Unbothered Day 10: "Some of Us Are Brave"

Today's post was really hard to write because I keep getting all choked up. I'm just so proud of myself!

Over in the Healthy Homies Facebook group I am a big advocate of teeny weeny goals.  It's a riff off an idea I got from Martha Beck.  In her book The Four Day Win, she advocates cutting goals in half until they are so small that it is ridiculous not to reach them.  For example, rather than saying "I'll write a page a day" and never doing it, commit to just turning your computer on every day.  Every week I make a teeny weeny goal and share it.  This week's is to take my vitamins.  It works well, but another thing I do all the time is make huge ridiculously impossible goals!  

This is the part that keeps tearing me up.

Today marks one year since I did my first Spartan race.  Last year I did the Boston Sprint, and it was at that time the hardest physical challenge I had ever taken on.  Other than injury, just about everything that can go wrong in a race went wrong. I got terrible leg cramps and was ready to call it quits multiple times.  (That's how I met Rob!) I did most of the race without a team, and it took me about a week to recover.

Since then I've done a Beast, 2 Supers, and a few shorter races.  I've still got a Beast, 2 Sprints, and a Tough Mudder before the season is over.  After this year's races, I only need a day to recover.  That race that at the time loomed large and scary in my mind is now something that I could do with no problems.

I get all emotional because I don't even remember why I signed up for this race. Before I did it I was not a person who liked the outdoors. I did not like being in the woods. I certainly did not like sweating on purpose! This race took me completely out of my comfort zone, and like Joe DeSena says, I knew at the finish line, and in the past year, I've Spartaned up in all areas of my life. (I can tell you what Spartan up means if you really want to know) and am making big changes.  I feel braver.

Yesterday I went to Dangerous Curves, a plus size pole dance competition in New York.  The performers were gorgeous, and it made me want to devote more time to the pole.  However I don't want to say that I'll go to one weekly pole class.

 I've decided that next year I'm going to compete.  I'm already panicking in my head because this means that I'm committing to getting stronger, investing lots more time in learning choreography and tricks, and making this intention public.  (I really think I might barf).  I'm also super excited!

This is exactly what these humongous goals do for me.  They give my training purpose, push me to be brave, and make me want to barf.

So here we go!  I start training next week.

Thought For Today:  What's my super big fitness goal, the one that seems out of reach today?