Reflections From My 12-Hour Walk
It’s hour 10 of my 12-hour walk. I am 40,000 steps and 18 miles into the day and after a long break of sitting on a park bench while staring soullessly at the ground–I get a sudden burst of energy. I begin to stand up. My exhaustion turns into euphoria and I realize I’ve reached a second wind.
Each step of my worn Sauconys hitting the pavement continues to cause shooting pain, but the feeling of my blisters rubbing against my socks is drowned out by an inner, animalistic voice shouting, “LET’S GO!”
Unsure of whether it’s the endorphins or delirium, I start chanting out loud, “Come on feet! I tell YOU what to do.” I point to my head, “THIS is who’s in charge. Not you!”
I glance at my apple watch to check the numbers. Earlier in the day, my goal was to reach 15 miles. Now that I was approaching 20, I thought “Maybe I should shoot for 50,000 steps instead… because why the hell not? Wouldn’t be cool to say I’ve walked 50,000 steps?”
The David Goggins quotes deep within my consciousness begin to resurface. I think about his one-hundred-mile race. I think about how even after the immense suffering he experienced, he decides to run one more mile after crossing the finish line. Just because.
Before I know it, I look down at my feet and realize I’m running. I laugh manically. “Am I okay?”
I had never heard of the 12-hour walk until I listened to a Modern Wisdom podcast where the guest, Colin O’Brady, relayed his incredible life story. O’Brady suffered a severe burn injury in 2008 while traveling abroad, and was told that he would never be able to walk again–a devastating diagnosis.
But he did walk again. In fact, he completed a triathlon only 18 months later. AND placed first.
This of course set the tone for his coming years. I’ll spare you the details, but it includes trekking across Antarctica on foot, summiting Everest, and breaking a number of world records.
These days, in the midst of continually pushing his limits and the understanding of what’s possible, he created the “12-hour walk”. A physical and mental challenge that provides a more accessible way for people to push past what they believe they are capable of.
When I came across this challenge, I didn’t have a strong reason for signing up. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I heard him explain that no training is required and that you can rest as much as you need to (which frankly is all I needed to hear). There are only 2 rules: put your phone on airplane mode, and be alone with your thoughts for at least 12 hours.
I severely underestimated how difficult it would be. The “rest” part made me think that I wouldn’t be exerting much physical energy, but boy was I wrong.
I learned quickly after I left the front door of my apartment at 6:45 am that it was going to be a long day. There were many moments of regret, frustration, boredom, and exhaustion. (Just getting up at 6 am was a task in itself). But in the end, I got what I needed…the proof that deep down, I’m crazy…but also that I have the ability to accomplish what I set my mind to.
My “finisher” screen in the 12-hour walk app. You can see the route I walked mapped out in yellow.
A 12-hour walk in Lynchburg Virginia is nothing like a 12-hour walk across Antarctica, but the spirit behind it, you could say, is the same.
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that building a track record with yourself is the most powerful confidence builder. And although some might say it’s irresponsible to embark on something without truly acknowledging the difficulty-it’s a hell of a good way to get yourself to do hard things.
“Jumping in” has been a primary coping mechanism for me when things start to get stagnant, and each time I learn the same lesson: it gets harder before it gets easier, there’s no traffic in the extra mile, and you are capable of more than you think.
If you’re interested in learning more about Colin O’Brady or his 12-hour walk challenge you can visit his website here.
