By Jonas Sevaldrud
I like to run. I am not the best and am not the worst either. Through some years of running a bit (unsystematically) and playing a bit of lower league soccer (football), I kind of coincidently got in fairly good shape. My natural response was to try to run a marathon. I started way too fast, did not eat properly, and because of that, I ran a lot slower than I had the potential to. I had never been running over 20K before, but I just wanted to try. Even though the marathon was extremely hard, it was extremely good learning. The next time I tried a marathon, I was better prepared, and naturally, I ran a little faster. If I did as most people would, waiting until I was well prepared, which may have been a few years, I wouldn’t have had that amazing experience of failing. I believe that failing is a wonderful thing that makes us grow as runners and as humans as well.
Failing is not solely bad. There is something beautiful and amazing in failing. Not being afraid of failing has another good consequence as well. I can set big goals for myself. This year, I tried something that should be impossible. I have never run barefoot before, and certainly not on snow. Anyway, I set a big goal: to run the world’s fastest half marathon barefoot in the snow. And I failed. I tried to run it, but I faced some bad conditions, and my feet were not used to running barefoot. I had to quit after 10K. I failed. My feet were bloody, and the record seemed impossible to beat for someone like me. The record holder was none other than the legendary Wim Hof, a man superior to me in so many ways.
But because of my many big attempts and many previous failures in life, I wasn´t discouraged. I knew that I had the running pace to beat the record. I just needed my feet to keep their skin for 21K, a half marathon. On the next attempt, I did it. Wow. What a feeling. After 1 hour, 44 minutes, and 58 seconds of running barefoot in the snow, I was now a world record holder. Unbelievable for a normal guy like me. What a feeling.
If I were afraid of trying, I would not have this record. I injured my feet for three weeks after the first attempt, but I am not training for a world cup or any big race. The feeling of breaking a world record was undoubtedly worth it for me. So here comes my advice to all the runners out there: Don’t limit yourself. It is incredible what your body can do if you just try. I am not saying that you should break a world record, but don’t be afraid of setting a goal for yourself. If you reach your goal, wow, what a feeling. And if you don’t reach your goal, it´s amazing learning, and you can always try again later. Don’t wait for the perfect timing or until you are in the best condition of your life. Failing is learning. Don’t limit yourself.
“It is incredible what your body can do if you just try.”
About the Author
Jonas is a 25 year old student living in Trondheim, Norway. He is finishing his Master’s in Psychology in May and hopes to keep chasing the beautiful adventures of life until his money runs out while making many great YouTube videos along the way.
