Just get out the door!

I’ve just woken up in the back of my van. It’s cold outside, in fact I can see my breath. I think I can even hear rain on the outside of the van.

I’m warm in here, there’s no chance in hell I am moving.

I crack the stove on and retreat under the covers as the coffee boils. When the amount of steam pouring out of the spout makes me concerned that the paint might start to wilt off the walls, it seems like I really should get up. I remember how cold it is and get back into bed as soon as possible with my coffee. I start to think about how wonderful it would be to pretend I hadn’t woken up, and just drift off back to sleep, or climb through into the cab, turn the ignition and just drive home, as though I was never here. No-one would know, would they? It wouldn’t matter? I could go to a cafe and just tell everyone I was out on the hill all day.

I don’t.

Instead I finish my coffee, throw off the duvet and shiver a bit. I open the door to a cloudy mountain, it’s not looking good. I pull on my clothes and stomp around, getting some blood into my feet, grumbling my way through trying to get warm.

I lock the van and hide the key, a very final action that I am out, but as I press the lock button a little bit of me is tempted back under the duvet, back to the warmth and comfort of my bed.

It’s freezing. I don’t even like the outdoors, I hate everything about it, these pointless mountains, this stupid running, my ridiculous lifestyle.

I start to run, every muscle in my body hates me and going uphill is making things infinitely worse. I’m starting to run into the clouds, why am I doing this?

About ten minutes in and things start to loosen up, it’s not all bad. In fact, it might even be fun.

I keep running and with every step a smile starts to creep across my face, slowly pushing the disgust back down for another day.

It’s fun. It’s really fun. It’s not as bad as it looked from the van. I’m warm now, I’m getting a bit wet in the cloud but actually it’s pretty clear on the mountain. At the top I’m above it, the cloud inversion flowing through the valley like a river and me, like Aled Jones walking in the air, floating along the mountaintops above.

I keep running along the ridgeline, the solitude and thrill of having this whole area to myself, knowing that loads of people have fallen foul of what nearly trapped me; the draw of the duvet.

Why had I even considered not getting out of bed? Or not getting out of the van? This is awesome! I couldn’t even begin to count the amount of days I have wanted to stay in bed, or wanted to stay in the house, or not wanted to get out of the van when we got to the start of something, only to have an awesome day when I finally got out. This is especially true as winter draws in and things start to get much, much colder. We suddenly need to be wearing all the layers we own to stay warm while we’re out and about. It rains a lot more, it’s dark until mid morning, and again from mid afternoon. All of these are excuses that we can definitely overcome.

I remember when I started paddling, on winter days in a wetsuit, falling in over and over again in a tidal estuary when I was seventeen in the South East of England. I’ve got a bit better since then, and fall in less, but I have also moved somewhere much, much colder in the winter. One of the least appealing things I have experienced is untying frozen ropes at the side of the road, chipping the ice off to loosen knots, just to get on the river. The feeling of chill burns as your body warms up is one of the most uncomfortable full body experiences. However, the other side of this is great. You warm up, you forget that it’s cold, you ignore the stab of a million tiny needles as the water hits your sort-of-warm face and you have fun. I have had some of the best outdoor days during the winter, when all I wanted to do in the morning was light a fire and sit by it with a cup of coffee.

It’s hard to get out though. It’s really hard sometimes to find that motivation to get out the front door, but do it. Drag yourself kicking and screaming to the start of whatever you want to do, then smash it and have a great day.

Find some friends who are motivated, be that motivator, whatever it takes. I find myself increasingly being the motivating factor, not because I have any special skills or spandex to get people up and moving, but because I know that if I don’t motivate other people, I simply won’t get out. The moment I have to motivate other people, it reminds me why I want to get out and why I want to be doing these things. Channel your inner Mr Motivator and get out on those horrible, cold days. I promise you that you will have so much fun. Don’t leave the outdoors for sunny days when everyone will be there.