Thursday, February 2, 2012

HMT Week 10: MILE.Stone

The BEST shape of my Life!


At 11:19 am today I turned 30 years old. I still can't believe it, even as I scroll through the myriad of birthday texts  and Facebook messages. It's crazy because I have been half dreading half anticipating this day for months. Some days  I thought I would be on the 17th street bridge ready to jump and others, I couldn't wait to join all of my much older friends (lol) in the dirty/flirty thirties.  This morning, however, I feel nothing like I thought I would.  I'm not sad. I'm not excited. I just feel complete peace.

At 20 most of us had a list of things that we wanted to do before we turned 30. We wanted to be married, have children, be in middle management, have traveled the world, or jumped out of a plane. We thought that doing these things would somehow make us happier or more seasoned. Then when those things did or didn't happen, we realized that those types of accomplishments don't bring true happiness.  Plus,  in time we realize that 20 year olds don't have a clue about what it means to be 30. The plans that we make at that age are usually rooted in one of two things....ego or fear.  It's all about gaining some level of status to impress or fit in with others. As we age, we find that there are some things that are more important, like becoming a more well-rounded, self-actualized person. Our goals shift from being externally generated to internally manifested.  Think about it. Don't you feel most accomplished and at peace when you overcome a personal goal?  I know I do.  All this shit...especially aging is deeply personal.

For that reason this year I wanted to give myself something personal. I thought long and hard about it and decided that for my birthday I was going to run 10 miles...alone.  A lot of people thought I was crazy for attempting it but I knew I could do it and I knew how much it would mean to me IF I did. And I have to tell you, it was awesome.  Yesterday, I spent a little over 2 hours with only my heartbeat, my will, and the strength of my body. This experience has given me such a confidence and a peace that I never knew existed.. It also felt great to know that this is something, I would never have been able to do at 20! So there, 20 year old Kenya...what you got to say now! 

Anyway, I am going to close by sharing a few little tidbits that I have picked up in my 30 years of life. 

1. It's so easy to impress the ignorant- I say this all the time and I mean every word.  Our charge in life is to be the best US that we can be. But if we keep company with people who we know have not done what we have done and can't do what we can do, we do ourselves a disservice by allowing their opinions to color the way we view ourselves.  It's easy to be a big fish in a little pond, but harder in the ocean. My point, keep company with people who know more than you, so you can learn and so you can grow. Don't have a bunch of ego-strokers around who tell you that you are winning just because you are doing better than them. That ain't winning!

I run real far...real fast! 10.52 miles at 12:45-13 minute pace.
2. Shit seems hard until you do it- A lot of us look at other people doing things and count ourselves out before we even try.  We don't realize that just like ROME wasn't built in a day....skills are not perfected overnight. When I started running  in July, I would run 20 minutes on my treadmill at 3.6 and I thought I was doing something. When I heard runners say they ran 3 miles or more, I was in awe. I immediately thought I could never. Yet, yesterday...not even a year later...I ran more than 10 miles at the speed of 4.7 on the treadmill. It was hard but not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. My point, it you want something...try.


3. Your problems aren't your friends so stop being so loyal to them- This is pretty self explanatory so I will just get to the point. My point, stop letting the you of the past dictate the you of the future. What you USED to do ain't what you are doing now and it ain't what you want to do. Let the old shit and those old people go if they are not or will not help you advance. 


Oh and I lost 2 pounds! 


Don't judge me, I have runner's feet!



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