Why?
That is the number one question I have gotten from people when I mention the 48hr rowing challenge. I recognize that I may be a little crazy to even consider the challenge, but this is my best effort at explaining why someone might want to do this.
As human beings we are wired to evolve to be more comfortable. Our brain is constantly working to figure out ways to make things easier or more efficient for our body, and as a society we have followed the same trend. As Michael Easter said in his book The Comfort Crisis, “We are living progressively sheltered, sterile, temperature-controlled, overfed, under-challenged, safety-netted lives.”
We need to occasionally step outside of that comfort zone and try something that makes us uncomfortable. We need to shore up our ability to deal with stress, and practice the skills that help us deal with that. The 48hr row isn’t about seeing who can row the most meters(although we are keeping score) it’s about how you respond when you are tired, when your body is worn out, when things aren’t “easy”. People will experience a lot of emotions over 48hrs, and have several breakthrough moments. The novelty and excitement wears off after about 8 hours, around 16 hours you start to get really tired, at 24 hours you realize you’re only halfway and self doubt rears its ugly head, at 32 hours you look around at the people that are still going and are inspired by their tenacity, at 40 hours you realize that it doesn’t matter how long it is, you can continue indefinitely, at 48 hours you’re elated, you’re not tired anymore, you’re a new more resilient version of yourself.
It’s not very often that we totally unplug ourselves and focus on one thing. This row is an opportunity to have a sole mission for 48hrs. For 48hrs you will focus on rowing, preparing for rowing, stretching for rowing, eating for rowing, and sleeping for rowing. For 48hrs you will work on 1 thing.
For me that is why I do these types of challenges. To push outside my comfort zone, to see how I deal with stress, to practice focus and excellence. In my experience the carryover has been huge to the rest of my life. I constantly look for small things in my life that I can do to improve, to get just .5% better, to pursue excellence. All of that I learned doing these types of challenges, and selfishly I want to continue to tap into that. After all that type of fortitude is a perishable skill, and one that needs to be tested and refined.
The 48hr row isn’t just about the participants. I envision this as a community event with some people rowing. I want people to come hang out, to row a bit, to talk, to eat, to play games, and to generally enjoy the community. Growth and development of the community is the real goal, with inspiration and kinship at the heart of it. Sharing time and experience with people that are on the same path, and share the same passion for being the best version of themselves. Our community is great, period. This is just an opportunity to come together for 48hrs and see it in action.
So please come hang out, have a beer, row and talk to me for a bit(or just talk), have some food, and enjoy the community
Why Big Fish?
I’ll post a little bit of the description from their website, and a short video explaining the naming of their foundation below. But their mission and vision very much aligns with our “why” behind doing the challenge, and that is why we picked them!
“We create opportunities for veterans to attend events and make meaningful connections that bridge their military experiences into their future. We do this through hosting events ourselves, and partnering with like-minded non profit organizations that understand the power that comes from small-scale, meaningful events.”
The story behind the Big Fish name is also great, and I encourage you to watch this short video and then ask yourself “What am I doing today to be a Big Fish?”
