As I want to keep this blog focussed on my efforts to run a BQ, I'll keep the Peruvian metaphors light... and short.
It has been a fantastic experience for me. One week, backpacking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, the next floating down a jungle river at night in search of caimans. Through it all though, there are some ideals that I will take away with me...
I don't like to be comfortable. People grow from new experiences and challenges. During my hike to Machu Picchu I was extremely fatigued, especially the first day. It could have been the altitude (~13,000 feet), it could have been my lack of acclimatizing (less than 24 hours), it could have been the lack of sleep (2.5 hours... who could sleep before this adventure??), or it could have been that I was one of the few too stupid/stubborn to hire a porter (heaviest backpack), but I didn't focus on any of that. I focussed on getting to our campsite.
One of my fellow campers asked, "is this harder than a marathon?". I replied, "The last marathon I ran, I had no doubt in my mind I was going to be able to hold my pace and finish... this hike, I was actually considering giving in and getting a porter, which I would have considered as the ultimate failure for me." (Please note: I planned this trip with certain expectations for my fitness, and in no way do I wish to marginalize or diminish the other group members who elected to get a porter).
But with all my huffing and puffing, it forced me to take a moment, to take a breath and look out to where I was... soaking in the beauty of Peru.
I'll put this into my context of running: I don't plan to be complacent. I know, I have just over 4 months to get myself from a 3:37 down to a 3:20, 17 minutes.... being comfortable isn't going to be on my agenda.
"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it" - P Picasso
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