As of Monday, I’ve promised myself (in front of my life coach) that I’d run 2 days a week. Amidst a hectic work schedule and 2 days a week of Crossfit, I felt like that was a good starting point. It’s not exactly going to get me to ultramarathoner by the end of the year, but it’s an attainable, confidence-boosting goal that’s got me up and moving more than I have been in months!

One of my fears running in the city has been “where the heck do I even run!?” I live in Capitol Hill, which is like the exact opposite of those wide-open rolling hills of PA I first trained on. Beyond stopping at every block’s corner to watch for traffic, I have to consider what time of day is safe and which side-streets to avoid. Call me sheltered, but I’ve never had to worry about those kinds of things before. And they’ve played a significant role in my pile of excuses.

Today, I tried not to stop and think about it too much. After work, I felt the sunshine on my face and the energy in my core and thought there’s no way I could pass up a prime opportunity like this! I laced up, hit shuffle on my list of angsty early-2000’s pop-punk, and took off. I had a general idea of where I wanted to go, but mostly followed my feet.

I ended up weaving through quiet and quaint little side-streets beside a park I was attempting to find the entrance to. And even though my body decided it needed to head home by the time I found the trail, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to feel comfortable on the streets whose reputation usually kept me at home.

Moral of the story? I’m not sure if there is a big one, this time. All I know is, I faced a fear, I kept a promise, and I made progress towards my goals… and I’m pretty happy about that.

Despite all the chatter in my head, and probably yours if you relate to any of this, I can say that this week I grew stronger. My hope is that these fears continue to be replaced with confidence and the chatter with motivation. The whole point of all of this is to do something that fulfills me and brings me joy, so I’ll be damned if I let anything stop me!