Kainoa Horcajo Runs His First Marathon

Last time I met up with Kainoa Horcajo, Maui-born Hawaiian Cultural Ambassador at the Grand Wailea and Cultural Practioner, he showed me around his minimalist house tucked away in Iao where the rumbling of the stream echoed through the valley.

He lives off the grid.

He has no electricity and his main water source being the frigid waters of Iao.

At night, it was pitch black and we sat around a table set up where he lays his bed out and talked stories under a kerosene burning lantern that hung from the ceiling giving off a yellowish glow.  We shared thoughts about life, culture, and the progression in Hawaii.

Just an awesome conversation with a knowledgeable and empowering Hawaiian.

I remember that night we spoke about doing things we thought we would never do.  Or more so, we thought of things we thought that would be cool to do but thought of them being long shots.

That was several months ago.

Then not too long ago I saw this picture…

kainoa horcajo

Kainoa ran and finished his first marathon running 26.2 miles.

I was stoked to see his accomplishment which is something on my list that I have yet to d. But what he took away from the experience can be a life changer when it comes to doing something you think couldn’t be done.

In his short writeup of his experience, Kainoa mentioned, “We rarely focus on the process.”  Too many times people focus so much on the end result and lose out on all the lessons and insights you could learn from the process.

Learning about Kainoa’s marathon experience of battling with himself to keep going or to quit, having to walk at times because there was too much pain to run, and his knees screaming at him in agony, empowered me to start getting out of my comfort zone more often.

But back to focusing on the process because there was a process of getting to the starting line and having the ability to finish.  Kainoa shared:

The hundreds of miles I ran in training. Waking up before the sun to run before work. Getting off of a long stressful day at work only to strap on shoes and push out another 8 miles. The 20 mile, 3.5 hour training run with no aid stations, no cheering squad on the side of the road, just the loneliness of my thoughts, the solitude of the road shoulder and the many more miles to go.

That process makes the product, not the 26.2 miles of the actual race.

kainoa marathon

If you are looking at accomplishing a goal or challenge you set for yourself, it is important to focus on the process.  The process makes the man, says Kainoa, and helps build strength in character.

Do Somethings that Scares You

You should always try to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone.  Kainoa wanted to do something big and needed a goal that scared him.

During the times we do things that scare us we are able to see who we really are.  “I wanted to know that I was still, me,” Kainoa said, “I wanted to re-confront myself. And being who I am, I needed something that the majority of people would shake their heads at.”

And when it comes to running a marathon, most people ask questions such as why would you want to run 26.2 miles?  Because it’s a challenge and it scares most people.  Most people are not only afraid of running a marathon but also what it takes to prepare and having that possibility of not finishing.

And we hate failing.

Kainoa shared an insight after reflecting back on finishing the marathon:

At the end of it all, I’ve learned and reinforced a few things:
1. To fail is to succeed when failure is the beginning and not the end.
2. When you know the “why”, the “how” comes easier.
3, It is the process itself that lays the foundation for the happiness we seek.

What Are You Scared Of?

I challenge you to accomplish a goal that scares you.  Maybe it is running a marathon, doing a triathlon, losing the weight that you’ve always wanted, starting a business, or quitting that job you hate.

I want to hear what you are scared of.  What goal or thought do you have that makes you nervous and scared but you know if you accomplish it that it would be a life changer?

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