On The Edge

"As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

The next task in the book Running The Edge by Adam Goucher & Tim Catalano was a fun one. The task requires you to come up with a list of the 5 difficult things you accomplished with running and with life. It's always fun to brag a little but I think their idea for this task was to remind you of other hard things you've done so you can remind yourself that you have what it takes as you go through the book.

These are my lists...

5 Running Accomplishments
1. Running back-to-back half marathons at the Love Me Two Times Challenge in April 2011 and running easy enough the first day that I had plenty left in the tank to win the second day!
2. Running the entire marathon for the 1st time at the Lost Dutchman Marathon in February 2011.
3. Setting a marathon PR at the Santa Rosa Marathon in August 2011.
4. Running the Buffalo Run Half Marathon on Catalina Island in January 2011 and not walking any of the hills.
5. Running a 24:59 at the Freedom 5000 on a hot & muggy July 4th.

I chose these for my running accomplishments because I didn't take the easy road for any of them. I had to push myself in each of them for different reasons (goals, stubbornness, heat) and I proved to myself that I was not a quitter.

5 Life Accomplishments
1. Paying off $35,000 of debt.
2. Losing 150 pounds.
3. Bike commuting for more than 3 years through rain, shine, heat, cold, winds, and hail!
4. Joining Toastmasters and getting over my fear of public speaking.
5. Submitting my photos in a competition at the Los Angeles County Fair to deal with my fear of rejection.

I chose these life accomplishments because they are long term accomplishments. They all taught me that if I chip away at something, that I can accomplish anything. They also taught me that I can face a fear and beat it into submission. Sure, I still get nervous speaking in front of people and I'm sometimes nervous showing my photographs to people but it's manageable now. My life is a lot better because of each of these accomplishments.

Oh, and #5 in the Life Accomplishments...I submitted 5 photos and this one won an Honorable Mention! I was invited to a reception for the winners and I was able to take my mom & Grandma with me. My grandma gave me my first camera and it was so awesome to share that with her!

I named this photo On The Edge and it's a photo of a tree at Bryce Canyon in Utah. It's one of my all-time favorite photos because I love how tenacious the tree is. The ground has eroded away beneath it but it's still hanging on. It always seemed like it was dancing on the edge of the canyon as if to say "Ha, you don't scare me!" I thought it was kind of appropriate for the Running The Edge posts.

At Run The Edge, Adam and Tim talk about the edge being about "our limits and maximum potentials" and that "Running the Edge is a dedication to pushing those limits both in running and in life." It's kind of exciting to think that I am nowhere near my limits/potential yet (I hope). I can't help but wonder what they are. Almost makes me wish for a crystal ball but that would take away the fun of discovery, wouldn't it?

But enough about me. What are your top accomplishments in running and life? Do you have a list? I think it's a good thing to do every now and then so when things get tough, you can remind yourself that you are tougher!