How many times have you sold yourself short, quit when you could have dug just a little bit deeper to finish a project, or regretted not finishing something you started? We all do it. It is hard to do hard things! But, what lies beyond the hard work for those who don’t quit are unknown rewards for a job well done. And the only way to experience the joy of the reward is to move through the hard stuff.
I was recently reminded just how important it is not to give up when the going gets tough. On May 28th I was entered into a 10k trail run. I have done this event before, although it was a few years ago. But, I had a general idea of the route and the terrain and I was in decent shape so I expected a pretty good run. That didn’t happen. The run was brutal to say the least, and by about the third kilometer, I was done and just wanted the whole event to be finished, but, I still had 7km to go. The trail seemed to go up and up and up with no break. I tripped several times and fell once face first into the dirt.
Thankfully, I was alone on the path at the time so no one saw me and I could pick up my humiliated self and carry on with my dignity, rattled, but intact enough to carry on.
The trail seemed to go on forever. When my Garmin told me that I was approaching 10k, I was very relieved to say the least. But, the thing is, I wasn’t close to the final descent that would take me across the finish line. So, at 10k, when my mind and body were completely finished, I had no choice but to carry on. I know I sound like a total whip here. There are so many athletes in our running community who would eat that course for a snack and wonder when the real food was coming. It was a tiny route in the banquet of trail running and here I was losing my composure because my “10k” race didn’t end at 10k – oh poor me! So, I had no choice, I had to keep going. With my eyes darting back and forth between the trail in front of me and my Garmin, I watched as the roots, rocks and minutes slowly passed, oh so painfully slowly!
Just after 11k, I turned a corner and suddenly I heard the crowd below me. I couldn’t yet see them, but I heard them and that was enough for give me the boost I needed to run across the finish line. When I saw my friends waiting patiently for me, I raised my arms and emphatically pointed two thumbs down. It was the worst race I had ever had! I remember saying to my friends, “Well, at least I now know that I never have to do another trail run ever again!” We all laughed, but I was serious! I was done!
However, the following weekend I had another trial run already booked and paid for. What was I thinking? The upcoming event was a 21k route through the mountainous trails of Whistler, BC. To mentally prepare myself for the event, I told myself that all I could do was my best. I set aside expectation and focused on just finishing. I also realized that it could not be a worse experience than the one I had just had. Anything would be better than the weekend before.
The morning of the race I felt ready. It was a beautiful day. I met up with my friends; we had all slept well and were excited to see the trail. I lined up and started the run towards the back of the crowd. I started slow and before long, it seemed that everyone who was behind me was passing me. I feared I would be in last place before we even got to the 3k mark. But, I stuck to my plan; slow and steady. When I got to a hill, I walked if I needed to. For several kilometers, there was a group of us that kept passing each other as we took turns walking and running different sections of the route. At kilometer 15, I took a short break, had some nutrition and then carried on. Around kilometer 16 or 17, I had an incredible burst of energy and I remember running up hill passing many people who had previously passed me. I felt amazing and strong. I did not know where my strength was coming from but I LOVED it! I finished the raced in just under 2 hours and 43 minutes which is about the same as my last half marathon road race. I was absolutely thrilled! I had a fabulous time and came across the finish line with a smile and two thumbs up.
Talk about two totally different experiences. In one race, I tripped and fell and cussed and hated pretty much every minute of it. The following week’s race was smooth sailing; I felt strong and resilient and had a blast. I am so glad that I had that second race booked because it got me back on the trail right away. I didn’t have time to let the thought: “Well, I never have to do that again” settle into my brain because truthfully, I really do want to do that again! And I will.
You too can do hard things. Don’t let one bad experience rob you of future joys. The good times are made that much better by the hard times. Keep moving forward one step at a time. There is a reward waiting for you at the finish line.
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