So then why do we do it? For me, it comes down to this: Running trains me how to hurt. The end of a hard workout is a benchmark that tells me how much hurt I can handle. It gives me the confidence to hurt a little more the next time. And a little more, and a little more.
A few years ago, I read a story about a man in his 50s who quit his job in IT to start a North Brooklyn pizza shop because he loved cooking Italian food for his family more than anything. His story resonated so much that I sent him a message on Instagram. He asked me about my dreams. I told him, but gave him excuses about why I couldn’t go after them. His response: “The walls of fear are paper-thin.”