11/26/22
Day Seventy-Three 

The last few hikes have been really hard. I have an aversion to winter hiking. I get in my own head about it and then work myself up thinking I’m in all sorts of danger and need to go faster to get the hike done so that I’m safe. I’m not in any danger. I’m smart and capable of making good choices. This is just the dialogue I’ve told myself for years. Today I decided to tell myself a new dialogue. That I am safe, that I am smart, and that this isn’t even scary. I told myself I can go as slow as I need to as long as I get the hike done. I gave myself permission to take my time. And guess what? I finished the hike in 2.1 mph elapsed time, which is way faster than I thought I was going all day. I have at least another three months of winter hiking conditions and I’m not spending the next three months terrified and miserable. This experience has taught me that even when things are uncomfortable at first, eventually they become less so if you are willing to stick it out through that discomfort. That our minds don’t like change because change is hard but change is not always bad. So I’m going to take the next three-five months and face conditions that I normally loathe and learn to turn that loathing into love.

Daily Miles: 10.36

Daily Vert: 2792’

Overall Mileage: 814.18

Overall Vert: 241,367’

Trace: 35.6% -> 36%

Trails:

Smarts Brook Trail

Tri-Town Trail