I’ve been listening to this book called The Running Ground. There’s a really cool story early in the book that stopped me in my tracks… The author is describing a formative moment in his life that took place at a track meet during his sophomore year of high school. He was new to the sport and had been given the unique opportunity to toe the line for a two mile race in the most important meet of the season. His best time in the distance was 11 minutes 30 seconds, so he hoped he could match that to give his team a chance to win. He prepared obsessively for the meet, using their home track to map out the exact lap-by-lap splits he’d need to achieve in order to hit his goal time. He committed them to memory and was ready to execute when he stepped to the starting line in the meet. He didn’t know it, but he’d made one critical error: The meet was held on a track that was slightly longer than his home track, so the splits were off. Not by a lot, but by enough to make a difference. As he stuck to his lap splits through the first mile, he assumed he was right on his goal pace, but he was actually well-ahead of it. When he crossed the line, he was stunned: 10 minutes 48 seconds. 42 seconds faster than his goal, a huge personal best, an underclass school record, and enough to help his team take the victory. Reflecting on the experience, the author wrote: “If I had understood how fast I was running, I wouldn't have been able to run that fast. Because I didn't know the track, because I didn't know how long the laps were, I didn't get scared and shut down my body, I just kept going. To do it, I had to first forget that I couldn't do it.” That final line has lodged itself in my brain. Because if you look closely, this dynamic shows up everywhere. Your limits are often less physical than they are psychological. Not boundaries of capability, but boundaries of belief. You tell yourself a story about who you are and what you’re capable of. You think you know exactly what you can do, so you pace yourself accordingly. You set conservative “splits” for your career, your relationships, your art, your ambitions. You walk through your life based on your measurement of a “track” that may not be an accurate representation of reality anymore. And the moment you sense yourself running a bit too fast, you silently, subconsciously ease off. You retreat back into the version of yourself and your capabilities that you’ve memorized. But what if that version is outdated? The 1.0 past to your 2.0 present. What if the track has changed? What if you’re capable of running far faster and longer…and the only thing holding you back is that internal dialogue that you can’t? So, here’s the thought I want you to sit (or run!) with this week: What could you do if you first forgot you couldn’t do it? The answer may change your life…

Here’s the book. Really enjoying it so far. Somewhat meditative to listen to it, similar to Barbarian Days, which I absolutely loved.