Limitations

It's been an incredible couple weeks. With the change in the weather has come new life and ambitious goals. I've known for a while now that I'd be running in a 5K on May 14 and I've been pretty nervous about it. I've never really been a runner. I have come up with many reasons why this is. I once convinced myself that my body was simply not built for running or that my lungs couldn't handle the air. I recently listened to a talk on TED.com called LOOKING PAST LIMITS. This speech was given by a woman
who had done so many incredible things with her life and about half way through the speech she announced that she is legally blind. She admitted that she couldn't really even see the audience. I was blown away by the way we limit ourselves and place ourselves into bondage from reaching our full potential. This is the way I had handled the idea of running. I convinced myself that I was bound by my limitations and didn't have the ability to run or push myself beyond the mental barriers that I had built. Over the last 8 days I decided to prove myself wrong. This all started on a Sunday afternoon when my friends and I decided to hike Flag Rock above Farmington. This hike is about 5K one-way. I hiked up with my friends Paul, Sean and Noel. We hung out at the top for a bit for a chat and to enjoy some snacks. We headed down and Paul and I explored an abandoned mine there. After a short trek into the mine we decided to cross the mountainside and hike up a different canyon to see some pictographs. We really pushed ourselves to the limit that day and came back to my house exhausted from all the hiking that day. On Tuesday Sean and I went up Flag Rock again. I decided I'd run my way up to where the trail actually starts. I felt pretty sick when I met Sean on firebreak road but the feeling was only temporary and we climbed the rest of the way up. We decided to get dinner after and as I left Sean up on the mountain to take a different trail I ran the rest of the way home. By this time I was beginning to see that I could do a lot more than I thought. My limitations were beginning to dissolve. However, I thought that I would need to limit my physical activity over the next few days in order to recover. Well, Thursday rolled around and Paul called wanting to hike Flag Rock again. We left from my house and had a good hike up to the flag. There was a man and his wife that arrived to the flag just after us and we watched them as they ran down the trail. They were really running. This inspired us to do the same. We ran the entire 5K back to my house. Paul nearly collapsed on the front porch out of sheer joy. ;) The next day was a true test of the limitations I had placed on myself. Realizing that I broke through a barrier the previous day, I decided it would be best for me to seriously think about recovering. I had to go to South Salt Lake to pick up my visa for China. My dad had driven that day and my mom needed the other car, so I was left with driving the truck or taking the train and of course I had to take the train, that's just how I am. So, not understanding how I could still walk, I got on my bike and peddled down the train station. When I got off in SLC I decided I would just enjoy the gorgeous weather and ride my bike to the office at 2900 S. State. It was a pleasant ride and I decided I could probably make it back to the train station in time to catch the next train. After getting my passport back I had an idea that wouldn't leave me. I decided to ride my bike all the way home. I didn't understand why my legs would agree with this idea, but they did, and more importantly, my soul was ecstatic about the idea! After some poor navigation around South Salt Lake I eventually ended up on the Jordan River Parkway Trail which ran right next to a big deep river surrounded by beautiful big trees. This trail meets up with the Legacy Parkway Trail and that lead me all the way back to Farmington. While on this bike ride I realized that all the limitations I had placed on myself were completely false. I no longer need to think that I can't do something because as long as I continue to take care of my body by eating right, there is no reason why I can't ride my bike 30 miles on a whim, or trail run 5K or hike 10 miles in an afternoon. With the right mindset our limitations evaporate and we realize our endless potential.