Since I moved to Seattle, most weekends I've gone for a long-ish run with my brother. A month or so ago, I set a goal for running an 8k here in Seattle -- Beat The Bridge. Since then, we've picked up the pace a bit. It's been a long time since I trained for a race, though I've been running consistently all along. Today, we ran a long loop around Lake Union, nine miles, at about a 7:40 pace. It felt surprisingly good, and we even had the energy to talk about technology, society, user generated content, politics and family. Not bad.
As I drove home, I was struck that just two months ago that sort of run -- speed and distance both -- were out of reach for me, not just by a little bit, but by so much they seemed inconceivable. It was a good reminder of a lesson I keep learning: with steady work and effort, goals that seem unachievable in the moment are quickly within reach.
For some people, nothing is impossible. For me, it's more complex. With the right time horizon, commitment and hard work, nothing seems impossible. I bet I keep learning this lesson for a long time....