Being Uncomfortable
I feel it's something you come to love and appreciate the more you put yourself out there. This feeling is the feeling of being uncomfortable. Today, I trudged out for a 10 mile distance run in 30 mile an hour winds, falling snow and temperatures in the teens. Why did I do this? Am I crazy? I don't think so. My mantra is if you can train in the worst you can perform in the worst. For sometime at the beginning of the run it was completely undesirable to be out there. Very uncomfortable. But, a few miles in I hit my stride and felt comfortable. My legs were feeling good and I had complete control over how I was feeling. I think this can be applied in many situations, not only with cold temperatures, but hot ones, social situations, difficult assignments at work or school. I feel it's pushing through these times of being uncomfortable that ultimately mold us more than we think. I try to apply this theory in the mountains more often than not. I take calculated risks and put myself out there. I try to do that crazy thing, because, why not? What is there to lose? That day we hiked 33 miles over 2, 13,000 foot passes on the Continental Divide Trail, that was uncomfortable. The first time we encountered cows on the Colorado Trail, that was uncomfortable. Sleeping out in -10 degree weather in the Adirondacks with my brother, that was uncomfortable. It's these experiences that make us who we are. They raise the crazy bar just a little bit higher and can ultimately push us to being better people and better adventurers.
My challenge to you is go do something uncomfortable this week. Run father than you think you can. Do more hill repeats than you have before. Go for your first solo overnight, or night hike. You'll be thankful you did and might even come away with a pretty awesome story.