Do You Know What You Are Capable Of?

So yesterday, I wrote a blog post about my running must-haves (you can read that here)—things I take with me to be comfortable, ways to avoid getting overwhelmed by the urge to quit, and, basically, ways to pamper myself.

Last night, I was watching running videos on TikTok. I found many videos of people running in crazy weather conditions or on crazy terrain. People were battling the elements, persevering, and pushing.

It made me think….could I ever be like that? Could I do that? Nah…probably not. After all, I need things to be done in a certain way. I’m not needy; I’m specific.

I’ve spent much of my life assuming I knew who I was and what I was/wasn’t capable of. While I’m sure sometimes being so “knowing” was to my advantage, I know there were also times that it wasn’t. Times that I could have pushed myself into new opportunities and new challenges.

Learning My Lesson

When I started running last year, I said, “I am not a runner.” I would have never started running if I had let my omnipotent self control my actions. But instead, I disregarded my decree and defied my own rules. I ran. I ran a lot.

At first, it was difficult to hit a mile, even while walking half of it. I kept thinking that, of course, this was not easy. After all, I am not a runner.

I pushed until I could run a mile straight, then pushed my mile time to under 7 minutes, and then pushed until I hit 10 miles.

Don’t let your preconceived ideas and notions of your potential rob you from discovering what it is.

Frankly, you have no idea what you are capable of.

I don’t say that I am not a runner anymore. I do say I don’t like running….but…I am a runner.