Yesterday I got a friend to run Iron Mountain with me. It’s about 2700’ at the top, and the route we took is about 1000’ change in elevation. It’s a favorite hike that we’ve done before in about 2 hours; my goal is to one day run it in one hour. Before we started our run, I thought about the mountain. I recalled how exhausted I was after the very first time I’d hiked it. I envisioned its size and what I remembered of it’s sometimes steep and rocky path. I thought it would slam me back down in the first ¼ mile. I figured that I’d have to retreat and keep repeatedly trying, over the course of months, to win my goal with the mountain. I was willing to do battle with it.
It didn’t immediately slam me down! We ‘ran’ it all the way up and down in about an hour and a half. I say ‘ran’ because we only ran about half the time on the way up, and less on the way down, slowing to a more sure-footed pace after I almost turned my ankle three times. It was great, and I will definitely do it again! Isn’t that how we often deal with life’s challenges – family illnesses, moves, deployments? We fling ourselves at them, ready to do battle. And sometimes we are pleasantly surprised that even the steep, rugged mountains are more manageable than we thought.
A couple hours after the run, I did have that queasy stomach and stiff back feeling that comes after having had the wind knocked out of you. An hour long nap that passed in the blink of eye took care of that. It is just like me, the delayed reaction. It takes time for challenging events to register. I let them ride on top, until after some time the feelings sink in and hit deep. But I think that is what makes me able to be a Navy spouse. I over-stress, visualize and plan for the worst. In the thick of the action, I handle it. I have learned that a key part to regrouping and being ready for the next challenge is adequate downtime and rest. 10/26/09
