I realized I dragged my feet and did not start training for my 10k until I came back from Japan in November. The 10K is scheduled for Janurary 2024. I bought my tickets to the Disney 10k early this year. Originally me, Jessie, Jessica, Stephanie, and Grace were all planning to run together. On the day they released the tickets at 7am, only Grace and I (and Steph’s son, Max) managed to get tickets for the 10k. In my mind, “oh I have almost a year to make it happen” and I’d start training in September. That of course didn’t happen. I justified that my jumpstart was the 10k I walked on the Nakasendo Trail in Japan. But my mindset of ” I hate running” and “why did I do this to myself” kept surfacing and blocked my motivation in starting. Like didn’t I swear this off after my first attempt at a full marathon in Honolulu back in 2016. My internal voice rebutted and reassured me that I can do a 10k so I obliged.
Back in June, when I was in SoCal having dinner with Eddie and Grace. Eddie talked about doing more things he enjoyed like diving. Grace also talked about the physical activities she did and enjoyed like diving, snowboarding, etc. My auto-responses were “no, I can’t swim,” “no, I can’t ski,” or “no, I can’t run.” I caught myself when I listened more closely to my replies. I felt a sense of FOMO and constrained by these limitations perhaps it was time to face some of my fears. So, I did sign up for swim lessons. This holiday season I gifted myself the grace to try and that it would be worth the investment. I signed up for swim lessons with a swim coach that focused on adults with a fear of the water. After 3 lessons, I can manage to float and move through the water for a short distance. It felt liberating. I decided to apply that same grace of starting the couch to 10k training right before Thanksgiving with consistent incremental progress.
My goal is to give myself permission to commit, try, and show more compassion to myself. At the very least 10k at Disneyland will be fun taking photos with Disney characters and I’ll be with Jessie, Grace, Steph, Max, and Jessica. As cliche as it may sound, I hope to transform “I can’t” to its possible. In January 2024, I get to launch into the new year by completing a 10k with friends and family; the gift of health, focus, commitment, and friendships.
Travelogue 