It’s Monday, January 2nd. I have the day off. I had a big day yesterday. I ran a marathon. I feel like I earned a “zero” day. I decided I’d watch a movie. I cued up one of my favorites; The Hunt for Red October. I’ve seen it about a hundred times. That Captain Ramius (Sean Connery) is one cool customer.
You’ve probably seen this movie, but it starts with Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) explaining to a flight attendant that he can’t sleep when he flies because of his fear of flying. In the movie, Jack is forced to fly through rough weather to land on an aircraft carrier. He also has a very wild ride in a helicopter in order to rendezvous with a submarine in the Atlantic. The movie is filled with all kinds of suspenseful action and ultimately ends with the last shot being a flight attendant retrieving a cup of coffee as Jack sleeps very peacefully on a plane as he flies home. So it opens with Jack being scared of flying and ends with Jack being okay with flying. Hmmmmmm. Kind of reminds me of someone.
Some know this, but for most of my life, I was afraid to fly. I’d drive 10 hours before I got on a plane. When I started taking flying lessons several years ago, my initial intention was not to become a pilot. I simply wanted to learn to manage my fear of flying. I never thought I would eventually go on to solo and become a pilot. This is a shot of me and my instructor. I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, baby! About to grease another perfect landing.” My Instructor, “Brace for impact!!!”
Real growth happens when we confront our fears and weaknesses. However, before you can deal with your fears and weaknesses, you need to have a belief that you can, and will, endure the discomfort needed to achieve your goal. If you want to achieve you got to believe. I believed I could become a pilot; So I did.
Last Sunday, January 1st, was the 10th anniversary of the creation of what I call The List. The List is what most call a Bucket List. At the webpage below, you can check out The List if you’re interested. There, you’ll also see a listing of some of the “crazy” things I’ve done over the years. Maybe “The List” will inspire you to start your own list. https://bmfadventureclub.com/the-list/
This is a picture of me in 2012. A lot has changed since then. If you compared a picture of 2012 Chris to 2023 Chris, the most visible change is of course the weight. When I look at the picture, the biggest change I see is not the outside, but rather what’s on the inside; What’s in my head now versus what was in my head then. In fact, it was the changes on the inside that led to the changes on the outside. The potential to change both the inside and the outside was always there. I just had to find it.
Eight weeks ago, I signed up and started training for the Houston Marathon. The marathon is on January 15th. Although there’s no such thing as a 10-week marathon training plan, I made one up. I took a 20-week plan and started at week 10. Problem solved. I’ve followed it to the letter. Here’s my training sheet.
I also sprinkled in and completed a 100 push-ups a-day challenge That’s what the circles are for. (Thanks, Tom Jacobs).
My long-run weekend training run this past week called for a 20-mile run. On Thursday, December 30th, I decided to increase the weekend run on up to 26.2 and signed up for the New Year’s Day Texas Marathon held in Kingwood. I already know that 2023 is going to be a very difficult year for me professionally. All business indicators say winter’s coming. I believe they are correct. I guess that’s why I decided to start off 2023 and Do Something Hard (Love the t-shirt designed by U.S. Rep. Crenshaw).
Here’s a funny story from my marathon run. To keep my mind occupied while I ran this past Sunday in the marathon, I listened to a book called Atomic Habits. I had this book recommended to me. So, I’m running along and get so into this book I miss a turn and run off course. I must have trotted along for at least 5 minutes before I looked up and noticed I was all alone.
Feeling like a total dumbass, I turned around and got back on course. Instead of your basic 26.2-mile marathon, I did 27.4 miles. What an idiot. I hit pause on the book and focused on running after this. I wear a Garmin watch that tracks my route. The picture above is me experiencing total confusion. In the end, I ultimately finished the race. It was a good day.
In closing, I have no idea what 2023 will bring. I’m sure it’ll be a mix of good and bad. I guess you need the Bad to help you better appreciate the Good. You also need the Bad to condition and harden you to withstand Worse. If you learn to handle Worse, then Bad feels like a walk in the park. This is how Jack learned to relax and sleep while flying. Oh, one more thing. Never quit when things get tough. I don’t stop and neither should you.
Okay. Let’s wrap it up and end as always. I hope you Find Your Adventure and Live Your Life.
PS-As I do each year, I made my annual list of goals. I’ll share two of them. #1-Go to Casa Bonita Mexican Restaurant in May when they reopen. It was purchased and is being remodeled by the creators of South Park. It’s Eric Cartman’s favorite restaurant. The restaurant is near Denver. #2 Run twelve marathons. This should keep me busy all year. For my birthday, July 22nd, I signed up for an all-night ultra-marathon in Phoenix. This should be a real suffer-fest. I love it!
PPS-I have the word “Temporary” tattooed on my left forearm. When things are difficult or not going my way, it reminds me to not let temporary discomfort turn into long-term regret. Endure.