In October, I decided to start training for the California International Marathon (CIM) despite the race getting cancelled this year. But, my training plan was set, and I felt stronger and better than I had going into marathon training in the past. Yet, a month and a half went by and I had made no progress. When I returned from my road-trip back to Sacramento, I recruited one of my best friend who decided to train with me for her first half marathon. The Sac trails a haven for race training, even when I lived in SF I would come home frequently for long runs. I figured some accountability would be good to train for our faux race which I coined ‘Wholesome Folsom’.

With October behind us, we had six weeks left until “race day.” Our new schedule seemed doable – even for a procrastinator like me. I had my accountability buddy, new schedule, and motivation all in place to crush my final goal of the year. Fool proof, right?

Wrong.

Life happened and neither of us were able to see it through. Normally I try to run a ‘20 miler’ prior to Marathons but was only able to run 16 the weekend before ‘the race.” Why did I think it was a good idea to continue to run when there was no real race – I clearly wasn’t prepared?

I challenged myself to combat those negative, self-diminishing thoughts with more positive ones. Here were my three powerful reasons to keep running:

1. I knew that I could do it. It was that simple.

I had run my previous marathons not feeling as prepared as I could have been and still survived. There’s clearly a pattern here which I hope to break in 2021, because despite having a plan and seeing running as a ‘fun hobby,’ I always find a way to make it stressful. Regardless, having crossed the finish line three times before in much worse shape than I was now, gave me so much confidence.

2. I had set 12 goals in 2020 and was able to accomplish them.

While I wasn’t able to check things off my list the way I had originally envisioned (thanks 2020), I made modifications and got eleven items done. One of my goals was to run two marathons and in March, I ran the LA Marathon but there was still one more race to run. When the pandemic hit, I was convinced that there was no way I’d be able to make it happen. But, I was so proud of my resilience with the remainder of my goals – I knew I had to run my second marathon this year no matter what. I was so close. =

3. THE POWER OF THE MIND.

I learned about Wim Hoff and his method that entails breath work, gradual cold exposure, and the belief in oneself. As a California girl my whole life, one of my biggest forms of discomfort was the cold. I had no interest in putting myself through this type of pain until I watched the ‘Becoming Superhuman with Ice Man’ documentary (Yes Theory) and listened to The Man Who Defies What’s Possible (GOOP). For those who aren’t familiar with Wim Hof: he climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in shorts, ran a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, and survived being submerged in a container filled with ice for more than 112 minutes.  How could he have accomplished everything he did without being right about there being an untapped reserve of human potential?! He has made it his mission to share what he’s learned with the rest of the world through his motto, “what I am capable of, everybody can learn (Wim Hof Method).”And that was all the motivation I needed to be able to put his theory to practice.

Race day finally came around and it was the best one I had experienced yet. My last marathon PR was 5:15 and this time I finished around 4:30 - almost 45 minutes better despite there not being a race. To make it even more special, my dad was able to join me and run the entire distance without training at ALL. It was actually watching the same documentary that inspired him and had him intrigued on how it’s the power of the mind that can allow us to exceed what we thought possible. He was determined to not let his mind’s preconceived beliefs get in the way. 

The takeaways I had during this run made me apply the distance, discomfort, and determination to other aspects of my life that I had never thought I would be able to excel at. Despite not having an actual ‘race’, I was able to run the distance through intrinsic motivation that derived a sense of accomplishment and felt worthwhile doing (Gutierrez). As I study for a standardized exam, I recognize my growth not through the final score but the fact that I have consistently studied for longer and with more discipline than I ever have. I’ve even started taking cold showers daily! Well, gradual cold exposure -  I’m at 1 minute at the end of my regular warm shower. But even this small step is progress.

My challenge for you: Anytime you feel like you just can’t do it – don’t focus on the end goal (I know it’s crazy). Rather, focus on yourself and the immense amount of potential you carry. You can and will accomplish something that you thought was once not possible. If I could do it, you can too.

Sources:

“BECOMING SUPERHUMAN WITH ICE MAN - Wim Hof” YouTube, a YesTheory documentary, 18 February 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cvhwquPqJ0&ab_channel=YesTheory

Gutierrez, Angelica. MBAA 6010: Week 2: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. Organizational Behavior, 19 January 2020, Loyola Marymount University. PPT.

“The History Of The 'Iceman' Wim Hof: Wim Hof Method.” The History Of The 'Iceman' Wim Hof | Wim Hof Method, www.wimhofmethod.com/iceman-wim-hof.

Paltrow, Gwyneth. “The Man Who Defies What’s Possible.” The GOOP Podcast. 10 January 2019. https://goop.com/the-goop-podcast/the-man-who-defies-whats-possible/