26. How to Just Do It Scared
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Just do it scared.” But when race week hits, your heart is pounding, your mind is racing, and that advice can feel impossible to follow. Pretending fear isn’t there or trying to push it away only adds more pressure. And it can steal the joy and focus from your race.
In this episode, I break down a smarter way to actually “do it scared.” By changing how you think about fear, noticing it, and using it as a guide instead of an obstacle, you can show up mentally stronger and run with confidence - even when your nerves are at their peak.
Tune in this week to learn how to work with fear instead of against it, so you can embrace challenges and discover what you’re truly capable of.
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What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
Why trying to ignore or suppress fear only makes it worse.
How to recognize fear as a signal that you’re on the right path.
Why visualizing the challenge and the outcome can help you manage anxiety.
Practical ways to practice “doing it scared” in training and in life.
Listen to the Full Episode:
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Full Episode Transcript:
You've probably heard, "Just do it scared." But do you know how? How do you actually do it scared without freaking out and dropping? There's actually a way, and it might surprise you.
Welcome to Unstoppable Ultra Runner, the podcast for ultra runners who refuse to let anything hold them back. I’m your host, Susan Donnelly, veteran of over 150 100-mile races, and a coach who helps runners like you break through mental roadblocks, push past doubt, and run with confidence. Let’s go.
Welcome to episode 26. Today, we're diving into something you've probably heard a thousand times but maybe never really known how to actually do: just do it scared.
We see that in motivational posts. We hear it from other runners. We try and psych ourselves up with it. But when it's race week and your pre-race anxiety is at an all-time high, with your heart pounding and your mind racing, how exactly are you supposed to just do it scared without completely choking and quitting?
That's what we're covering today because there is a way to do it scared that doesn't just make it survivable, a way that actually helps you run stronger. And it might completely change how you think about fear.
All right, imagine this. You've got a race coming up that absolutely terrifies you. Maybe it's your first ultra or a mountain race that's been on your bucket list for years. Or maybe you got lucky in a lottery for Western States 100 or something way beyond what you think you're ready for.
Whatever it is, this race is big. It's the kind of race you've been talking about running someday, not the kind you ever actually expected to find yourself with a bib number for. But here you are. The date is circled on your calendar and getting closer every day. It's starting to feel real. And instead of excited, you're starting to feel terrified.
The more you worry, the more you worry about worrying. And the fear of it keeps you up at night, and it probably makes you irritable during the day or you get more jittery. You find yourself questioning everything: your training, your ability, and whether you have any business at all being at this race. I mean, what were you thinking? This inescapable fear you're feeling feels like proof that you're not ready, that you're in way over your head, and you're going to embarrass yourself or not finish.
It feels like you've got to get rid of the fear. It's driving you crazy, and you'd almost rather not run the race. You have to make it stop, right? And then you come across that statement, "Just do it scared." Great, you think. Now I feel worse, because that advice alone doesn't solve it for you. It makes you think that you just have to suck it up, like you shouldn't be feeling this level of fear. Real ultra runners can handle it, and you're just being weak if you can't.
The natural reaction then is to try not to show that fear because you don't want to look weak, and you definitely don't want to feel the fear either. So all of this usually makes you suppress the fear or ignore it. You decide, I'll pretend I'm not scared. I'll push through it. That's how it's supposed to be done.
But here's the problem. Fear doesn't disappear when you ignore it, and it doesn't vanish when you pretend it's not there. And ignoring it takes effort. Keeping up that pretense is exhausting, and the exhaustion sucks excitement out of the race.
And meanwhile, underneath all the pretending, the fear is still there, growing larger every day. And when does it finally show up? On race day. Right when you least want to deal with it, that fear comes roaring back. And now you're trying to run 31 or 50 or 100 or more miles while also facing this fear that you've been avoiding for months. But you have no strategy for managing it now because remember, you're just supposed to run it scared.
So it's there in your head now, every step of the way, pointing out what you're up against. And every mile feels like proof that you're not capable of this. And this is definitely not how you imagined your race would be. It's so overwhelming that sometimes runners drop simply to make the fear stop.
Now, here's where I'm going to surprise you. The problem isn't in doing it scared. The problem is in what we think that has to be like. We think we just have to put up with the fear and somehow just do this big thing in spite of the fear, which makes the challenge of the race seem extra impossible. You've just layered extra fear on top of the challenge. But there's a way to do it without freaking out and even better, a way that makes you stronger.
The smarter way to actually, quote, "do it scared" is to change what you think fear means. Most of us unconsciously assume that if we're feeling fear, it means that something is wrong, that we're not capable, or we're going to fail, and that we should back out of the race while we still can. But what if I told you that fear is actually a golden opportunity, the one you've been seeking?
Think about it. Why did you sign up for this race in the first place? Was it just to run 31 miles instead of 26.2 or to add another buckle to your collection? No. You signed up because doing those things was a challenge, because they're hard, and that was exciting.
Because it was outside your comfort zone and you wondered, what would that be like? Can I actually do that? What if I could? That uncertainty is what you wanted to explore. That not knowing whether you can or can't, that's what you wanted. And that's exactly what's creating the fear.
This is exactly what I did my first time at UTMB. It was way back in the day, and as far as my partner and I knew, there weren't any other Americans running. Some English friends were doing it, and they'd asked us to join them. So here I was in a different country, different mountains, different race, everything different. And I had no idea what to expect.
The logistics of getting there were an easy distraction to use to ignore my growing fear. But once we were in town, once we were in Chamonix, the fear became inescapably real.
