Why you should challenge yourself

I used to run more. Today my usual 12km track turned into the most intense run ever.

It was rough. It challenged me profoundly. It completely put me into my body and out of my head, where I spend most of my time these days. It reminded me that while sometimes writing or coding can be struggle, it’s nothing compared to how visceral running can feel.

When I run, I have two simple rules: no stopping, no walking. These rules are not enforced by anyone but myself. They’re arbitrary and yet important to me.

No stopping, no walking. Sounds so simple but today it felt about as simple as not thinking about a blue giraffe. Back to running, my usual track goes uphill on the way back. To say I struggled today would be an understatement. I battled my own body.

I felt utterly drained of energy. I wanted nothing more than to just stop for a second.

But I didn’t.

I put my head down. One step forward, another one,… There was nothing else but the next step forward.

I finished the run and felt I could do anything. Everything else seemed easy compared to the difficulty of it.

Challenging myself so intensely put me in a state of mind that offered me a new perspective from which nothing was impossible.

Challenge yourself.