Win When Everything Says You’re Failing

This year’s Superior Trail 100 had to be better than the last.

I trained harder and longer.

I planned to run seriously and pay close attention to what I was doing.

And when my friend Lynn said she was running the marathon - bingo! An exciting mid-race goal.

The marathon starts our second morning, and I’ve almost always been able to reach the start around the time they start. What a treat - we could run the last 26 together!

Race morning, the 100 started and in spite of steady rain, I kept the pace smart and aid stations quick. I’d get to the marathon start a little early to be sure to meet her.

The mud slowed us but the rain kept temps cool so time-wise, it balanced out. And I was running great.

Or so I thought until I had to turn on my headlamp…six miles behind where I usually do.

Not a small distance I could ignore.

Worried, I ran the line between hard and sustainable. Six miles was a lot of ground to gain, but I had all night and I’d done impossible things before.

But morning came and I turned my headlamp off the same six miles behind where I usually do.

I saw trail I’d never seen in daylight. Again, no ignoring how stunningly far behind I was.

Then a wave of runners I passed at night passed me back - some of them walking faster than I was running.

I felt the hit but tuned them out - they had no relevance to my race.

I still had a few hours before the 8:00 AM marathon start and could make better time in this daylight.

So I pushed pace - I could back off once I reached Lynn - and refused to look at my watch.

Until I got to the empty marathon start and glanced down.

Two and a half HOURS late!

That hit hard. Devastatingly hard.

I trained harder, raced harder…and this was the result???

What I did next saved my race.

First, know this thinking never goes away. This was my 21st Superior, my 135th 100-miler, and the same stuff still comes up but I manage it faster and easier now, almost by habit like this:

I opened up to the full hit - every decibel of defeat and frustration. Because of course I was going to feel that if I was this far behind. It felt awful but it didn’t scare me. They’re only feelings and allowing them frees them to leave.

Then I questioned the negative thought behind the sense of defeat - “I’m old and too slow to do this any more” - and found it wasn’t true. Most of my friends were behind me - it wasn’t just me that was slow this year - and I could still finish.

Last, I found a positive way to look at the situation for the miles I had left.

“Ok, running with Lynn won’t happen this year. But I can still finish, and that’s ultimately why I came anyway. Twenty one finishes here - what an amazing life it’s been.”

Win! That saved my experience and got me to the finish.

Managing your mindset like this is simple skill, but it takes practice be able to do it in the moment when you’re tired and everything says you’re failing.

If you want to get good at this and more mindset skills, I can 100% help.

Use this link to set up a free consult call.

Wouldn’t it be great on race day to be able to shortcut those mental lows?