Take Your Good to Great

The biggest mindset factor behind your results?

Your self image.

Self image is “one's conception of oneself or of one's role” - how you see yourself.

It makes your current achievements possible but also limits what more you can do, because you can’t achieve beyond what you believe you can.

Here’s how I first stumbled across this.

In 2001, I went to Leadville 100 with the close group of friends I trained with. The six of us rented a house for the big race. We ran the same races, and this was going to be our biggest yet.

I dropped at 50 miles - stunned at my first DNF - but I’d been in the lead of my friends so they had to have DNF’d too.

We hung out at the house together for the remaining day or two, re-hashing our excuses, complaints, and the mistakes we’d never, ever repeat. But hey, DNFs happened. Everybody had them, so it was ok.

The following spring, I DNF’d again at Umstead 100. Not great, they happened. It was ok.

Three months later, our group went back to Leadville…and DNF’d again. This time, it was no big deal, like we expected it and were content to continue on this way.

Everyone that is, except me.

I was furious - I dropped the same way I had the year before, when I didn’t have to. Why???

Enough was enough. Come hell or high water, I was going to figure that out and get beyond it.

That’s when I noticed the growing tension between who I was being - an average sometime finisher of 100-mile races, like my friends - and the more that was calling me.

I loved these friends and cherished running with them. It was one of the best times in my life. And I also felt trapped into underachieving to keep the status quo.

If I did things like the group, I’d never see what I could do.

But if I was going to see what I could do, I’d have to change…and possibly out-achieve them.

What if we all went back to Leadville and I was the only one to finish?

I couldn’t lose this group…but I couldn’t not change. Both choices were killing me but it was killing me more to stay small.

I went for it.

I decided to no longer drop.

I gave myself permission to do more races, on my own - ones I wanted to do, anywhere I wanted - and explore the sport.

I committed to make my own decisions, even when they didn’t line up with the rest of the group.

And I invested the faith in myself I needed to chart my own path in the ultra world, whatever that turned out to be.

Where would I be if I’d stuck with my old self image?

I’d be wishing I’d explored my potential and run more races while I could. I’d probably have only run one or two 100s a year.

And I wouldn’t have had as much fun.

Instead, I pushed myself (and it felt gooooood).

I’m lucky enough to have run 137 100-mile races so far - adventures I’d never trade.

And I have an utterly priceless gift - over two decades of ultra and mindset mastery I can use to help my clients go further - faster and easier than I have.

If you’re feeling the pull to change and you’re ready to uplevel to a new version, I can help.

I’ve reverse-engineered the process I use again and again, for you.

Use this link to set up a consult call, and let’s talk about where and who you want to be.