Taking risks to me feels alot what I'm sure I'd feel if I was standing up at the top of a very high diving board. It's SCARY. Can I do it? Should I do it? And the "what if I fail?" (I've come to realize I'm a bit of a Type A). But if we don't push ourselves, do we really know our limits?
I can easily say that each of my Marathons from Boston onwards, have been risks for me. And it makes sense to me that a marathon feels risky. There are SO many factors that go into play in a marathon - the distance, the weather, nutrition, your body. But what about those smaller risks?
Pre-kids, I would venture out on trail runs with a fellow running partner. Rick was amazing. Knew the mountains and Nosehill like the back of his hand. All I had to do was follow along. Time has passed, and when my littlest started an unparented program a few weeks ago, just a short ways from NoseHill, I thought "can I run this solo and NOT get lost?" (I get lost alot folks). For the first two weeks of her program, I knit in a coffee shop, then I thought "what is there to lose?" Nothing really. Just getting lost - ha! But I did it. I went three weeks ago and followed the trails. Meandering here and there wherever my desire led me. And it was FUN. And last week, I added on an extra 2 kilometers, and you know what? At the last K I actually knew where I was! Today, it was pouring rain, and I woke up to see it was National Running Day. I thought about skipping it, but then I knew if I did that I'd be looking at the treadmill later on. So I dropped my kids off, and headed out in the rain. It was BEAUTIFUL. The park was quiet, the trails were muddy, it was so green and lush, and I didn't realize how wet I was until I STOPPED running. Each week I'm getting braver on the trails.
I took a deep breath, and I signed up for this.
It's "only" 12.5K. But the elevation changes, and the hills scare me. Can I do this? Yes (I'll just keep repeating this). The worst that will happen is it will be a lovely hike. I'm doing it. Taking a risk. Testing my limits. I have two 5 Peaks Enduro runs coming in the Summer so this is a good prep. Getting off the road and trying something new.
Where are you taking risks right now?
