Over on the FB page we were having a conversation today about mistakes I’ve made during races. In this case, it was that I tend to try new things too close to race day which I know is wrong but sometimes is inevitable (but don’t worry, I’ve done it plenty of times when it could have been avoided, too). And it got me thinking back to all the mistakes I’ve made and how I’ve learned so much from each one of them. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t take any of them back – each failure, each misstep, each miscalculation and humiliation (yes, HUMILIATION!) has lead to a stronger, smarter, wiser me and they all served as part of my journey. I could actually say the same thing about all the big blunders in my life but since this is a running blog, we will stay specific to just my running mistakes. This ain’t The Odyssey after all and you don’t have all day.;) So here we go:

I Went Too Far In Minimalist Shoes

All hopped up on finishing Born To Run, I ordered Vibrams online (they didn’t even carry them in regular stores when I bought mine), wore them once for a 3 miler, and then headed out onto the boardwalk in Mission Beach, CA and did 7 miles. Yup. Second time wearing minimilaist Vibram Five Fingers after years in a huge stability shoe (because I’m a major pronator with high arches) I ran 7 miles. I had a guy yell (because nobody really knew what they were) “I don’t think you’re supposed to wear those on the boardwalk! Just on the sand!”

According to pretty much every podiatrist and physical therapist in the world I should have gotten a stress fracture or at the very least a nasty case of plantar fantastic (which is what I call it because I can never spell fasciitis – see?). But because of maybe just dumb luck and because God really does take care of fools and idiots (this isn’t in the bible, btw, but it should be), none of those things happened and I’ve been running minimalist with no injury (knock on wood) ever since. And since that was 4 years ago I guess if I get injured now we can blame something other than the shoes, right? Although I will tell you that my close friends who run with me know that should I go down, they are to remove my shoes and throw them in a bush and then we will tell people they just flew off but of course they weren’t those crazy barefoot shoes. Because we don’t want to defame the fine name of the minimalist running movement, do we?

The One Time I Didn’t Hydrate Well Enough on an 18 Mile Long Run and Almost Died

There is a SLIGHT chance I’m being over-dramatic on the almost dying thing, but I was dizzy, I felt nauseous and I very suddenly developed horrible GI issues. I remember literally having hallucinations (as opposed to figurative hallucinations? I have no idea). But things were not making sense. But I am stupid and stubborn so I finished the 18 miles and was out of commission for two days afterward. Only later did I find out how incredibly stupid I had been especially since I was running all alone. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

What I learned: Don’t do that. If you start to feel dizzy and nauseous and it’s hot, you have the beginnings of heat exhaustion and need to head indoors and drink water immediately. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’ll end up in the ER with an IV in me for 24 hours or so. (that saying actually didn’t really work here but oh well)

 I Wore Nike Shorts Without Compression Shorts Underneath in July

Please don’t make me relive this. The chaffing took several days to heal. Body Glide. That is all. Just Body Glide. I’m not a 23 year old girl with a single digit BMI and small thighs. I evidently forgot that. Never again.

I Wore New Shoes for A Marathon

So this was not exactly my fault. My Vibram Five Fingers got a huge hole right before my first marathon. (this is why you should always have two pairs of shoes to train in) I found my size at a local running store and was so excited that I found them at all! Since they were the EXACT SAME SHOE it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

So the other thing I did wrong here was run 4:1 intervals for the marathon with my friend Sara when I hadn’t done run/walk intervals at all in training. It appears that when one walks one uses different parts of one’s feet. So those things combined meant a blister the size of Montana that no amount of stops at the med tents could take care of.

But the moment at mile 24 when I was begging for death and the guy from Team in Training put his arm around me and kind of drug me for a few miles while I sobbed taught me two invaluable things: First, sometimes you have  to let go of your own PR to be there for someone else as he did and secondly, I am stronger than I ever imaged. After his pep talk I started fast walking and almost running again (what I had been doing prior to his pep talk couldn’t even be called walking – it was pathetic). I realized that words of encouragement can help someone in incredible pain to push past it and move forward. And although it took me almost SIX HOURS to finish that marathon, finish I did. And I even ran across the finish line with a smile on my face! I didn’t quit even though every fiber of my being wanted to.

I’ve thought back on that moment so many times not just in running but in life and certainly in my parenting and in my ministry. We humans are a crazy resilient people and we can move on even when we are in excruciating pain if we have someone come along side us and tell us we can with God’s help.

So what’s my point? WE ALL FAIL. In running, in parenting, in marriage, in friendships and in life. We are ALL imperfect beings doing the best we can, falling down, getting up, trying again.

One of my favorite authors, Brene Brown, says this “Imperfections are not inadequacies. They are reminders that we are all in this together.”

When we can share our failures openly and honestly we open up the door for others to share theirs as well and what emerges is a gorgeous mess that is a community that makes us ALL better versions of ourselves.

So maybe today you need to look back at your biggest mistakes – in running and in life – and think through how you’d be different if they hadn’t happened. I know for me, I wouldn’t be the runner, the writer, the pastor, the mom or the human I am without my failures. So go out there and make a big hairy audacious chance and risk a mistake. Because you may just learn something amazing.

Happy Running!

Jen