Embracing All Things Scary

Last week's training was pretty solid.  If you are a new reader, I'm training for the Bear Chase 50k on October 3 - my first ultra.  Here's what the last week looked like:

Monday: 4.07 miles
Tuesday: 6.02 miles
Wednesday: off (planned)
Thursday: 6.05 miles
Friday: 2.06 miles
Saturday: 16.03 miles
Sunday: 6.0 miles
Total Miles: 40.23 miles

This week's training started with a bang!  Well Monday was a rest day.  And today, Tuesday - A 2 mile time trial.  It revealed that I'm 30 seconds slower than I was a year and a half ago.  I wish I had more recent data on more recent 2 mile time trials, but I can't find it.  I knew I wasn't going to be magically faster - I just don't have the miles and speedwork in at this point.  I feared the information, but I still showed up...

Anyhow, it is what it is.  Boy, how I hate that expression.  However, its the truth.  I can make excuses or I can embrace it.  So I'm embracing it.  Embracing the fact that I am not fit as I once was.  Embracing that I have a lot of work ahead to get where I want to be.  Embracing the doubt of whether I'll get to where I want to be.  And I remind myself, its just a snap shot of where I am today.  Come October 3, I'll be in a different place. 

Today also starts 10 days of running.  I'm embracing my training plan as well.  Honestly, I asked my Coach first if this was "for real" or had he made a mistake.  So I tried to get out of it before truly embracing it.  I know 10 days of running will require focus, stretching, icing, sleep and good eats.  I will be embracing all of that!  When I saw 10 days of running, I immediately went to fearing injury.  But instead, I am embracing the gains in strength and power that I will feel at the end of 10 days.

Tomorrow I am headed to Cortez, Colorado.  I have fabulous water clients down there.  And I had an option.  Fly commercial or fly in my boss' two seater plane.  Here's a picture of his plane:

I call it the bumble bee.  It looks far bigger in this picture than in real life.  My first inclination was to fly commercial because I was so frightened when I went up in the plane last time.  But then I decided to embrace the fear and conquer it.  So if you don't hear from me, then you know I should have honored my fear because we crashed into the side of a mountain.  Seriously though, for many many years I hid behind an extra 100 pounds of weight because I was afraid.  So each time I embrace a challenge or fear in a way that lets me try to conquer it instead of letting it conquer me, I feel like I'm making up for lost time and showing myself that I won't live a life directed by fear. 

One of my favorite quotes that might sum up my intentions:

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely with a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather a skid in broadside, throughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming: "Wow!  What a ride!"

I wish I knew who said this to give them well-deserved props!

I know I promised a post of goals.  That one will have to wait until next time.  Have a great day!

Laura