Guest Blog

Guest Blog from the Endurance-list@yahoo.groups.com

The Real Perspective.

I’m reading a book, “Race for the Pole”. It is written by a current-day polar explorer, Ranulf Fiennes, and discusses the first forays into Antarctic (South Pole) exploration from around 1899 through 1912. Famous polar explorers like Scott, Amundsen, Shackelton and others are discussed, though the book focuses on the “race” between Scott and Amundsen in 1910-1912 to become the first explorere to hit 90-degrees – the true geographical South Pole.

I have learned a heck of a lot about humanity, life then v life today and the true meaning of suffering. One thing that is blantantly clear to me now is that nowhere in my daily life do I suffer. Maybe I do when I use today’s definition of “suffering”. But when I compare absolutely anything I have done in my life – and I have done some epic stuff in training – I realize that I am kidding myself when I classify it as some sort of suffering. If I walked a mile in the shoes of a polar explorer, I would be a sniveling, crying wimp upon my return. I’m not joking – one, single mile.

I won’t go into depth as to what the book is about. I highly recommend you read it. Suffice it to say that clothing became drenched with sweat during the daily traveling across the barren ice only to freeze solid in the night. Hard as a rock. Imagine trying to thaw that clothing, put it on while still wet and then go outside the tent to have the clothing freeze solid in about 20-30 SECONDS. Upon exiting their tents, the men would bend their bodies into the ideal position to haul their sleds so that when the clothing froze they would be in a position to start moving forward. Frostbite, snowblindness, popping blisters, the ever-present spectre of death, hidden cravasses that could suck an expedition down without warning and a slew of other monumental challenges confronted these explorers every single day. And the expeditions lasted for anywhere from 1-2 years.

While the climbing of Mt. Everest or any such mountain is a huge feat of endurance, I cannot put it in the same category as southern polar exploration. Climbing Everest isn’t even in the same galaxy.

I do not know what would cause someone to go to the South Pole more than once. Getting there the first time could be understood based on the ignorance of the experience – especially back around 1900 when the only comparison was the relatively “easy” exploration of the North Pole/Arctic. But once you immerse yourself in that world, what would cause you to go back? The author states that one modern polar explorer was driving his snowmobile across Antarctica. The ice below him cracked, opened up and swallowed machine and man into the frigid sea. Never to be seen again. The author then relates how he lost half of all fingers on one of his hands because for 3-4 minutes (MINUTES) he had to keep plunging his hand into the sea to pull out some supplies that he could not afford to lose. Lose half of your hand or lose your life? That was the question in his head.

I understand the call of a challange. I guess my perspective of “risk v reward” is skewed differently than that of the polar explorer. I like to think I take risks, but ones that are not too inherently dangerous where if I misstep even a fraction my life will end. Would I like to sky dive? Sure! Will I? No. A friend of mine died skydiving. Last jump of the day (of course) and it was about her 220th jump. She was a seasoned jumper. Neither her primary or backup chute deployed properly and she plummeted to the ground.

I think what reading this book has done is it has allowed me to open up a door within myself. Behind that door lies the knowledge that I don’t suffer in my life. Nothing is ever as bad as I think it is; especially within the world of my physical exploits. When I am on my bike seeing cross-eyed in the middle of a race because I am fighting to stay on the wheel of a competitor, I hope I recall this lesson and dig a little deeper. I hope I can kick myself in the rear and say, “Hey, dude, quit your whining. You’re alive and you’re doing what you love to do, and any pain you’re feeling really is not that bad. Suck it up.”

Happy Training,
Nate Llerandi

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