Better believe I can!

Three days before my 36th birthday, I decided it was time to get more active. It was lockdown, I was tired of the home workouts and living room yoga sessions, and summer was coming. My mum kept saying I should start running, I would love it. But for years I have been making fun of runners (why would you put yourself through an hour of pure exhaustion?!) and I was not having it.

I always believed I was not a runner, nor an athlete in any form or way. I had asthma when I was younger (still do, though) and sports have always been a thing for me. Running was the ultimate no-go as I would always gasp for air in just a few meters. No way I would be able to run.

Due to lockdown, the options were limited so on a working from home Monday, I put on my shoes and decided to try 2km at the park down the road. ‘Just 2km, walk it if you can’t run, at least you tried it and can get it over with.’, I told myself. So, I started running…

I have a feeling I ran like Phoebe in Friends, however, I suddenly realised I ran almost 1 lap without stopping. The second lap I started walking but I finished it, beyond my expectations. As a competitive and analyzing enthusiast, I used Strava to keep track of my run: 2.2km 6:59 min/km and a total time of 15 minutes and 24 seconds. I RAN 2km! How was this possible?

As I mentioned I am very competitive so I needed to see if I could beat my own time. Three weeks later I ran my first 5km and a month later my first 10km. From having a strong belief I was unable to run, to running 10km in 1:04 hours. I signed up for a half marathon in March (why do things half-ass?!) and continued to run.

The half marathon of Omaha: 21.1km. I hoped I would be able to finish it. It was unreal. I finished in 2:09 hours, faster than 3 weeks before and beat my own personal records on the 10 and 15km.

After my half marathon, I reflect on my 6 months of running. From running 10 meters in my whole life, to running a half marathon in less than 2,5 hours. I proved myself that my own belief was false. I am able to run and I am actually good at it. I was more fit than ever, lost weight, felt energetic and was loving it. This made me think: how many beliefs do I have that are actually wrong? How many beliefs do I have that are holding me back to achieve great things?

What is your belief that you might be able to challenge? Your beliefs influence your actions and your goals. Create small steps on how you might be able to validate your belief. Because from experience I can tell you, I have never felt so good about being wrong.