day was epic may just be an understatement. As we approached the hill, the sky opened up, and it started to pour. However, in Hawaii, the old legend goes that when it rains, the gods are blessing your journey. So we pressed on. Before we started, I gave everyone one rule—do not stop! With me in the front, we started to climb, and it wasn’t long before our legs started to burn. Soon after that, you heard four letter words being tossed out left and right, and as I looked behind me, the spaces between kids were getting wider and wider. As we reached the half-way point, we had to cross a bridge, which yielded a 20-foot ravine at the bottom for the not so fleet of foot to meet their doom. Thankfully, because all of the kids do the Parisi agility exercises, they all made it across just fine.

The bridge is especially hard because you have to stay on your toes the entire time. With your calves already on fire, this is extremely hard to do. After you reach solid ground again, the climb begins to get more intense, and the slope starts to increase dramatically. My breathing started to get very deep, and my legs wanted to cease functioning. When you look up, you can’t see the top so your mind begs you to stop just for a minute. Going back to Martin’s article, what I got from it was that it wasn’t just that you climbed a hill, but you gave that hill and that journey meaning. Henry David Thoreau said, “Many men lead lives in quiet desperation, never doing what they truly love, only to die with the song in their heart.” I knew I didn’t want to end the day wishing that I hadn’t stopped, wishing that if I could do it all over again, I’d push myself harder.

So I kept going. I placed my hands on the rails and proceeded to bear crawl. In doing so, I glimpsed back once again and many others were doing the same. The end was still nowhere in sight, and my stopwatch read 12:00.



 

After another minute of climbing, we reached the crest, and the end appeared to be about 100 meters away. The fight to rest even for ten seconds had become unbearable, but two of my kids had just passed me at the same time. Determination raged within me, and I stood up to start walking again.



15:58

Two of the kids who had just passed me had finished so now I really had to kick it up a notch. With 30 meters left, I started to run up the rest of the stairs, pulling at the small trees and plants on each side to give me a boost. I knew the increase in work wouldn’t affect my heart rate or breathing until I stopped so that made it ok.



16:20

I finished. My vision was getting fuzzy and I couldn’t catch my breath, but I did it. We all did it. All thirteen of us set out to find meaning in something that probably can’t be put into words. It’s a feeling that will last a lifetime, and nobody can ever take it away from us.

As I looked down on the last railroad track, I saw a number painted on it. It read “1086.” We sat there for another minute talking about what the number meant. It didn’t matter because deep in our hearts we were alright. On the way down, the kids were highly energetic. Yelling and joking around, they seemed happy to be alive. For most, they had just done the hardest thing in their life “for the hell of it,” and they still had energy. It made me think of another great quote, this time by Ralph Waldo Emerson—“To know that one person has breathed easier because I have lived, that is to have succeeded.” I hope that many more of you find your hill, and along with it, it’s meaning as well.

Chris Kidawski has been training athletes for over seven years. He earned his master’s degree in kinesiology and has several certifications. He now runs his own business, Spartan Training Systems, on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.