No matter how you define “hard,” heading outside offers plenty of chances to tackle it. Many people who choose to tackle hard stuff outside are pushed to do so to honor some kind of “why.”

For some of us, that “why” is health or to push our own personal boundaries. For others, the “why” is on behalf of someone else.

Ultrarunner Emily Halnon’s “why” has everything to do with her mom, who died from an aggressive form of cancer in early 2020. To honor her she headed out to tackle a major challenge running on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It’s a story she’s now shared in her new book “To The Gorge.”

Through her journey, she learned the power of moving through hard stuff. In this episode you’ll hear Emily share the things she’s learned through that journey and how you can make yourself do hard things outside, too.

 

Connect with this episode:

Read Emily Halnon’s new book, To The Gorge (affiliate link)

Visit Emily’s website

Follow Emily on Instagram

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[4:06] Emily Halnon’s favorite outdoor space

[5:36] How Emily became someone who likes to go outside

[7:05] How Emily’s mom inspired her running career

[10:29] All about Andrea Halnon’s adventurous life

[15:27] The grief and grit in running across Oregon

[22:37] How to get mentally tough to prepare for a mega run

[30:01] Why hard stuff outside helps us prepare for life's challenges.

[33:04] The internal dialogue of pushing through the tough stuff

[35:07] Why it’s not a bad thing to feel a little scared

[36:39] Emily’s favorite outdoor moment