So I have been on a management course in Melbourne for the past week (promise I will abstain from all the management lingo). It was an excellent course and talked a lot about personal development, being your own sales person and having self confidence (also had an amazing catered kitchen which meant too much food and about 3kgs of additional weight on the trip home)!
There were also several exercises/activities that really tested the limits of your comfort zone and made you put yourself out there.
I like to think of myself as pretty outgoing and one of the first to crack a joke and get the team vibe going on but I will admit that there were several times when I felt out of my depth. It surprised me on a couple of fronts. One, the points listed above and the second was that I thought that with this little Run Around Australia that I am doing I would be used to testing my limits and comfort zones by now. I mean flying into a city where you know no-one and meeting total strangers that for 21 or 42 kms are companions, brothers and sisters, surely that must count for something!?!?! And it does, please don't get me wrong, I have "grown" as a person over this passed year and I am sure I will continue to grow as the time continues. I am happier and richer for the people I have met and the experiences I have had. One of the take away points that I have had from this course is that, for me, never stop pushing the limits of the comfort zone! Look for the next challenge and relish the new experiences.
Here's to the next challenge - Ironman Busselton 2014!
Training wise, I have done two more interval sessions on the treadmill (due to weather issues), missed one long run through laziness and a pending flight (to Melbourne). I also managed a 10k run on course which involved enforced major hill climbing (college was on top of a considerable hill - Doh!) and an awesome 17k run this last weekend (pacing, fuel and mood were aligned).
I am flying to Sydney this weekend for my final half marathon of the Australian circuit before the full Marathon Finale in Melbourne in October. (I will admit to being excited when I booked the course thinking that the Sydney run was on the weekend after and I would have work to thank for the flights but alas I got my dates wrong and have another cross country flight this weekend).
Thanks for reading.
Wow, Are you all signed up? What training plan are you using? Or getting a coach? I am excited for you.
ReplyDeleteThe 2014 races only open as the 2013 races begin so was planning to sign up as soon as possible. It will give me 12 months to train for Busselton (with a 70.3 in November before the taper begins).
DeleteI am being coached (informally) by a friend who has done Busselton 3 times now and have adapted one of his training schedules to balance out all of the running I have done and put more on the swim and ride. Open water is my biggest comfort zone push at this stage.
Thanks for the encouragement, I hope I can share the journey adequately.