Run, Selfie, Repeat

Chasing goals that feel unattainable is hard enough without people in your life magnifying your doubts. If you're afraid of disappointing yourself or the people in your life by failing or falling short, this episode is for you. Let's talk about why it's important to chase your goals for all the right reasons.

I wish I would have known back when I first started running the empowering freedom that comes when you finally throw, "I can't do this" out the window and embrace, "YES I CAN". I STILL forget how transformative it is to assume success instead of bracing for failure. Today's episode of the Run, Selfie, Repeat podcast is all about that mental game and how we can get to a place where you truly believe you're capable of whatever goal you're chasing.

Taking the first steps towards making an impossible goal possible can feel paralyzing. From getting active, making a healthy lifestyle change, losing weight, running your first half marathon or marathon, to running a terrifying time goal like breaking 2 in a half, when your goal is so huge that it feels impossible, if you don't have prior success to call on, it's hard not to expect failure.

Let's talk about how to persevere and kick ass and take names when all signs point to failure.

Shedding your shirt along with your insecurities and working out in your sports bra is TERRIFYING! What if a complete stranger, your neighbor, or a loved one confirms the horrible things you say to yourself when you look in the mirror? WELL, here's something I want you to focus on, WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF. Because even if someone looks at you and judges you (screw them), there will be women and girls who see you and think, "I want her confidence". We can't redefine what strength looks like unless we show up.

In our self-love revolution, there's a lot of talk about reflection and taking time to feel grateful or celebrate every single win or success. Our badassery. We share and like memes and platitudes about being strong, driven, and bold but we don't really talk about taking time to define who we are, what we love about ourselves, and what our strengths are.

Today, I want to talk about our self-image and why it can be so incredibly helpful to take time to talk about what you love about yourself.

It's just running... I know, it's a triggering statement if you're consumed in a goal or struggling to see yourself as a runner. But today, I want to talk about the importance of stepping back and looking at the simplicity of it all. That we're just putting one foot in front of the other.

When it comes to my grief and loss, rumbling with the guilt I feel when I think about how grateful, joyful, happy, and full as I am today, nine years after my brother passed away, is possible. And it guts me to acknowledge it. It doesn't feel fair that I get to be happy or find purpose in my loss because I'd give anything to have my brother back. Today, I want to talk about the joy in loss, the guilt and pain in my joy, what that means, and why it took me so long to put words to it.

I've been chasing my impossible goal for two years. Two years of doubts, setbacks, fears, pain, suffering, and life-changing accomplishments. BQ or Bust, my journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon, started as a stunt. Something to keep me busy. A new goal that I was certain I'd give up on two months in. Two years later, I'm still chasing my BQ.

I really hate the saying, "How bad do you want it?". Not because I don't believe it, because as someone who used to quit on myself often, it made me feel like a failure. Hearing that now, it doesn't upset me. It reminds me that things worth fighting for take time.

Let's talk about the latest BQ or Bust Plot twist!

What do you do when you want to make your goal a reality more than anything else in the world but failure seems inevitable? What do you do when you've worked your butt off for something and find yourself derailed? Or what if you just can't seem to get out the door? Today I want to talk about the magic of doing and what happens when you focus on taking one step at a time.