Who can forget that famous opening scene in the musical The Sound of Music when Julie Andrews sings The Hills Are Alive? The Sound of Music is one of my favorite musicals.
Besides the breathtaking scenery and careful scene choreography, I love that Julie Andrews' character has trouble fitting in at the Abbey. She means well but is constantly getting in trouble. I also love the fact that some of the characters are faced with completely unexpected challenges and must make important choices.
The latter happened to me recently during a "hill" run. My current training schedule recommends once a week I run 2 miles to warm up followed by 7 to 10 minutes of climbing hills. Then a 2 mile run to cool down.
Week One: I ran the 2 mile warm up. Then, I died on the first hill. So, I called it a day. I was completely surprised at how challenging that first hill was. It seemed to be alive. Moving under my feet. I felt like I was running in place.
Week two: I was dreading the "hill" workout day. I laced up anyway. Guess what? I survived! The first hill was just as hard as it was the week before but I did the other hills anyway. After the first hill, I felt myself improving with each hill I climbed. I believe the improvement was mostly mental. An attitude adjustment... A confidence that the hills weren't alive and that I could make it to the top of a hill every time I decided to go for it.
What "hills" in your life do you think are alive?
