“Research shows the most profound learning happens when we’re challenged…” Steve Magness.
This week was the official start of my half marathon training, and let’s just say — I had many opportunities to test the validity of that quote. The previous week ended on a high note after I completed an 11 miler where I actually felt decent. That pumped me up for the beginning of my journey toward a faster half. Unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived.
The day after my 11 miler greeted me with a stomach virus and the feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus. Whatever sickness I had contracted lingered into Monday, so instead of going to the dentist then hitting the gym for day one of training, I canceled my appointment and collapsed on the couch. Already I felt defeated. The stomach virus never amounted to much, just enough to sideline me and make me miserable both physically and mentally.
Even though I’m getting better at controlling my negative thoughts, they still showed up and attempted to take over. Sarcastic voices saying — You already skipped two days of running so now you’re way behind and Wow, you’re off to a great start! Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.
In hindsight, I realize how crazy those thoughts were, especially after only missing two days due to illness. Fortunately, I realized that catastrophizing the situation wasn’t going to help me. By Monday night, I was back to thinking thoughts like Tomorrow’s a new day and There’s bound to be hiccups, this was just a minor one. Slowly but surely I’m learning.
Then I checked the forecast for our group run on Tuesday morning that I always look forward to. My heart sank at the -15° to -25° forecast with the windchill. I’m all for being badass and going out in the freezing cold, but this crossed the line. Once a cold weather alert was issued and the school started calling for a two hour delay, we decided to cancel the run. Now I was responsible for motivating myself to run on the treadmill in the morning. Not a promising situation.
Despite my doubts and lots of mindless debate, I somehow managed a few miles on the treadmill. They were slow and I felt nauseous, but I kept going. Wednesday arrived with even colder temperatures. None of us were interested in running in the pitch dark in a windchill of -20°. Once again, I was left to my own devices. Just as my husband finished his workout in the basement we lost power for the third time in 24 hours, so my treadmill date had to change. Thankfully, I have my Planet Fitness membership so off to the gym I went.
As I made the trek to the gym, I realized how worn out I was. Between the nausea and fatigue, loss of power, one of our cars not starting, and being trapped inside, knowing precious time was ticking away on me, I was completely uninspired. But I reminded myself that these were minor issues and settled into a chest and triceps routine. After a few sets, I felt my motivation creeping back ever so slightly.
As much as I hate my dreadmill at home, I hate the ones at the gym even more. Their pace and mileage are completely inaccurate, so I never actually know how far I’ve gone. The wall of TVs on different channels makes me dizzy, I hate accidentally seeing the news if I look up, and watching YouTube videos on my phone adds to the unsteadiness. But I managed 4 miles according to the monitor (it was probably only 3.8 or so) then happily went to the showers —what I was most grateful for that day.
By Wednesday night, I was itching to do a group run, but then my husband hit a deer after work which left us with one less vehicle and me with even less of a desire to run in single digits. By 9 AM Thursday though, the temperatures had risen to a sweltering 15°, so I stopped procrastinating and making excuses.
Over the past two years I’ve been avoiding hills as much as possible thanks to the immediate heart rate spikes that occurred if I simply walked uphill. It was unnerving and uncomfortable, so more often than not I chose to drive to a flatter route. However, due to it already being so late and the knowledge that the only way to improve was to actually run some hills, I ran a few miles on my very hilly road.
Being outside was refreshing and liberating. Despite the cold temperatures, the sun was shining, tricking my mind into believing it was warmer than it was. Breathing fresh air, and being surrounded by nature reminded me of why I loved running, and soon my mind was flooded with gratitude, despite the discomfort of running up so many hills.
Maybe this week didn’t go as planned, but I’m calling it a win. Obviously on the road to any goal, we are bound to encounter setbacks. I tried not to let the fact that I was being bombarded by them right from day one completely derail me. Not too long ago I would’ve used the setbacks as an excuse to give up altogether, convincing myself that perhaps this particular goal is too difficult or not for me. But these past few years have taught me that each hurdle only ends up making me stronger and wiser. I’m more determined (and stubborn) than I’ve been in a long time.
Week one may not have been ideal, but I made the best out of each situation and kept pushing forward. Of course, I realize that the hurdles I encountered were pretty minor annoyances more than anything else. However, I think we’ve all experienced times when a bunch of little things go wrong and the timing makes them feel bigger than they actually are. Especially when we’re embarking on a journey towards an audacious goal, it can trigger our self doubt or any number of emotions we are trying to overcome — especially in the beginning. I realize how fortunate I am to even have the ability to begin this journey. So even when our hurdles are minor, they still test us nonetheless, and they present a perfect opportunity to learn. No one wants major bumps in the road, but life happens and so do they. Hopefully we can draw on the wisdom we’ve gained from pushing through the minor ones.
If your journey to a goal is off to a rough start, hopefully you’ll find solace knowing you aren’t alone. Each day is a new day with new opportunities to turn things around. Remember— “Research shows the most profound learning happens when we’re challenged.”
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