What if you could?

It was cold.

It was early.

If you’d asked me twelve months ago if I thought I could do this, I would have laughed.

NO. WAY.

As we walked, our breath froze in the air before us. (Did I mention it was cold?)

Yet there I was striding along all geared up, trusty pup and kind friend ambling alongside. My heart was racing as my bladder nudged me for one more trip to the loo. Maybe I should find a tissue in case my nose started running…

Then it was time.

Yesterday was a big day. I did something I was convinced I couldn’t do. And I felt like Wonder Woman because I NAILED IT. WE nailed it.

For the first time in 15 years I laced up my trainers and ran 5km. All the way to the end. And I didn’t die from the exertion.

You may be a runner, so 5km may be a warm-up to you, in which case I salute you deeply. But in these parts running 5km without stopping or dying or even complaining is a B-I-G deal! I’m so tickled that I may stay this shade of pink for a while.

I won’t lie: it’s been a heck of a journey to get here. The actual running wasn’t the toughest part. Want to know what was? Getting over, around and through my own mental crap about what I could and should and couldn’t do.

A brief sampling of the (completely bogus) reasons I couldn’t run anymore (like I had briefly done in my 20s):

• My husband was away a lot, so I couldn’t train when the girls were at home;
• I had to cook dinner;
• I should be working;
• The house was a mess: I should clean up the boxes that had been there for years;
• I was too out of shape;
• My heart rate went too high;
• Any time I had to exercise should be spent in the gym, where I was paying for a membership;
• My asthma might kick up again; and mostly this…
• I was so ashamed of being SO out of shape.

Last November something clicked, and I downloaded the Couch to 5K app. It’s supposed to get you running 5km in nine weeks. HA!! In my world of excuses and busy-ness and occasional illness it took a year of on-again, off-again running to get there.

But yesterday did it. I busted through a whole bunch of nasty mental barriers about what’s possible. And I can’t wait to do it again with my friend next Saturday when we join tens of thousands of people to run for the sheer joy of it.

What do you think is impossible? Why do you think that? What are those nasty mental gremlins telling you about your abilities and power? What if they were wrong?

I’d love to know. Tell me in the comments box below and let’s slay those mental gremlins.

Here’s to you lacing up (or whatever floats your boat) and DOING the things you dream of.

It really does feel amazing.