Minute :32

Two shows I can watch all day: Behind the Music and 30 for 30.

Behind the music on VH1 takes a look at the origin stories of your favorite bands from the ’80’s and ’90s.  Duran Duran, Peter Frampton, U2.  It starts the same every episode.  Young and hungry band catches a break, makes it big beyond their wildest dreams and then

POW!  Minute :32.

Minute :32 is the moment every episode where the band breaks up, drugs take over or they release a shitty album.  They are laid low.

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It’s usually drugs.  Ain’t that right Rick James?

Every band has a minute :32.  And the last :28 minutes are all about rehab, the band getting back together, the lead singer forgiving his father, the comeback album.  The last :28 are about redemption.  The band, the singer, has to rediscover what made them great.

30 for 30… Same thing.  it’s not as predictable as minute :32, but your protagonist athlete will miss the shot, lose the game, lose their money, something.  And then they must enter the pain cave to find retribution.

My favorite 30 for 30 was the ‘Best That Never Was’ about Marcus Dupree.  Marcus was an amazing football player.  He scored a touchdown on his first possession in high school, college and then in the pros (AFL).  Because of concussions, injuries and bad luck he never made it to the NFL.  He let himself slip for 5 and a half years.  He was overweight and depressed.

He was out of shape, out of work and running out of time, A friend brought Marcus to watch an NFL game from the sideline.  He saw the game and knew that he wanted back in.  Enter the pain cave!

Marcus locked himself in a small, dilapidated garage stuffed with crummy weights, crummy workout gear and an even crummier stereo.  No air conditioning.  He lost over 100 lbs, got back into football shape and made the LA Rams the following season.

Equipment in the Pain cave looks like this. So screw Equinox.

This is fascinating.  He had desire, he had work ethic and he never stopped.  He didn’t have the latest workout gear.  He didn’t have the latest coaching.  He didn’t care.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s a picture of his weight bench:

His ceiling was the NFL.  Your ceiling probably isn’t as high, but that doesn’t make your accomplishment any less inspirational or important.

My pain cave was the Field Loop at Thayer Academy.

My Freshman year of College Track and Cross Country were forgettable.  I was determined to run faster.  I hammered the roads that summer for over 70-80 miles a week.  I only took 2 days off the entire summer and quite predictably I got hurt.  I was unable to run a step from September through January.

I was depressed.  Running was my identity and I couldn’t do it.  I swam and I hit the bike but it wasn’t the same.

By January I could run.  I started back slowly.

I started off running for 5 minutes at a time, testing out my legs.

I’d run laps around the Thayer Field loop because I didn’t trust myself to run to far from home.  I wanted to be able to walk home if my injury (ankle) flared again.  There were a few days I had to make that walk.

For 2 months I ran in loops around the .6 mile grass loop.  That was it.  Starting at 25 minutes a week and increasing by 10% every week.  In 6 months I was back to 15 and 16 mile runs through the relentless hills of World’s End Park.  In 10 months I was a collegiate All American.

If your ceiling is the NFL, All American, or making it one mile without stopping it does not matter.  You are still inspirational.  Your effort has value.

Minute :32 may have just happened.  You’re down.  You’re hurt.  You’ve retreated to the pain cave (or garage).

Do yourself a favor.  Lock yourself in.

Feel the pain.  Lose the fear.

But start moving.  Start working.  Start running.  Start writing.  Send out your resume.  Put yourself out there.

Don’t come out until you’ve changed something.

No matter how justified you are in your pain, anger, and fear they are ONLY HOLDING YOU BACK.

Let ’em go.

Don’t stop.

You don’t need equipment.  You don’t need money.  Coaching will help but it will help more when you have momentum.

Don’t stop.

Write those last :28 minutes.