Running provides an opportunity to feel discomfort and to grow from embracing it.  I recently stood at the starting line with a talented and hard working group of high school athletes before the start of a varsity race.  Among those girls was a particularly talented individual who has added dedication, miles and lots of cross training to her talent. The result is an athlete that is ready to run with the top girls in the state.  At the start line I could see that she was nervous, almost terrified. We tried cracking a few jokes and she politely forced a little laugh. I could tell that one wrong word might result in tears (or maybe puke).  I told her that she belonged, that she could do it and then it was time for the race to start. She raced smart and fearlessly in hard conditions and drove the top three girls to state leading times in the three mile race.  She didn’t back down despite the negative emotion at the start of her race. You have a choice when you feel the discomfort of nerves at the start line; you can rise to the challenge or shrink under the pressure.

In the past more discomfort was built into our daily lives.  It was uncomfortable to work the land, wash clothes by hand, make all our food from scratch and haul water into our homes.  We had to endure the discomfort in order to survive. Our ancestors’ tolerance for discomfort was much greater than ours is today.  We have cell phones, access to prepared food, running water, and many other luxuries that make our lives so much easier. I’m not suggesting that we need to return to times without the modern luxuries that we enjoy—just that we acknowledge that the need to be challenged has not changed even though we live in a less challenging world. 

Like any other skill, tolerating discomfort takes practice.  We can seek opportunities to practice by setting and chasing challenging goals.  We can practice by enduring when these goals bring out our insecurities. We can practice by acknowledging that the negative emotions are unpleasant but not dangerous and push forward despite them. We can practice by believing in our goals and ourselves even when they seem unbelievable.  How will you practice tolerating discomfort today?