Make the Most of What You Have

Do you go into a race worried you might not have what it takes to finish?

You might be surprised to hear I did - or almost did.

And you can turn it around like I did.

I noticed weeks before last weekend’s No Business 100 that thinking about it stressed me. “Time,” I thought. I had so much to do between now and then.

But it kept on. Every time a No Business email popped in my inbox, my heart rate spiked. “One hundred days to go,” “Final group training run,” “One month to go,” “Tomorrow is the live race briefing Q&A….”

Time stress, of course.

Except it wasn’t.

I had time but I dragged my feet getting a kennel for Buddy dog. Wrapping up work tasks. And worst of all, packing for the race.

It wasn’t that I had a ton to do - it’s that I procrastinated on it to the point I jammed race week and the night before the race with tasks…even though I knew better.

The root cause behind the procrastination?

I wasn’t sure I could finish the race.

Every time I thought about No Business, I saw what I lacked.

How, despite training hard for Superior 100 a month earlier, I’d been way slower than expected. And instead of training better for No Business…I’d done less.

I ran with a confounding cluster of physical issues I hadn’t solved - tight back, powerless stride, stiff joints…

To top it off, this year we were running the loop course in the harder, counterclockwise direction.

The list went on, but you get the point. I worried about everything I lacked.

Once I saw it, I stepped into my usual race mindset.

“Make the most of what you have.”

I’d just finished Superior, which is more technical, so the distance was possible.

I knew the No Business course in both directions.

I knew what I needed to do to run 100 miles in 33 hours.

I knew tactics for staying awake, keeping aid stations fast, eating and hydrating…everything.

And best of all, I knew I could count on myself 110% and pull out miracles if the going got tough.

So many things, once I started looking.

I might not be starting the race with the perfect hand of cards but I could still play them to win.

And the truth is you never start with a perfect hand.

At least I haven’t - not once in my 136 100-mile finishes - and I don’t know anyone who has.

You start a race with a hand of cards - some good, some bad.

It’s not about the hand you walk into the race with - it’s how you play it.

You can make any hand work in all kinds of circumstances, if you try.

That’s where to focus.

This is why I coach mindset.

If you’re ready to go to your next race feeling better with a mental approach that actually powers you to the finish one…

One that has you feeling possibility and excitement instead of fear and dread…

I can help.

Use this link to sign up for a simple consult call. It’s easy and I love doing them.

We’ll talk through where you are and where you want to be, and you’ll leave with a path forward, whether you work with me or not.

We all train. I want to save you the time (and miles) it took me to learn this so you can make the most of your training now.