The Challenge That Challenged Me Back
How a 150km challenge turned into a lesson on persistence, patience, and pushing limits.
August was… interesting. The kind of interesting where you look back and say, “Wait, did I really do that?”
This isn’t about cybersecurity . Its a very random story of an experience and I think there is something to learn
It all started with a 150km challenge my friend Febi was hosting on the Nike Run Club (NRC) app; Run 150km in August. The math looked simple:
5km a day for 31 days.
Or 10km for 15 days.
Easy, right? My brain said, “Easy Peasy. We’ve got this.” I told Febi I’d join but without downloading the app. (Spoiler: I downloaded the app.)
For context, I usually run 2–3 times a week and walk a lot. But on Day 1, I went all in: a 10km run like a pro. Smooth sailing, strong start.
Then, I looked at the leaderboard. Suddenly, it wasn’t just running or walking. It was a competition! People were climbing up that board like their lives depended on it. Someone had completed 30km by Day 2!
Excuse me, who’s chasing you ?😄😄
Now, I’m not typically competitive. My thing is: complete the mission, don’t worry about medals. But this time, something in me whispered:
“What if we didn’t just finish? What if we finished near the top?”
At first, I aimed for 1st. But with two people already over 30km ahead, reality tapped me on the shoulder. So I shifted the goal: Top 3.
The Day Everything Glitched
On day 5 (I think), I set out for a 20km walk. Four hours later, I came home feeling like a legend. Opened the app; the time was recorded but distance was zero😐
I was boiling. Furious. Ready to quit. I even texted my group of friends: “I’m done!”
But then I remembered something one of my favorite humans once said about maxing out your potential. I said to myself; “If I quit, I need to make sure it’s because I gave it EVERYTHING and there was nothing else left I could have done.”
So, I laced up again and went out for another 10km. This time it synced; Small mercy 🙏.
A few days later, it happened again; another sync failure, another 8km lost. By then, I was exhausted, frustrated, and clinging to 3rd place while someone was hot on my heels.
The universe really said: “Let’s test you.” but I refused to give up. I kept on walking until I had no more walk in me
What I Learned Along the Way
Always start with your best. Day 1 energy matters. It sets the tone for the rest of the journey.
Control what you can, laugh at what you can’t. Tech glitches will happen; life will happen. No need to fight battles against apps.
Max out before you give up. Don’t stop because it’s hard. Stop only when you know you’ve poured everything into it.
Slow down to soak it in. Chasing the leaderboard took me through new streets, random conversations, and neighborhoods I’d never been to .
In the end, I didn’t make it to 3rd place (someone literally ran all night before I woke up😅). But I did finish the challenge in the 4th place. And I walked away with sore feet knowing that I gave it everything!
For me , the entirety of the month has been about challenging myself . I woke up everyday challenging myself to do something, pushing myself “maxing out my potentials” before saying “This is it”.
I hope you start maxing out your potentials 😊
P.S. My feet filed a restraining order against me after completing the challenge.