I’ve done a lot of different forms of exercise, and though my passion is ultrarunning right now, it might not be that way forever. I advocate that it doesn’t matter what you do to stay active, as long as you do something. Each passion of mine taught me something:
Being overweight taught me that being sedentary was uncomfortable and exacerbated my anxiety and depression. So I tried group fitness classes.
Group fitness taught me exercise could be fun. Then I had a baby and my schedule was no longer mine alone. So I started running.
Running taught me I could do hard things I thought were impossible (this was an important lesson) and so after running a marathon I decided to try for a dream that felt out of reach.
Bodybuilding taught me the one thing we have control over is what we eat. What we eat can very literally shape our body, like a painter’s paint brush on a canvas. Lift, eat, repeat. Competing also taught me structure and that I have grit. It also made me rigid and inflexible.
Cycling gave me the ability to endure. 8 hours of sitting on a bike day-after-day taught me, “this to shall pass, you can endure this.” It reminded me that after the rigidity of competing, fitness is supposed to be fun, as well as a greater appreciation for being outdoors. It left me wanting more.
Triathlon was my more. Triathlon taught me how to juggle multiple disciplines. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and into a swimming pool. And, I started to lean back into running.
Trail ultra running combines many things I love. The mountains, solitude, running, fresh air, challenge, endurance, strength, tenacity, food, love…to name a few.
I know there’s a day, at some point in my life, where I’ll do something different. As long as I do something, I’m okay with that.
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