The importance of being uncomfortable

So much has gone on since my last post (news and updates to ensue in the following days). Even with bunches of things to share I wanted to take a moment and talk about potentially the most valuable lesson I've learned in adulthood: Learning to be uncomfortable.
Tonight I decided to head to the pool to swim. To anyone else, this might seem like a totally casual thing but it was the context of this swim that in there lies the lesson. To let you know, I'm not big fan of group workouts. I've always found to be a solo runner or someone who likes to run with close friends. Being the marketer that I am (and also hungry for knowledge/gossip/tips or whatever) I follow all of the local running clubs/teams/stores/brands etc. I hear all of the time about things like Group Pancake Runs, Ladies-only bike rides, Pain in the park boot camp classes and more. I never go. For a long time I would blame it on my schedule, my lack of energy, or even conflicts with my personal training calendar. After those excuses got old I moved onto excuses that dug a little deeper, "I have a workout in mind, and that's not it".... the ole I knew better routine. Now, YEARS later I decided that the reasons I was giving were pretty much bullshit.

Truth was, I was suffering from a lack of confidence. What was I afraid of? Being the slowest? When I run by myself I am both first AND last.... what’s really the matter with finishing last after all?
Lately, as I would go on my long runs, a question would run though my mind over and over "how do I get better as this?".More runs- sure. Mix up my eating habits- good thought. Maybe different shoes or more cross training? All were good thoughts but in the end I determined that "I" was my own biggest hurdle to getting better

My head wasn't in the game. Running (especially) has this intense mental component that no amount of training will exercise (unless you let it). I realized that my inner self was the thing that needed work and that to make progress I was going to need to take a different approach to myself, my life, and my training. Why change? Because I refuse to be someone who's goals and/or life is stunted by something that could be changed . . .And that's exactly what living my life worried about being uncomfortable or nervous about my performance was doing. Running alone had become a comfortable place to be with no judgment and no expectation. I started to contemplate the other activities in my life and I realized that MOST of my life’s routine was built in a similar fashion. I took the same classes with the same instructors, fixed dinner from a finite set of items and shopped the same stores and websites.

Crap.

Here I thought my comfort-zone was a good place, a happy place. I now know that this comfort-zone I speak of is an illusion of my own creation. Life changes, it’s inevitable. We will grow old, technology changes, people come and go. Was I clinging to routine to help me cope? I decided it was time to help myself for a change and practice... Practice dealing with changes and get “comfortable” with being uncomfortable. The more I thought about my game changing plan, I liked it. I remembered back to the times I ventured outside of what I was good at and tried something completely out of the box. Snowboarding, triathlon, swimming, rock climbing…. All things I love to do that came at expense of effort and the loss of a touch of personal sanity.

So this pool workout I did, it was a group swim. 50+ swimmers of all levels, none of which I knew. The swim was tough and it pushed me MUCH HARDER then I would have gone myself. I met great people and although I felt nervous and slightly uncomfortable going into it, I was so glad I went