EMBRACING DISCOMFORT

Before the holidays I was a guest panelist on G.O. Get Outside Podcast Episode 92 with two of my favorite outdoor ladies, Cyndi & Marilee, and the host, Jason. The episode is a lively and heartfelt discussion on the topic of discomfort and facing our fears. It recently went live and I highly recommend it. 

https://www.gogetoutside.com/go092-discomfort-zone/

PRACTICING WHAT I TEACH

As I listened to the podcast I realized that I need to listen to the advice that I was giving others about doing things that are out of our comfort zones.  I want to be open and honest about my personal journey, sharing my story of taking steps to practice what I teach and that I am about to embrace some serious discomfort.

I hadn’t planned to share about this until I was at a place where I thought success/finishing was a sure thing, but then I realized that is what makes social media so toxic… the impression that life is all wins and triumphs and perfectly filtered pictures. Reality is; nothing in life is a sure thing, we are all scared of failing, imperfection is what makes us special, there is a lot of hard work that goes into finding success and getting shit done, and accountability is a great thing. It is now out there… I have 2 trail runs in my near future and I want you to join me! Keep reading here….

REFLECTIONS

This fall and over the holidays, I tried to spend less time on social media and more time reflecting about the last decade without comparing my life to all the other decade posts on social media. 

There is so much I am thankful for and proud of over this last decade, but one of the things I am not stoked about is where my health is today.  In 2010 I finished my 2nd Ironman Triathlon and was in the best shape of my life. As 2019 was coming to a close I found myself in the worse shape of my life and not feeling healthy. I have never been someone who wakes up in the morning “needing” to exercise and move my body. I usually exercise because I am training for something specific or have an accountability buddy to meet up with and workout. Not having specific goals that required fitness over the last year has allowed my snooze button and I to develop a very strong relationship. This has left me not comfortable in my own body.

TIME TO GET MOTIVATED

I know that one of my great motivators in the past has been trying to achieve things that honestly scare the fuck out of me. Finishing Ironman triathalons, big multi-day backpacking trips, ice climbing, climbing big mountains, heck even rock climbing scare me. It was on these journeys doing the things that I feared were beyond my ability that I realized that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for.

So quietly and nervously before the year ended I signed up for the Broken Arrow Skyrace 26K in June. It is a 26K/16.2 mile trail race with 5279’ of elevation gain and loss. I am literally starting with no running fitness and to be quite honest limited overall fitness… but I figured I have 6 months to train, I love being on the trails, the mountains are one of my happy places, and if my past has taught me anything it is that I know if I put in the work anything is possible. 

REALITY CHECK

Then just before Christmas I saw a friend post about the Salomon Women Trail 1/2 Marathon in Lake Sonoma, CA on April 10th and thought this would be great training for the 26K. It sounded like a ton of fun, my friend even offered to be an accountability buddy for training, and I would know at least a couple other people there. April is pretty soon though and the timing made me nervous. I spent a couple of days going back on forth on signing up and then decided on Christmas Eve to go out and hit the trails doing easy run/walk intervals to get a feeling of where I am at. 

It was HORRIBLE! My run/walk became a walk/walk… granted it was hilly. I couldn’t even run the downhills because the shoes I had chosen were messing with my knee. My mind was spinning, I was beyond frustrated, what was I even thinking, this was going to be too much work, I am way too out of shape, I am not a runner, this was definitely not in my comfort zone. WTF!  When I got home and opened my computer the registration page was open… 

Without hesitation I signed up. 

I need to find again the strength and confidence that comes with pushing through discomfort and am nervous/excited for #trailrunning to get me there. I looking forward to putting the work in to get to race day healthy and strong.  

JOIN ME!

If you are looking for something to work towards maybe sign up for this race. I will be a friendly face at both the Salomon Women Trail 1/2 Marathon at Lake Sonoma, CA in April and the Broken Arrow Skyrace at Squaw Valley, CA in June. You will find me hiking up the hills and hopefully running down the hills!