The Messy Middle (aka Day 2)

The attendance was 4 strong on a brisk Wednesday morning on last day of September.

DISCLAIMER & WELCOME/INTRODUCTION

I was recently listening to a podcast by one of my favorite writers, Brene Brown. If you don’t know her work,
she is a social worker who researches shame, vulnerability, and resilience. She has a podcast called Unlocking
Us where she reflected on this season of life, COVID, racial unrest, and suggested that right now, in
the early fall of 2020 we are in “Day 2.” What she means by Day 2 is the middle. Imagine you are attending a 3
day conference. Day 1 is full of optimisim and excitement of what you will learn. Day 3, your brain is sort of
overloaded but the finish line is in sight. But Day 2, that is the worst. There is a long haul to go and the only
way to get there is with persistence. Or, imagine another metaphor, like a marathon. Day 2 is “the wall” that
you hit around mile marker 20 or 21. Brene suggests that this middle period, or Day 2 is really important. She
says, “The middle is messy but it is where the magic happens.” Today, our workout is
modeled after this idea where you will be doing work on both ends and really embracing the suck in the messy middle.

COP
LBAC x 10 IC F & B
TTT x 10 IC
Shoulder Pretzels x 10 IC
Willie Mays Hayes 10 count each leg
SS Hops x 10 IC
Slow Squat x 10 IC

THE THANG
One Team Member starts on one end (Day 1), one on the other end of the parking lot (Day 3), and
the other two run across the Messy Middle of Day 2. When the runner(s) gets to the other side, they pick up where the other Pax left off working toward the total number of reps needed in a modified DORA.
Day 1-DORA (to be completed by all 4 Pax combined on this end)
100 HR Merkins
150 Lunges (each leg counts as 1)
200 Flutter Kicks (both legs count as 1)
Day 3 DORA (to be completed by all 4 Pax combined on this end)
100 HR Merkins
150 Lunges (each leg counts as 1)
200 Flutter Kicks (both legs count as 1)
Once finished at one end, mosey to other end of parking lot and help rest of group finish.

Next, we moved “Day 1” & “Day 3” closer together with the same basic idea (Day 1 and Day 3 on either end and sprinting
across the Messy Middle)Day 1 DORA (to be completed by all 4 Pax combined on this end)50 Burpees
100 High Knees (both knees count as 1)
150 Imperial Walkers
Day 3 DORA (to be completed by all 4 Pax combined on this end)
50 Burpees
100 High Knees (both knees count as 1)
150 Imperial Walkers

Finally, we moved “Day 1” and “Day 3” closer together with a bear crawl across the Messy Middle.
Day 1 DORA (to be completed by all 4 Pax combined on this end)
25 8 count Man Maker
50 Jump Lunges
75 American Hammer (both sides count as 1)Day 3 DORA (to be completed by all 4 Pax combined on this end)
25 8 count Man Maker
50 Jump Lunges
75 American Hammer (both sides count as 1)

Cool Down/Relfection
Al Gore while sharing the below Moleskin
Another way of thinking about Day 2 is the story arc of a play or a novel. Part 1 or Act 1 of the story is typically where we set the stage, introduce the characters, and set up the crisis. Part 3 or Act 3 is where the crisis is resolved. Part 2 or Act 2-the messy middle is, again, where the magic happens. What is “the magic”? The magic is transformation, change, getting unstuck and becoming better. This often begins with the hero trying to solve the problem without being vulnerable, without facing into the things that really need to change, without confronting his or her own failures, shortcomings, or insecurities. But, I think what we all know, and must
admit is that the magic doesn’t happen unless we do the work, embrace the suck, show up especially when it is hard, and recognize the parts of ourselves that must die in order to be reborn. (Mark 8:35-“For those who
want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel will
save it.”).

This is something I have found to be true in my relationship with God but it is also true in many other aspects of our lives-in relationships, in healthy lifestyle patterns (exercise, meditation, eating), in personal or professional growth. So, I will leave you with this question that Brene Brown asks in her podcast, “What does it mean for you to be a bit more vulnerable right now?”