Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

My 4th Dan and the Edinburgh Marathon

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. When life is on autopilot and you’re able to do “your thing” pretty well without a great amount of effort, it’s easy to slide into a comfortable routine. We are wired to gravitate towards certainty and predictability, even if it’s not particularly good for us. It’s why bad habits persist and why it takes a lot of effort to establish new ones.

Over the last few years, I’ve found myself sliding into this comfortable space. It’s not a single moment that defines that change, but rather the accumulation of micro decisions and behaviours that creep up at seasonal velocity.

It’s been 14 years since I sat my 3rd Dan Black Belt in kickboxing. To be honest, I’ve never felt any real desire or pressure to train for my fourth. I’ve gotten to a place where I understand that the belt is a symbol, but it isn’t me. Having a 4th Dan doesn’t make me better than I am now; it’s just an acknowledgement of where I am and what has gone before.

But the club is more than just about me, and my behaviour is (whether I like it or not) an example of the values we stand for. Over the years there have been comments and humorous pokes asking when I was going to sit my 4th Dan. I never had any significant desire to appease those requests. Life was comfortable and my reptilian brain was quite happy staying where things are predictable.

Last year I had a real jolt that took me out of my comfort zone. My parents had some significant health issues and quite unexpectedly my dad died in October. My mum’s health issues meant that my brother and I became carers for her. This time was really difficult. I can’t fully explain what it did to me physically and emotionally, but as I’ve come out the other side, I have a sharper appreciation for mortality and just how quickly time passes.

How we live our lives is all we have.

During this period something shifted. The comfortable started feeling like a waste of the opportunity. The clock is ticking.  Always.  I couldn’t shake the feeling that action was the answer.  The nagging thought that kept coming back to me was, “if you don’t try you’ll never know, and you will regret it!”

So here’s what I’m doing.

Later this year I am planning to sit my 4th Dan Black Belt in kickboxing. Fourteen years is a long time between gradings, and the training required to get there is significant, but the work has already started. This isn’t just about the belt. It’s about proving to myself, and to anyone watching, that growth doesn’t have a shelf life.

And because I need to confirm my charity fundraiser and one ridiculously big challenge isn’t enough, I’ll also be running the Edinburgh Marathon.

This is about as scary as it gets for me.  I have run a few 10K races when I was 20 years younger.  The marathon represents everything I’m trying to do this year, stepping into discomfort, committing publicly, and seeing it through.

Preparing for both simultaneously is not going to be possible so I’m going to tackle each separately.  The 4th Dan grading demands a return to serious technical drilling — combinations, sparring, conditioning, and demonstrating the depth of knowledge that fourteen years of coaching should have built.

But before that the marathon training will build a solid base of fitness that will carry my older and somewhat more injury prone body through a 6-hour grading experience.  Over the next couple of months I will share my training experiences and update you on how the preparation if going.

Two very different physical disciplines. Both exceptionally demanding.

Losing my dad, and watching my mum navigate her own health challenges, brought me close to some brilliant people.  Family, friends and work colleagues who offered support and kindness when needed.  Nurses, doctors, carers, health professionals, and support workers who do extraordinary things quietly and without fanfare.

This fundraiser is a way of turning my own grief and motivation into something that benefits others.  Thank you to everyone who showed up for our family when we needed it most.

If this resonates with you — whether you’ve known loss, whether you’re chasing your own big goal, or whether you just fancy seeing me suffer through 26.2 miles, I’d be grateful for your support.

You can donate here 👇

Craig’s JustGiving Page

Every contribution, no matter the size, means a great deal. Share the link if you can, it really does make a difference!

Here’s to doing the things we keep putting off. Here’s to not wasting the time we have.