“I could never do that!” or “How do you do that?” these are the two most common phrases people respond with when I tell them I run Ultramarathons.
My standard response is “It’s just one foot in front of the other.” Now there is more to it than that, to successfully complete an Ultra, but at it’s core it is just putting one foot in front of the other (a few thousand times) and doing so until the finish line.
I very often feel we make things harder than they need to be. We doubt ourselves or look at the enormity of things and say “Never!”
I believe everyone has the power to achieve the things that they wish for. The biggest of goals are not unobtainable, but too often we make them bigger than they are. We fail to look at the process and the small simple steps it takes to get to the end goal.
Recently on The James Altucher Show (one of my favourite Podcasts), James mentioned that people fail to break tasks down and look at the process. Instead looking at the finish and think that’s so far away.
He proceeded to tell a story of an idea for a smart phone app he and a friend had. After having the idea he looked at what features the app would need, put together a one pager and sent it to freelancer. They advised some features wouldn’t be possible and he was able to scratch the idea.
His point was many people look and figure I can’t achieve this. Think there’s no way I could make a successful app there are so many things to do. But if we break it down into small bite size tasks, we quickly see if something will work and come up with a plan to move forward.
For me Ultra Running is no different it is just a series of small steps. Of these steps the first is the hardest.
Many mornings I do not want to get out of bed and go on a training run. Particularly in winter, and most definitely if the session is running intervals. A running interval involves running as hard as I can, up a hill for 3 minutes, going back down the hill and doing it again, typically 5-6 times. They’re effective but I hate them!
Every morning however, I get out of bed and go do my session, and do you know what? Once I’m up and out there, well then I’m away. As I move my body gets warm and loose and things become easier. One interval goes, then another and another until they are finished and then I can drop back into a rhythm and run home.
Once I’m in motion sometimes I feel I can go forever. Some days I’m ready to finish but no matter what at the end I’m always glad I did that training run. When the training run is finished I’m another step closer to my ultimate goal usually an Ultramarathon I’m competing in.
Whatever you want to do, whatever goal you have, take the first step. The first step is the hardest but once you take it, the next step happens, then the next and you’re away.
As you move the path will become clear and so will the process. As you gain experience you’ll get better at the process. This is what I’ve found with running, but it applies to anything.
Nothing will happen if you are not in motion towards where you want to go, so take a first step to make the change you want to see. Towards a goal you want to achieve. If you don’t have a specific goal take a step in the direction you want to go. The path and process becomes clear.
