Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone

If you know me at all, then you know that I come from a long line of runners. Actually, come to think of it, if you aren't runner in my family... Well, then you better start running! I think B learned that very quickly. I grew up going to races on Saturday mornings, learned how to see my family at different points of the race and even managed to get my siblings and I around Washington DC to watch mom and dad finish the marathon  (that's its own blog post some day).  Needless to say, for me to start running was partially my choice, but partially the pressure of being "that person" who didn't run.

I didn't really start running seriously(the word seriously is a relative statement) until I was in college. Yes, I ran some 5Ks in high school and even ran the River Run (15K), but never trained that much. In my years of running though, I've never really had much coaching or assistance with how I run. I just do it....no pun intended!

Lately, I've been running with a local high school cross country team a couple times a week. Let me tell you, they are FASSSTTTT! So to even act like I run "with" them is a flat lie, but I do go to the place where they meet and begin the run with them! :)) On Wednesdays, they run cross country trails in town, usually muddy, wet and humid. A normal run out there is around 5-7 miles (sometimes more sometimes less).

Tonight before we set out on our run, Coach encouraged the girls that tonight is about "being outside your comfort zone". He went on to explain what that meant in running terms but also in terms of conversation level. In other words, if you can have a convo while your running (hey thats me!!) then you're running too slow. Once we started the workout and got into our pace, of course, I ended up toward the back with a few other girls. However, during this time, I really started to think consciously about what Coach said...."Be outside your comfort zone!". This is harder than you think. It's really easy to stay in that place thats comfortable, managable, doable! It's not easy AT ALL to push your self to a place that's painful....uncomfortable....tiresome!

As I was running and thinking...because God knows I couldn't talk... I thought about how this lesson applies to our daily lives. How many times do we live in that bubble of comfort...where things are maybe not easy per se, but are just fine! No major challenge! I know I do this. As Coach expressed in his talk to the girls, if you don't get out of your comfort zone now, you will not get faster and stronger later in the season. This is the truth for life. Being challenged makes us grow...makes us learn more about ourselves and the world around us.

So, whether you are a runner, cyclist, whether this applies to your social life, professional life, whether this is spiritual or emotional...remember, that we grow by pushing beyond our boundaries! Get out there and challenge yourself!!!!

                                                                         Just Do It!
                                                                                                                 ~ G