Reality checks
Last October I ran the Jakarta half-marathon and found it much harder than I expected. There were mitigating factors – it was hot and humid, and I was running with very low weekly mileage (about 10 miles a week!) – but even so, it was a tough finish.
Up until that point I’d always assumed that the marathon-I-never-quite-got-around-to would be straight forward, but suddenly it looked like a Big Deal, and I started to doubt.
Building a base
Fast forward eight months of gradually longer runs – most recently 30k – and the marathon seems like a realistic proposition. I’ve gone a good chunk of the way there, seen what it’s like, overcome a few of the hurdles (blisters, boredom, nutrition) and can imagine getting it done.
The same thing is so often the case with our projects and ambitions: we have fine ideas but really have no idea what it will take to achieve them until we’ve made a start – and it takes time and repetition before we’re able to see if we have what it takes to finish.
Do it now. Then do it again.
Interesting post . So very true … good to base assumptions with reality checks