Triple the Results

Ultrarunning makes your life better.

And mastering strategy and mindset - what I coach - triples that benefit.

One - it obviously improves your ultrarunning…

Two - improving your ultrarunning improves your life…

And three - you can use everything I teach to change your whole life for the better.

Take my recent trip to New Zealand - iIt definitely made my life wayyyy better.

Yes, a race was the excuse to go (more on that in upcoming posts) but this trip was more than the race - this was about doing something big for my life. For me.

Here are five ways I used what I teach to make it happen.

1. Set a goal.

I picked this race as my wildly improbable goal for the year…three years ago.

I dreamed of celebrating my birthday in a special way, preferably in a warm, sunny place. No waiting on someday or someone else to make it happen.

But the pandemic cancelled entry into the country and the race for two long years.

This year, both country and race were finally open, so I checked in with the goal.

Yep, it still felt big and exciting. When I realized I’d never travelled overseas alone, that upped the zing.

2. Make a plan (and prepare to pivot).

I made an intention for the adventure and put together a plan for the first week, through the end of the race.

But I didn’t get as far as planning the second week. This seemed foolhardy but I had a list of options and figured I’d plan it once I got there.

That half-plan turned out brilliantly in my favor when Cyclone Gabrielle swept in an hour or two after I finished the race and parked itself over the island.

It downed trees and closed roads and businesses, forcing people to cancel plans, so options like Hobbiton that were well out of reach suddenly opened up, and I took advantage.

3. Solve Problems.

Every day. So many of them.

How to pay for parking, where’s the map, which shuttle to use, where to stay, how to fix the infuriating (and thankfully short-lived) incessant beeping of the rental car, what to do about a flat tire my first hour on the road, how to load the mass of mandatory gear in my small pack, what’s a kumara, the air travel complexities, how to change drop bags and race plans three days before the race, how to safely squeeze a big alpine hike with high wind warnings into a small weather window, how to lock the unlockable Airbnb door at 2am on race morning…

I gave myself compassion to solve everything the best I could, mistakes and all, and just move forward.

4. Manage Your Mindset.

Those problems, the constant new-ness (hello, driving on the other side of the road!), and my intention of trying as many new things as possible pulled me way the hell out of my comfort zone every day.

So anxiety, fear, and doubt just hung around, like delinquents smoking on the corner.

And I got great at walking past them, no matter how screamingly uncomfortable that felt at times.

5. Celebrate Yourself.

This last one was so fun.

I celebrated every win, big and tiny, and even my imperfect best which always seemed to work out somehow.

I grinned on the top of that impossible mountain and the end of the scary zip line because, “I did this for myself.”

I had my own back and regularly told myself, “I’m so proud of you.”

And meant it.

Those five skills work for a race…and for life.

Once you learn them, you can use them on both.

Forever.

I’ve got an opening for one client. If you’re interested, use this link to schedule a consult call and let’s see if we’re a good fit.