My Fruitive Challenge: Day 195 — Goggins’s Pep Talk

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 In David Goggins’s Never Finished, in the chapter “The Art of Getting Hit in the Mouth,” he writes about how unbelievably difficult the Moab 240 trail run (Yes, 240 miles!) was for him primarily because of his preexisting health issues like Raynaud’s phenomenon, hypothyroidism, sickle cell anemia, and also the high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) he was suffering from (a dangerous condition in which the lungs fill with blood and plasma). He doesn’t like hearing himself whine to his pacer about all of his excuses for why things aren’t going well. He recalls the numerous people in his life over the years who were whiners:

  • “I called upon past triumphs, push me forward. I wouldn’t let myself bitch about the fact that my body had to betray me yet again I blocked that shit out and ran on” (161).
  • “ This is the mentality we should all strive for when we’re stuck. Because when you’re in the hurt locker, you must be your own motivator, your own drill instructor. In the darkest moments, you must remind yourself why you chose to be there in the first place. That takes an edgy tone…. The tone of someone prepared to plunge deep inside their own soul to find the energy they need to keep up the fight and prevail!” (173)
  • “ I told him everything, and as I listened to myself spill my sad story, I couldn’t help thinking about all the bitch-ass whiners I’d come across over the years who gave every excuse in the world as to why they couldn’t finish whatever it was they’d started. The vast majority of them were simply looking for a way out that allowed them to keep their heads up– like me when I quit Pararescue. I took mental note of all of those motherfuckers, remembered the scenarios they were in, and kept them on lock in my brain. And here I was sounding just like them” (175).
I can relate to both sides of the matter. I’ve been the desperate whiner looking for a graceful way out and the insensitive drill sergeant without patience for grace too many times in my life. 

He goes on to explain why for medical reasons he had to quit the race. 

I think Goggins is way too hard on himself! 

I find this section motivating because I want to be better than I am while recognizing how much better I’ve become. Progress is a tricky matter that way!

Today’s Weigh-in: 201.9 lbs
  • Started at 255 lbs on Jan 1, 2024
  • Restarted at 252 on May 1 with the WFPB Diet
  • Reached 205 lbs by Nov 1
  • Goals: 180 lbs by Feb 1 and then 155 by May 1 to be within my “healthy” BMI weight range of 130-160 lbs.

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