Courage to Start

Written by Kimberly Hall

Photo by Brett Jordan

Last week, I took a trip down memory lane and looked through my scrapbook of cards and letters. I’ve sent out Christmas cards and letters to friends and family every year since 1992, and I was tickled pink as I read through my family’s yearly highlights. The Christmas letter from 2004, I shared with family and friends that I had started running. The following year, 2005, the Christmas letter mentioned that I was running close to eight miles a week. In 2010, at age forty-one, I stepped out of my comfort zone and challenged my body even more. That was the year I ran my first race, which happened to be a super sprint triathlon (a 250-yard pool swim, a 9-mile bike ride, and a 2-mile run). Wow, wow, wow—I was in total amazement as I read my letter from 2010. 

Not only did I learn to swim at age forty-one, but I also invested in a road bike, proper running shoes, and all the gear I needed to complete the triathlon. I never played sports in school, and I’ve been known to be a little clumsy when it comes to athletics. Who was this new woman I was transforming into? I didn’t recognize her early on, but each day I liked her more. This woman was courageous, confident, and willing to do things that she once thought impossible. This woman was always inside me, and I didn’t even know it. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would complete a triathlon. I felt like a badass as I charted new territories. 

Having the courage to start gave me the confidence I needed to continue this journey. Each year, I’ve pushed myself to surpass my limits. It doesn’t get easier; I just get stronger. I am grateful and blessed to have completed one ultra-marathon and over fifty marathons and half marathons. I did it afraid, one step at a time! It’s so true what they say: courage is simply the willingness to be afraid, but to act anyway. Do you have the courage to step out of your comfort zone  and start something you’ve been afraid to do?