A few weeks ago, our EDGE Team came together for a meeting. Not just any meeting, however. One where we talked about WHY do we do what we do. What it MEANS to make better athletes, better teammates, better people. From that meeting we generated Axioms that speak to our culture and our purpose, we came up with 9.
And so we invite you to settle in, grab a coffee and prepare to be inspired. Brought to you by the very people that make everything that we do at EDGE possible, our TEAM.
LIVE WITH INTENTION, COME BACK TO IT OFTEN.
Lydia N: This is how I've tried to live my life every day since February 2013. In that month, my family lost my uncle Chris to leukemia suddenly. He had been healing well from treatments and getting better, but got an infection all of a sudden and within 24 hours he had passed away. I vowed from that day forward that I wouldn't put off anything I wanted to do because of societal checklists or financial barriers. If I wanted something in life that made me happy, I would make it happen. For running that translated into training for my first marathon and not putting it off because I was "too busy". After running that first marathon in my uncles name and raising funds for cancer research, my intention was to qualify for Boston Marathon and run the race. The next two years, that became my intention. Every workout. Every run. He was my motivation. When I would get tired, I would think of my "why" which is for uncle Chris.
When Boston 2017 came around, I had trained hard and felt prepared. But weather can have a different plan. Even not having the race I had envisioned, the end result was better than any plan I had. When a hill got tough, I remembered Chris running those hills. When the heat seemed unbearable, I remembered Chris. I can't even count on one hand the amount of time I went back to my "why" during that race, which made it a better race than a PR would've been for me that day.
This idea of going back to that "why" is ingrained into every part of my day, not just running. Going back to my "why" in daily life keeps me grounded in who I am and who I want to be as I grow and challenge myself.
EMBRACE WEAKNESSES, THEN SEEK OUT TO DESTROY THEM. –NIKE+ RUN CLUB
Jenn R: Training for my first Ironman has taught me a lot about myself and my weaknesses. To be able to complete an Ironman I had to learn how to swim and ride my brand new tri bike (before purchasing my bike, I couldn’t even tell you the last time I was on or owned a bike).
During almost all of my training sessions and century rides, I started noticing that I was among the slowest ones in the group. Sometimes I was the slowest to finish in all three sports. At first I found it very discouraging. I found myself beginning to doubt that I could ever complete an Ironman because of how slow I was. Even with that doubt in my mind, I still signed up for the race. I told myself that I was going to complete one, even if it meant that I could possibly be one of the last athletes to finish. I had accepted the fact that it was going to be a 16 plus hour race.
Fast forward to now, I finished the race in less than 16 hours!! Whoop whoop! Since then I’ve completed two halves and two full Ironman races. I learned to be okay with the fact that I was a slower athlete and decided to focus on how determined I was to cross that finish line.
MEDIOCRITY HAS NO HOME HERE.
Brian L: Mediocre: of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance.
This axiom really defines who we are and the types of athletes we want to surround ourselves with, and could also be restated as "be extraordinary". This shouldn't be confused with a measure of time or speed, or how elite someone is. This is about striving and challenging yourself, in all aspects of life. We want athletes that seek to push themselves beyond their perceived limits. Athletes who challenge themselves and consistently put themselves outside of their comfort zone to accomplish goals. This is more about the mental, rather than the physical. The mind games we play with ourselves determine the outcome. Its easy to cut a workout short, do one less rep, skip a session - that's what defines mediocrity. Going above and beyond is what EDGE is all about...we didn't want to create "just another gym", or a "normal place where you can workout." We created EDGE with the idea of going beyond that norm, stepping outside our comfort zone to try things that haven't been done before to help athletes achieve their goals.
Our most recent excursion to the Grand Canyon is a a great example of this axiom. When the idea of running Rim2Rim2Rim started formulating last year, I was hesitant to join. I had done a single crossing (Rim2Rim) a long time ago and still to this day that was the hardest thing I've ever done. So I had the option to sit this one out, stew in my own personal history with the Grand Canyon. But instead I chose to challenge myself...stepped out of my comfort zone and took it one step further even to try and do twice the distance I had done before. The result was one of the most rewarding accomplishments I've ever experienced. It was not easy...I earned it and put to rest the question marks around my abilities. I didn't want to be mediocre.
Always challenge yourself, always push yourself, be extraordinary.
YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE. YOU CAN GO FARTHER THAN YOU THINK YOU CAN. –KEN CHLOUBER (LEADVILLE 100 FOUNDER)
Shawna C: Being injured for basically two years straight has taken a toll on me both mentally and physically. The mental side of it isn't something most people think of until they have been there. Focusing on what is to come in the future has helped me realize how far away I am from what's in the past, the dark place that one goes when they feel like there's no hope.
It's hard to think of being strong when you're in that place but setting mini goals to progress toward proves that I am stronger than I think. Through these small goals I believe I'm setting myself up to go farther than I ever thought imaginable. This is not just in athletics either; it's everyday life.
All too often people think goals have to be huge, simply not true. Right now a small goal of mine is to be able to do a body weight squat pain free. Everyday I work on the even smaller things that are setting me up to achieve this. I know some of you laugh but those that have known my last two years know this is a huge accomplishment. I'm ready to take on the rest of 2017 with my mini goals to set the stage for bigger goals in 2018.
