Despite some dark times (literally at 3:20 a.m. driving to the race site, and figuratively when I walked alone in the rain for four hours), I got passed by so many runners and I didn't care. At one point I sat on a rock on the side of the trail, cleaned my shoes with a stick and pointlessly washed my feet just to stop moving. But I never wanted to quit because I no longer considered my race a “race” — which is a first for me. I wasn’t out to win an award. The only person I needed to prove anything to was myself.
Trail and ultra running are so very different from racing in an urban running event, where the race clock and pace charts rule. On the trails, it’s the athlete versus herself and the terrain. You can choose to surrender or refuse to listen to that voice in your head that sabotages your race and your chance to achieve what you always thought was impossible.
And that’s my challenge to you — step outside your comfort zone. It doesn’t have to be running, but it does have to be outside. Climb a ridiculously tall tree, take off your shoes and go hiking with your kids, pedal your bike faster than you ever have before. You are more amazing than you believe you are.