Managing what appears to be unmanageable

When I relocated from New Jersey to Colorado, I had made the drive ahead of the moving truck. Crossing through Kansas and into the eastern plains of Colorado on Highway 70, I still couldn’t quite make out the mountains in the distance. However, the further into Colorado I drove, the purple mountains’ majesties began to appear in the distance. And even though it was July, I could still make out the snow-capped peaks standing tall against the sunset.

At the time I wasn’t familiar with Longs Peak, Mount Evans or Pikes Peak, just a few of the 14ers in the beautiful state of Colorful Colorado, but I still could see these massive mountain structures in the distance. ey were awe-inspiring for sure, but from a distance seemed much too di cult to think about trying to hike or climb them. And as my family and I settled into the foothills, the views of the mountains in the distance at both sunrise and sunset amazed us, as coming from New Jersey we were familiar with the oceans and hills of the east coast, but nothing compared to the

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Winning

grandeur of what now stood before us.

As newbies to Colorado at the time, we were anxious and nervous yet so excited to get into the mountains and do some exploring. Driving west on 70 those mountaintops didn’t disappoint — there are times along the road where their beauty is only exceeded by their ominous features. I remember my family thinking that maybe we should turn back. And we are all glad we did not turn back, we kept going and nally stopped in Beaver Creek. After leaving the exit, and making our way toward the mountain, we could still not quite see the top, and again from far away it looked like that day’s hike might be more di cult than we had anticipated.

Beaver Creek isn’t even a 14er (a mountain that is at least 14,000 feet in elevation), yet it seemed gigantic to us, almost unmanageable for rookies to the area. But as we got closer, we real-

• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.

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• Letters should be exclusively submitted ized we could no longer see the top, as a matter of fact the closer we got to that mountain, the smaller it became. And when we looked at the trail map and out at the winding trail ahead of us, we realized that what was right in front of us was more than manageable for sure, so we readied ourselves and took o up the mountain.

What mountain are you looking at right now? Does it look ominous and frightening from where you are currently standing? Maybe it’s a new cancer diagnosis, a personal battle with addiction, or a family member or friend ghting addiction. Perhaps it’s a relationship challenge at home. You may be facing a nancial burden that seems to be getting bigger by the day. Your mountain could be a problem with your business or your team. If you are in sales and you are now halfway through the year and your numbers are way o , the chasm between your quota and where you currently are regarding your year-to-date sales seem like a much higher climb than you can conceivably make up in the next six months.

Whatever your mountain is, get clos- to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or previously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.

• Letters advocating for a political can- er to it. Stop looking at it from miles away. Find a guide, a coach, a family member, or a friend who you trust to help you build your trail map. Get to the base of the mountain, identify the trailhead and execute your plan. e mountain isn’t going to climb itself, nor is it going to fall into the ocean and go away. You have more courage than you think, there is grit deep inside of you that needs to be surfaced to start the climb, and never underestimate your endurance to see it all through. Is it time for you to get closer to the base of the mountain instead of imaging how di cult the climb might be from afar? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can realize that what seems completely unmanageable from a distance can seem completely manageable the closer we get, it really will be a better than good life. didate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified negative information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

How to take up running, from starting out to marathons

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Roxane Geisler started running in high school as a new challenge — somebody told her she should run cross country.

“I didn’t even know how to run a mile,” said Geisler, who is now president of the Highlands Ranch Running Club.

Getting into running “just gradually happened for me,” said Geisler, who is 54. “Suddenly, I was like, ‘Oh, I really do enjoy it, and I love getting out and seeing the views.’”

For people who are inexperienced at running but want to improve, it’s key not to be intimidated, Geisler said.

“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, I can’t join the running club because I’m not a real runner.’ And that’s totally silly,” Geisler said. “If you run, you’re a runner.”

Ryan Marker, an assistant professor who teaches exercise physiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, said it’s important for beginners to start slow. “Setting appropriate expectations, I think, is really important,” Geisler said. “So if someone’s never run before, you’re not going to get o the couch and do a marathon.”

But with the right plan, even beginners can work their way up to a marathon within months. (Here’s a tip: You don’t have to run the whole thing.)

Here’s some advice on how to start running or take your training to the next level.

Part of the group

One thing that can help you get into running: nding a group of runners to keep you moving.

When Geisler moved to Highlands Ranch in 2003, she noted how many people were out running by themselves.

She learned about the Highlands Ranch Race Series, and part of the idea behind starting her running club was to get some runners to train together.

“It makes running so much easier, training so much easier, when you have people to train with,” Geisler said.

And the people she’s met through her club “were a tremendous in uence on me — just people who really push themselves and try to get the best out of themselves,” said Geisler, who has run marathons.

e club provides a communal atmosphere: