I almost didn’t make it
I wanna lead today’s note with this…
“Every man should be able to save his own life. He should be able to swim far enough, run fast and long enough to save his life in case of emergency and necessity. He also should be able to chin himself a reasonable number of times, as well as to dip a number of times, and he should be able to jump a reasonable height and distance.” (Liederman, Endurance)
Now when most people read this
they think to themselves… ahh, this will never happen
to me. I won’t be dumb enough to put me in
harms way.
Or at least that’s how they rationalize
their way out of getting healthy and fit.
Well, ask the few folks who lost their
lives in 911 ’cause they were too gassed to
climb down the stairs of the World Trade Center to safety.
They not only gave up on themselves but their
kids and their families.
So you just never know.
Well, last night I found myself in one of those moment Liederman warned about.
I went for a walk but wanted
a more intense, heart pumping
workout, so I grabbed the nearest ten pound metal
dumb bells. And boy was this dumb I’d later
think.
When I walked through the front door and out
into the dark night, something in the air
seemed unusual.
The air was thick and heavy.
I thought nothing of it and began to
exercise walking down the sidewalk.
I got a 1/4 way into my normal trek and it started to sprinkle.
No big deal I said to myself a little refreshing
summer shower.
Then a little more rain. By this time I was about 2.75 miles
from the abode. And a little more. Eventually the heavens opened up
and it turned into a down pour.
By this time I thought, “Yeah, might want to
start headin’ back.” A white flash that lit up the Sylvania Sky
confirmed it.
Oh, SH@*&*E&#!!!
Whats wrong with this picture, I’m holding a ten pound metal dumb bell.
All I could think about was what Earl said in the passage above
and the headlines reading in the morning paper, “Man Found Dead
in Lightning Storm Holding Metal Weights.”
Yikes!
Thanks to being in shape and Triple Your Endurance,
I sprinted 2.5 miles in a downpour, hauling weights, while
lightning danced around me.
If you ever think you will never be in a situation where you
need to use your strength and endurance, think again.
This could be the difference between life and death.
Luckily, I assembled some tips and techniques to
get you well on your way to increase energy to get out of any sticky situation…check it out here:
You just never know, this could be what keeps you around
a long, long time.
A dry, healthy and happy,
Vince Palko
July 29th, 2010 at 11:43 am
OK, I’m sure I’m just the latest in a long list to tell you this, but…..
Drop the metal in a thunderstorm! At least weights aren’t as much of an attractant as holding a golf club over your head on an otherwise wide open fairway, but if it comes down to having to buy a couple of weights vs death or disablement, I think the choice would be easy. If you get the chance, read Shattered Air. A good story about some folks who challenged fate on Half Dome and learned that even if you survive a lightning strike, the effects can last the rest of your life.
Having a teacher who was involved in that particular rescue/recovery has given me a whole lot more respect for the atmospheric effects around that piece of rock. I put off my summit attempt last year because the weather was threatening.
Take care,
July 30th, 2010 at 2:45 am
Vince,
Always enjoy your mail, and like your daily dose of motivation. However this one comes close to a personal motivator of mine.
I have another take on that quote. As a parent, I cannot imagine the pain of ever out living my children, and my worst nightmares involved being placed in a situation where you needed to save your children’s live(s) and were physically unable to do so. This was an incredible motivator for me. (Was because both my boys are teenagers now, and with their own training are starting to outstrip their old man’s capabilities).
I remember a couple of accounts I think they were from the Christmas tsunami in 2004. A mother was pinned in the flood waters and while able to save her own live was unable to hold on to her child, and another of a father in a similar predicament, but with two children and could only save one of them. Saving your own life in a situation like this would seem like a pyrrhic victory at best.
Kind regards
July 30th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
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