6 hour AMRAP
40 cal machine
400m on foot
New Years Eve 2022 – New Years Day 2023
***
09:00pm – 11:00pm
The first hour passes. All I think about is finishing; what I will write, how I will express this; the respect and adoration I’ll receive from participating in such a feat; and whether I am changed and emerge a different person through this process. There is an overwhelming sense of boredom. I allow my mind to wonder: “What will I create in 2023?” I jot some of these down in a journal. I recognise that I can and should be journaling my experience during this process also – I start this document. Around 90 minutes I remember the words of Michael Blevins: “Endurance starts around the 90 mark”. That or when one wants to quit. I’m concerned about what the neighbours are thinking. Some seem to be watching me from inside their homes, the shuffling of my feet echoing up the street as they meet the pavement.
Rounds Completed (1): 10
Rounds Completed (2): 10
***
11:00pm – 12:00am
I kick into gear, upping the RPM’s and my power output on the C2 bike. It’s started to drizzle outside and in short time, I am saturated with rain and sweat. The rain is a nice reprieve though as I’ve found a flow state and holding this output feels second nature. I change my running route to break up the monotony. My legs threaten to cramp. I’m grateful for the run however; the cool night air contrasted against the stuffy conditions of the living room.
Rounds Completed: 12
***
12:00am – 01:00am
Halfway. The fireworks light up the Sydney skyline in the distance while neighbours close by can be heard partaking in festivities. My run has turned into a subdued shuffle and I’ve dramatically dropped off the pace on the bike. 2 hours into the effort and I was completing my 40 calories in around 2:45. Now I am closer to 4:00. It’s not about how far I can get anymore… It’s now about whether I’m able to hold out till the end. I’ve started to experience the stripping of self that arrives at this level of exhaustion and fatigue; where one’s inhibitions are lowered and the only thing that seems to matter is my direct experience. I am in no rush. I don’t feel burdened by the outcome anymore and ironically I find in doing so, my output increases. The expectation of the result has been weighing me down and as I let this go, I feel an ease about my effort. Either that or it’s the sugar and caffeine being welcomed into my physiology, courtesy of the celebratory can of coke I was holding out for until the New Year.
Rounds Completed: 9
***
01:00am – 02:00am
I allow my brain to entertain the potentiality or finishing and instantly I notice a detrimental effect. I remind myself to stay focused and present because in not thinking about the goal, I’m guaranteed to eventually arrive at it. For the first time in 4 hours, I engage Halley in conversation – perhaps I do so to distract myself from the clock. On my runs, the temptation to stop and walk becomes increasingly attractive. I’m consciously willing one foot in front of the other. I’m back to the “just don’t quit” conversation of the first hour. With 90 minutes remaining, I catch myself breathing unconsciously through my mouth – up until now I had payed attention to my breath through the nose. My bike and run splits begin to drop well of the pace and there’s been a ~30% reduction in my output from the first few rounds.
Rounds Completed: 9
***
02:00am – 03:00am
The Last hour. I’ve attached myself to the outcome now – I feel like that’s what’ll get me over the finish line. I start to conduct hypothetical equations in my head and count down the rounds from there. I want 60, one every 6 minutes and I will do so. This goal ignites me with fresh purpose. My nasal breathing goes out the window – “To hell with it! I’ll do what I need to do!” I take my phone on my runs now to keep accountable to the clock. My body is really starting to voice its discomfort. I develop the feeling that my rounds are keeping track of the time and not the time keeping track of my rounds. I hear David Goggins in my head – courtesy of the recent Joe Rogan podcast I had listened to earlier that day. Half an hour to go – I’m on track – but I find myself grimacing, the discomfort my body feels now expressed across my face. I find myself pushing the last 5 calories of the erg and I buy myself some time during transitions in doing so. To ease the tension that has been building continually in my quads, I ride bow legged with my legs jutted out for brief periods. Halley is visibly struggling: “3 to 4 more efforts on each babe”, I reassure her . For the last 15 minutes I’m greeted by a light drizzle again – it is very well received. Groans and grunts are escaping me involuntarily as I enter the last 10 minutes. The sprinkling rain outside becomes a deluge as I embark on my final run leg. As the timer runs to a zero, I’m not as dramatically relived as I thought I may have been. I make my way over to Halley, and we lie together in front of the fan. If anything, I’m apathetic.
Rounds Completed: 10 + 40 cals + 100m
***
Total Score: 60 rounds + 40 cals + 100m
CHANGE IS THE POINT 