The Benefits (and Drawbacks) of Adult Beginner-ness, With Mirna Valerio

Everyone knows it’s important to try new things, but combating that internal voice, which begs us to stay within our comfort zone ain’t easy—even for a professional tryer of new things like Mirna Valerio. Known on the internet as The Mirnavator, Mirna knows what she’s talking about. She took up running in her late 30s, then road marathons, then trail marathons, then ultramarathons. Then she took up cycling. Then mountain biking. And, as she rounds in on 50, Mirna is committed to be coming an expert skier. And every step of the way, Mirna has faced the internal voice, and the external voices of internet trolls who find fault in how she does it and who she is. How Mirna learned to deal with these voices is a lot more interesting than simply silencing them, and it’s a good bit of inspiration for anyone looking to expand their experiences outside.