The Hill Slayer. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? This is the nickname one of my running buddies has so generously given me. Whether or not the title is deserved is definitely debatable, but nonetheless, it has stuck. He started calling me Hill Slayer because I tend to surge ahead when challenged with a hill, to just dig deep and go.

He asked me one day about my secret to running hills. I shared with him that it’s really no secret and a simple concept. It hurts to run up a hill regardless of how fast or slow you pace it, so by dragging yourself up the hill you are simply prolonging the pain. Digging in and getting it done gets the pain over quicker and, as a bonus, you get to wait at the top for everyone else to catch up.

You see, it’s all about perspective. I can choose to look at a giant hill in front of me with dread and foreboding or I can choose to look at it as just a bump in the road between me and the end of my run. I can choose to see it as an obstacle or as an opportunity.

We are surrounded on all sides with challenges, both inside and outside of running. Lucky for us, we are the ones who get to steer our own ships (or tie our own running shoes.) We get to decide how we will show up and how we will react to each situation that arises. Showing up in a more positive, progressive way often requires a tough decision, a sacrifice, or creative thinking, but the results can be prodigious.

The next time you are facing a tempo paced run in the driving rain or a confrontational coworker, don’t be afraid to take a step back and think, evaluate the situation and how you are showing up. What can you think and do to make the situation more bearable? Be creative. Be proactive.

So I will continue to give the hills everything I have because I enjoy that feeling of accomplishment and power over self. Besides, I now have a reputation to uphold.