Action or Perfection
February 20, 2018
By Nick Whitbread
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We wanted to talk about something that can be an obstacle in starting running or anything else for that matter. The idea that the conditions are not perfect to begin. “I would really like to start running but I don’t have any running shoes”, “ I would really like to try stepping up to the 50Km distance but I’ve never run that far before.” For Us, right now it’s creating more content for you. A large part of My(Nick) contribution to UpRiver Running is the coordinating and execution of certain media. It’s something that a very, very, very long time ago I went to school for and something that I really enjoy. Sometimes it can be very intimidating creating content that is about you personally. I certainly have a good amount of Trail Running experience but does that make what I have to say valuable? I struggle with this regularly despite being told by those close to me that my experience is priceless. Antonio and I come from two totally different places in running and we both are well versed in different aspects of the sport.
We at Upriver Running really want to make a useful contribution to your lives with not only our events but here on this page with useful information. An easy way to do that is with videos. The challenge is creating videos that are information rich but still entertaining to watch. That’s where editing, lighting, music, effects become valuable in conveying the information. Right now we have many ideas on what we think is exciting valuable content. I have been holding back on making them because I would love for us to be able to have better production quality. In other words, we could start making these videos and spreading this information but it wouldn’t be perfect or even good as far as the production goes. That’s our/my obstacle.
When I stood at the start line of my first trail race ever which was 25 kilometres, I had never run more than 16 kilometres. I went out too hard as we all do, I blew up, managed to pull myself together and finished. It was far from perfect and I loved it. When I stood at the start line of my first 50 Miler I had never run more than 53 Kilometres. I had some troubles, it wasn’t perfect but I finished. The story goes on and on. I think you see my point. There is usually never a good time to start, there will always be an excuse not to. For me it’s easy to let myself down but much more difficult to let others down. In that way I am so thankful to have Antonio, the Superman who holds this thing together and who I would never want to disappoint. Along with him You reading this are what is motivating me to write this and to begin creating this content, even if it’s not perfect.
When It comes to motivating myself to run it’s signing up for races that gets me out of bed in the morning. I know I am challenged with motivating myself so I sign up for races and then I tell people about them. I create some public accountability. Antonio and I are both Men of our word and if we say we are going to do something we do it. So this is us saying that we will post something useful for you all on this page at least once a week. Sometimes it will be useful information that we hope will help you with your running, sometimes it might just be something that will hopefully bring a smile to your face. We hope that it will be more than once a week but right now we are being realistic and hoping to exceed our expectations.
Our message to you is don’t wait for the perfect time, whatever it is, do it now. Stop reading this, put your shoes on, whatever shoes they may be and go run. You don’t have to run far, you don’t have to run fast, you just have to run, or walk if that’s where you’re at. Sign up for a race and tell someone, maybe one that’s further than you have ever run before. Take action towards that thing you want to try or start. Take action towards what brings you joy. The choice is yours, action or perfection.