Why, Tucker? Why?!

3773 pushups. Three thousand, seven hundred, and seventy three PUSH UPS! Yes, that’s a big number. .. and a LOT of pushups.

Let’s back up a little first…

Jeff Tucker is one of my personal heroes ... it’s a long story, but in a nutshell, he’s an inventor, retired fireman, gymnastics legend, writer, entrepreneur, teacher, and CrossFit super-SME ... not to mention a dad, husband, and most loyal son. Take note, young men. Take note.

Matt and I first met him while doing some ice climbing in Ouray, CO where he happened to be running a gymnastics certification course. We sat next to him at a crossfit community dinner one night and chatted about family, crossfit, gymnastics, medical school, and service to others ... he was generous enough to invite us to sit-in on his class and I was just floored. I knew nothing about gymnastics (other than what I’ve seen during the olympics), learned a ton, and made a few new friends. I was also deeply touched when he closed out his class with an aside about his father (with him sitting right across the room there) and what service to others means to him... not a dry eye within a 500m radius.

If you are ever lucky enough to actually speak with him 1 on 1 or take his certification course, you’ll discover that he’s incredibly approachable, down-to-earth, wise, and a delightful person to be around (if you can get a word in ... kidding!). I also observed that he’s got a great coaching eye and is able to articulate his thoughts to athletes in such a way that cues can easily translate into action. The gymnastics and CrossFit community is LUCKY to have him.

Me? Well, I’m a mountaineer. I like high altitude. I like glacial ice, mixed routes, and big honking mountains where airplane passengers can make eye contact with me as I wave at them passing by. I crossfit so that I climb with (and sometimes rescue) men who outweigh me by at least 60lbs. I’m nobody. I’m just a goofy, side-liner now and I like it that way.

I’ve had my share of the limelight, but now I am a gal who tends to be introverted, side steps attention, and avoids crowds. All that stuff exerts a lot of energy from me. I am an INTJ. I’m the gal who smiles and is just happy to be here.

But if there’s an altuistic attachment, I am very different. I am driven, motivated, compelling, and at my best when taking a stand for something or someone that cannot stand for themselves. I turn into this intense-ENTJ-beastess.

For example, I attempted to summit Denali 3 times, only to have summited the year it benefitted the cancer research center that treated me when I was sick. I ran two marathons and walked in countless breast cancer events (wearing giant pink butterfly wings) as a commitment to my mother’s dying friend. I like to support those who are stricken, weak, or innocent. Got a good cause? I’m your huckleberry.

…so what gives?

Having blathered all that, I’m doing 3773 pushups for Jeff Tucker’s charity, St Judes Childrens’ Hospital... they’ve saved thousands of childrens’ lives... they fight this bully called disease... so yeah... it’s on.

But what does Jeff Tucker have to do with all this? First off, he started this whole thing! A few days ago, Jeff posted this photo on Facebook that read, “For every Like this gets, I will do one pushup”

... after a couple hundred “LIKED” it, I suggested he do them for a charity like the Wounded Warrior Project or Disposable Heroes and get Reebok to match each rep with a donation ... when we received no word from Reebok and the momentum rose with companies like Again Faster Equipment, Kill Cliff Recovery Drink, and CF Gymnastics stepping up to match our efforts with donations ($3000 total!), we realised we were off to the races ... 6 hours later, I counted 3773 visible “LIKES”.

My plan. Yes, even spontaneous moments need a plan…

So all of this may seem daunting, but the truth is that its not. Don’t be fooled by the size of the forest. 3773 is really just a bunch of sets spread out over 30 days …

I am committed to doing this. But have I thought this commitment through? Yes, yes I have.

I’m going to treat this challenge just like any big mountain I’ve ever climbed … get to the summit one step at a time … in small, digestible increments … daily do-able goals … eye on the prize ... the next pitch … the next ridge ... the next camp … the next hill … then all of the sudden, you’re at high camp preparing for the big show at summit day 18 days later ... BAM!

And that’s how I’ll do these pushups ... break them up into small sets throughout the day ... 5 little sets of 25 every few hours in between my regular workout/training session, meals, work, and just life ... I’d even venture to bet that the coaches at my mothership box at CrossFit Chicago would even approve (and they’re a tough bunch).

I considered everything ... even the possibility of rhabdo, but I believe I’ve set realistic volumes and periodised it in such a way that I have plenty of time to recover and spread out the work over the 30 day period (5 sets a day of 25-26 pushups every few hours). I even have a spreadsheet to help me track it!

So if I’ve developed a good plan, the challenge won’t be physical ... it will be purely about mental strength, focus, and discipline.

I made it to day 3 ... 378 pushups done ... 3395 pushups left for the children of St. Jude's Research Hospital ... and I'm just getting started!

I'm not the fastest, the strongest, or the most efficient ... and I'm DEFINITELY not the youngest ... but I can and will stay the course ... in the grander scheme of things, this ain’t nothin’ ... I got this.