But My Feet Hurt…

In 2020 when the world was shut down by COVID, I was in between jobs and decided I needed to do something meaningful with my time.  It was the 10th anniversary year of when my husband lost his young daughter to brain cancer, so I decided I was going to raise money and awareness for the Snowdrop Foundation (a children’s cancer charity) and train to run 100 miles in less than 55 hours for their end of year event. It was a huge goal, but I had the motivation and the time, and I loved the idea of bringing Madison’s memory back to life.  I spent most of the year running and fundraising and I was ready!

Due to COVID, the event was virtual, so the decision was made that I would run all 100 miles in my neighborhood with my home as base camp.  It was incredible.  Friends ran different shifts with me, family came to support me and brought food, and it almost felt like a party going on at my house for two days! My mom even made an awesome posterboard with angel shoes for each mile so that I could check them off as I went.  I was so inspired and motivated!

Mile 83

Everything was going along fine for many hours.  I was fueling, hydrating, changing into dry clothes regularly, elevating my legs for short breaks, soaking my feet in Epsom salts, using compression boots for my leg muscles… all of it.

But then I hit a wall.  Mile 83.  My body was DONE.  It was raining outside, I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours, and my feet were killing me. 

My body was trained for the run, but nothing can prepare you for the way the bottom of your feet feel when you have pushed so far beyond what a normal amount of activity is.

It felt like a combination of stabbing soreness and fire at the same time.  Every step was excruciating.  My husband was so sweet to offer to rub them, but every time he tried to touch me it brought tears to my eyes.

At times like these, when you’re pushing past comfortable, the brain starts doing interesting things.

My brain started telling me “You know what, you’ve done enough!  You’ve gone over 80 miles! The people who donated were happy to donate.  You don’t HAVE to prove anything to anyone and complete the 100 miles!  Everyone is proud of you for all you have done.  It’s enough!  Let’s stop and go to sleep.”

And those thoughts sound sooooo good when everything is feeling tough!  It’s true, no one would have cared if I didn’t complete the 100 miles.  But I would have spent the rest of my life wondering if I could have done it.  This was my chance.  I had to push past the thoughts and remind myself that I wanted to complete, no I NEEDED to complete, what I set out to do!

So I did!  I had amazing support for those last 17 miles, and the finish line was absolutely incredible!!  It was past midnight when I finished, but I had family, friends, and neighbors all there to congratulate me at the end.  It was definitely a highlight moment of my life! 

And I got a super cool belt buckle from Snowdrop for reaching my goal.

Oops I Did it Again

Either I am a sucker for punishment, or I had a crazy thought that the second time would be easier, but I signed up to run the 100 miles again in 2021.

This time it wasn’t virtual, so I got to experience the event in person at a park with tents and other participants.  We were all at different fitness levels, but all there sharing the same goal – to raise funds and awareness for children’s cancer.

I had a similar experience the second time around when I hit mile 80.  The weather conditions were hot and humid and the only thing I could think about was a shower and getting off my aching feet.  My feet were on fire, and taking extra steps to get off the path to go to the restroom or get food was something I was avoiding at all costs.

My husband loves to remind me of how I looked at him and said “what if I go home and rest for just about 4 hours and then come back?  There is still plenty of time to finish, and I will be refreshed!” I had honestly convinced myself that was a realistic plan.  Ha!

He knows me so well and I remember him saying to me “No.  You are not going home.  You are going to stay here and finish what you set out to do.  If you go home, you won’t come back.”

He was so right.  I stood there for a minute, and then I just switched gears.  My mindset shifted to where I needed it to be, and I even remember finding the energy to run at a pretty good pace during those last 20 miles!  I was ready to finish and get home and I got it done. 

And I got another beautiful belt buckle as a reminder.

It’s so Cozy in this Comfort Zone

The reason those “it’s ok to quit” thoughts start creeping in when it starts getting tough to reach our goal is that the challenge is putting stress on our body and our mind.  Since it’s not something we’ve done before or often, it’s not something we do automatically. 

Our brain is looking for a way out.  It wants us to go back into our little comfort zone and look for the path of least resistance.  This uses the least amount of energy. 

Even when we are not “comfortable” in our comfort zone, and we honestly want to change something or achieve something, our brain loves for us to stay right where we are.

Once you understand this is what your mind is doing, it can make it easier to overcome those thoughts and stay on the path to your goal. 

And once you’ve reached your goal, or even steps towards your goal, your brain does recognize those successes and eventually the behavior uses less energy and is more automatic. 

And that’s where it feels so good!

There isn’t always a cool belt buckle to celebrate your success, but I promise you’ll be so happy that you pushed past the quitting thoughts.

Summary

Repeat these words over and over “I can do hard things.”  Say it until you BELIEVE it.  It’s empowering!

Your goal may be related to your health, fitness, relationships, career, spirituality, friendships, or something else.  Whatever is important to you, and whatever you are striving for, is important and worth focusing on.

Remember your WHY when it gets tough and keep going!

The feeling of success that comes with reaching a goal is such a rush, I encourage everyone to never give up on themselves.  When you stop and look back on your life, those little successes are the things that make life worth living.

We are not meant to just go through the motions of life reacting to circumstances.  When you take control of what you want to get out of your days, the days become so much better, and your overall wellness is improved.

If you need help setting goals or building a path of steps to achieve them, please contact me at pam@intentionalbutterflycoaching.com.  I would love to talk to you!