Two-tenths more – going beyond

BEYOND

There’s a trap we all fall into. Maybe it’s presumptuous to say all of us do, so I’ll own this specifically for myself.

When we need to change something, we hesitate because we can’t make that change happen in the big, absolute, life-changing way we envision.

I’ve gotten into a really horrific exercise rut. Over the past few months, I did get more consistent with walking a mile every day. But that mile was almost the last thing I did — around 9:15 at night.

At the very end of November, I saw that Gulf Winds Track Club was doing the Ultra Distance Classic again this year. It’s usually a 50 mile or 50 km (the runner decides race). Obviously, I can’t do that (I’m not running right now). In past years, I would go out to Wakulla for the ultra and run a loop (about five miles if I remember correctly) and encourage the real competitors. It’s pretty funny to be 4 miles into a 5-mile run and be yelling “you’ve got this!” to someone who is on their mile 41 of 50, but hopefully they appreciated the enthusiasm.

Anyway, due to COVID, the ultra is being done differently. There’s a 100-mile option and a 200-mile option — just complete the distance in December, somehow, cumulatively.

It’s ridiculously affordable and I *can* do 100 miles an increment at a time.

Our work tracker (where we as a company are trying to circumnavigate the world) only tracks tenths of a mile, not hundredths. So if I walk 3.21 miles, only 3.2 counts.

The ultra system counts hundredths.

AND I AM GLAD!

Although this example is about tenths, hopefully it makes the point. If I do 3.2 miles instead of 3 miles five days in a row, I knock an extra mile off of my total. Same goes for hundredths.

The tiny increments do matter.

I’m glad to be involved in this effort that is pushing me beyond my one nondescript mile a night.

Welcome to this week’s Five Minute Friday. Our instructions, via creator Kate Motaung: “Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.” (But I can’t resist spell checking, as you can imagine.)