DO THINGS THAT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. THAT IS HOW YOU GROW. –JOE MADDEN
Kelsea O: "Be a hill seeker." This is a phrase my best friend's dad used to say to her as she would prep for marathons, ironman races, and the like. He was also an avid runner until he no longer could, and he understood what it took to be a competitor.
When we think about athletics, or performance in general, we think about pushing ourselves to meet goals and become fitter, stronger, faster - and I would add smarter - in our performances. While this is the intent behind our trainings, there are far too many times when we become satisfied with our comfort zones and fall into a routine of habits. Not many athletes can say they remember every practice, every training run, ride, swim, or workout. However, those times when boundaries are pushed and barriers are broken, when we challenge those habits and take a step away from our zones of comfort, those are the times that are more often than not remembered.
These special occasions stand out because they often mean growth and change - mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally. Whether this involves challenging a constant negative thought pattern or pushing a pace once perceived as too fast and difficult, these moments of movement away from what we know can be the most rewarding, though they are often times also the most uncomfortable. It does not do well to fear the unknown. Fear, instead, the idea of becoming complacent and habitual. Do not remain in the confines of your comfort zone, where you may feel safe with the knowledge that your habits will produce the same outcome. Be a hill seeker. Hills will always tell you where you are, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Whether you make it to the top or are forced back down, it gives you a place to search for that next hill to climb.
IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HARD…THE HARD IS WHAT MAKES IT GREAT. –TOM HANKS
Katie O: Ever since I started running cross country, I fell in love with the sport, I loved the strength that it gave me, and I loved the community that it gave me. When I was running I could achieve anything. I had a dream to run a marathon, I knew it would be hard, it would take sacrifice, it would take dedication.
Finishing my first marathon gave me the confidence to believe that any goal I set out for myself, no matter how grand in size, I could achieve. It made me a stronger person. Now the further the better. I get psyched when I see “20 some miles” on my training calendar, the longer the better – sick I know. I actually get excited to be the sore, hobbling runner you see the day after the race.
And if it wasn’t hard…
Getting up at dawn, doing the work, watching your nutrition, working through the little voice inside your head that says, it’s ok, you can quit, but you don’t…
everyone would do it…
The community running has given me, my Edge family, a tribe that lifts you up, dreams your dreams with you, and challenges you to push yourself to new limits (and joins you on these adventures)…
it’s the hard that makes it great.
If there wasn’t a struggle, if you didn’t have to dig deep, it wouldn’t be f’g GREAT!
HONOR THE SWEAT BOND.
Luc L: Endurance sports can, at times, be lonely and individual endeavors. But that doesn't mean they have to be.
Over the past couple years, I’ve trained more and more in group settings with fellow runners becoming some of my closest friends. We may be training for different races and even different distances but we run together with the common goal of ending the day as better athletes than when we woke up. When one of us is feeling a lack of motivation, there’s always another feeling great to pull the group onward - fully understanding the roles will inevitably reverse at some point.
It’s a bond of mutual respect and camaraderie that can unite even the most polar opposites. No matter race, religion or creed, everyone sweats.
LISTEN TO THAT LITTLE VOICE WHISPERING IN YOUR HEAD. IT’S TELLING YOU WHAT YOU WANT, HOWEVER CRAZY.
Laura O: I was a social worker for years. This title encompassed so much of my identity. A little voice whispered that it would be ok to resign from my (very stable) social work position and pursue some passions. I listened to the voice, after battling it for some time, and found EDGE, and started my own music business. A little voice whispered I could do more with triathlon so I hired a coach. This seemingly small decision transformed my athletic journey and opened my eyes to untapped potential.
The little voice is still whispering to me, nudging me towards integrating my clinical background with supporting athletes to refine their mental skills in training and racing. It’s never too late to take a risk and lean into an unknown that could become one of the most beautiful parts of the path you choose. I’m pumped to see what else the little voice has to say to me this year. Keeping my ears and heart open!
STAY HUNGRY, ALWAYS.
Jaime L: Being hungry is more than just a desperate need for food to silence the growling beast in the pit of your stomach. It’s a feeling deep within you to be better than you were the day before. It’s about consistently putting in the work to one up yourself. It’s finding your EDGE, and then pushing through it… because you can!
It’s a relentless feeling of never wanting to be complacent with where you are in training, or in life. It’s knowing the only limits that can ever keep you from reaching your goals are the limits you impose on yourself. Limits to me are the thoughts that run through my head when my alarm goes off at 5am because I have 1 or 2 workouts to get in before going to work.
Sure my bed is comfortable and it seems like a terrible idea to get out of bed.
Sure it may be cold or raining outside.
Sure my cat may be soundly sleeping on me and I don’t want to disturb him.
But as those self-limiting thoughts start running through my head, I without fail always end on one final thought… I’m not feeding the hunger if I stay in bed. I would only be limiting myself from accomplishing what I set out to do when I signed up for 2 half Ironmans and my first full Ironman this season. Staying hungry means acknowledging the limits that confront us day in and day out, and continually making the decision to ignore them day in and day out.
Think you’ve found your EDGE? Think again. There’s always a new one to break through. Seek it out. Day in. Day out.
