COACHING. It was a hot and humid day at the Fort. The 4PM class was just about finished with their WOD. There in front of me were 17 people sweating, grunting and working hard. As I looked around the gym I noticed a few things. First I noticed the fresh-out-of-ramp-up guy who had previously struggled with cleans and he was CRUSHING it. Next time he'll have to go heavier. Looking deeper I saw fatigue setting in and elbows dropping. "KEEP THOSE ELBOWS UP!" I bellowed. Then I saw something so sad it made my face turn red. I saw someone quitting. I watched someone give up on themselves when they were so close to the finish line.

HIDING. Back in the corner under the loft where she thought nobody could see her, I saw someone stripping weight off her bar. Her face was red and there was hair sticking to her cheeks and forehead. She had been giving this barbell hell for 8 minutes....and now, only 5 reps from the finish line she was quitting. The load had been too much for her to bear.

HEAVY. I went over to her after she finished and offered her a high-five. I grabbed her hand and squeezed hard. "You could have finished that RX, you know. You're strong enough." That was all I needed to say. The water works turned on. She hung her face in her hands and said, "I was hoping nobody saw that. I just didn't think I could finish. It felt too heavy."

But was it really too heavy? Probably not. Her form looked amazing. She just let her barbell beat her. Back in that little corner of the gym she thought that maybe I wouldn't notice. Even if I hadn't noticed, you can't hide from yourself. When you call TIME and sink against the wall to write in your log book, you have to write down what you did.

Dear workout log: Yes, I could have finished RX'd, but I just quit. I didn't grit my teeth and suck it up. 8:00 of RX hell, only to give up in the last 45 seconds. 

REMORSE. Trust me, that is NOT what you want to write in your book. Nobody ever finishes the workout and thinks to themselves, "Man, I sure wish I had rested more." Nope. Not once. (Not even Jamie) Even if you aren't doing the workouts RX, there is still that burning deep inside that is pushing you to do your best. Give it everything you got. Push when you want to rest. Next time you start to doubt what you're capable of, remember that workout log and what you'll have to write. Make sure you're writing something you're proud of.