8 miles is a lot

Paradigm shift. That's what my professor at Cal Poly said to me two years ago. We were talking about printing presses and design and capabilities and business modules, not running, but the application is the same.

There's a country in Central (or maybe South) America where the "rite of passage" to manhood is the boy/man going out into the relative wilderness and running 100 miles. One. Hundred. Miles. I heard that, and while rationally knew that it was possible, just thought, no way.

Three and a half months ago, 4 miles was my "big run."

4 miles was a lot.

When my professor was talking about paradigm shift — in relation to business modules — he spoke of thinking outside the box. When you need a new idea, when you need to think outside the box, you need a paradigm shift — to shift your view of the world — to help your ideas flow from "impossible" to "probable." Anything is possible if you allow your interpretation of the world to shift.

Scientific discoveries are made by people who don't conform to popular belief. Regardless of whether something is possible or not, because of the way you — and therefore your brain — view the world, you will see what you want to see. For instance, if you know that birds can't fly, your brain will interpret the sight of a bird flying as something else — launching maybe, gliding from one branch to another. Simply, not flying. Allowing your worldview to change and accepting that maybe, in fact, birds do fly allows your brain to interpret birds flying as just that.

Does that make sense?

You see the world the way you think the world should be. Not on the surface think, deep, dark, inner belief think.

If you think the world should be puppies and kittens and rainbows and love — deep down believe it — you'll see it that way. Whether or not you rationally dismiss the idea as probable, you will see the world as puppies and kittens and rainbows and love and your mind will interpret anything outside of that norm as something acceptable to that paradigm.

You can shift your paradigm, however. You can change the way you interpret the world. It's not easy. It's a conscious (sometimes unconscious, I suppose) effort.

Three and a half months ago, four miles was a lot. Thirteen was impossible. Thirteen was unattainable. Thirteen miles in 2 hrs and 7 minutes? Unthinkable.

Today, I ran 8 miles.

And didn't blink. Didn't think, "Oh my god, eight miles. That's so far." Just thought, "Oh man, gotta run eight miles today. Probably take us about an hour and a half. That's not so bad." And by the time we were out the door I was antsy to run 8 miles. I was ready to run 8 miles.

Eight miles is doable. The three miles I get to run tomorrow? Pffft. Piece of cake. Three miles is nothing.

Four months ago, three miles was a lot. Think about that.

Ciao,
kc

TODAY: 8 miles, 1:25:something