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?
The thing I love about trail running is it such a different approach than road running. Walking is encouraged. The sights are stunning. And getting lost? Sometimes that's part of the fun. Worst case scenario you can always back track. You'll do great this weekend. And if the trail bug bites there are SO many awesome trail races around. My risk is coming in the form of pushing my distance far beyond anything I've comprehended before. The longest I've run is about 53km. I have to double that.
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