As race day drew closer and runners flooded into town, I couldn't ignore the fear anymore. Everyone else was clearly feeling fear or pretending not to feel it. It was everywhere. It was in the air. I was just less and less able to push it down on my own until finally, standing at the start for what seemed like hours in a sea of runners and voices speaking all different languages, feeling completely out of place and looking up at those massive mountains all around me, thinking about what I was getting ready to do, it hit me.
This is exactly where I wanted to be. And this was exactly what I wanted to feel. Yes, I was afraid, but I wanted to take this step. I couldn't not take this step. Once my friends put the idea in my head, I couldn't let it go. I wanted to run a course this intimidating in another country where almost nothing was familiar, where I didn't know what to expect from the course or the race organization or my fellow runners.
I was ready to do something this far outside of my comfort zone. And as scary as it all was at the time, I knew I needed to take this step into the unknown because I wouldn't be content not doing it. I saw that the fear wasn't warning me away. It was like a trail marker pointing at my way forward. It was pointing out the direction I wanted to go. I looked around again at those massive mountains surrounding me, but this time with excitement.
So, here's the breakthrough. Fear isn't a sign that something's wrong. Fear is a sign that you found exactly what you're looking for. You wanted a challenge that would push you beyond what you thought was possible. You wanted to grow as a runner and as a person. You wanted to discover what you're truly capable of when you step into the unknown, and you got it. Fear is just your internal alarm system saying, "Hey, this is big. This matters. This is the opportunity you've been seeking."
So, how do you actually shift your thinking? Here's the practical part. First, stop trying to make the fear go away. Fear itself is just an uncomfortable feeling in your body. Instead of trying to make it go away, get curious about it. Where do you feel it? In your chest or your stomach? How would you describe it to someone else? Don't fight it. Don't push it away. Just let it be there.
And notice that you can feel afraid and still function. You can drive and go to work and run errands. You can feel afraid and still train. You can do plenty of things when you feel afraid. So that means fear doesn't have to be gone for you to show up and run on race day.
Second, practice recognizing fear as your signal, as your sign. When you feel that familiar sensation, instead of thinking, "Oh no, I'm scared," start thinking, "Oh good, I found my growth opportunity. I found what I wanted."
And third, visualize the opportunity. See yourself running the race, each section or hour, and relishing the challenge. See yourself hitting a low and persisting through and out of it. See yourself solving your way through all the tough problems you encounter. See yourself conquering every problem you fear, every climb, all the exhaustion, and every low hour.
Then, visualize finishing the race and hitting your goal. Picture in your mind how you'll see yourself afterwards. What else will change for you? What else is on the other side of the fear? This is why you want to go toward the fear. And thinking of fear this way is how to do it scared.
Here's what happens when you start relating to fear this way. You stop being afraid of the fear. You stop wasting energy trying to get rid of it or worrying about what it means or trying to pretend it's not there when you know it is. Instead, you start seeing it as valuable information, the path to a stronger you.
And on race day, the fear might still be there. Probably will be, but now you know what it is. It's not evidence that you can't do this. It's evidence that you're about to do something that matters. And by that time, you can have spent weeks or even months getting comfortable with the feeling instead of fighting it, so that when it does show up on race day, you can say, "Hey, fear, there you are. Thanks for reminding me I'm exactly where I want to be, doing what I want to do to get where I want to be."
When you learn to work with fear instead of against it, you change your relationship with challenges forever. You become someone who doesn't shy away from big goals, who doesn't need to feel 100% confident of the outcome before taking action, who can step into uncertainty with self-trust and curiosity instead of dread. Whether you finish this race or DNF, you'll come out on the other side mentally and emotionally stronger, more resilient, more confident in your ability to handle whatever comes next.
So, to recap, here's what you can start doing today. First, stop trying to talk yourself out of being scared. When the fear comes up, say, "Hello, fear. Thanks for reminding me that I'm about to do something important." Second, remember that it's a sign of an opportunity, an opportunity that you want. And third, visualize the opportunity you have and what you get from facing the fear, how it will change things for you.
And here's a tip. Don't wait for race day to practice this. Find opportunities in training and daily life to practice feeling afraid and doing the thing anyway.
So, that's how you just do it scared. Not by pretending you're not afraid or fighting the fear or trying to make it disappear. By recognizing fear as your friend, as your guide, your sign that you're exactly where you need to be to grow into the runner you know you can be. The fear isn't trying to protect you from the race. It's doing the opposite. It's preparing you for the race, for the transformation waiting on the other side. And you don't want to miss that.
So lace up those shoes, feel that fear full out, and go do the thing anyway, because the fear isn't your enemy. It's a trustworthy guide pointing the way to your opportunity and everything you want on the other side.
All right, you all, that's this week's episode. If you know someone who could use this, share it with them. It might be exactly what they need to hear. See you all next week. Bye.
Thanks for listening to Unstoppable Ultra Runner. If you want more ultra talk, mindset tools, and strategies for running with confidence, visit www.susanidonnelly.com. This podcast receives production support from the team at Digital Freedom Productions. That’s it for today’s episode. See you next week.
Welcome to Unstoppable Ultra Runner, the podcast for ultra runners who refuse to let anything hold them back. I’m your host, Susan Donnelly, veteran of over 150 100-mile races, and a coach who helps runners like you break through mental roadblocks, push past doubt, and run with confidence. Let’s go.
Welcome to episode 26. Today, we're diving into something you've probably heard a thousand times but maybe never really known how to actually do: just do it scared.
We see that in motivational posts. We hear it from other runners. We try and psych ourselves up with it. But when it's race week and your pre-race anxiety is at an all-time high, with your heart pounding and your mind racing, how exactly are you supposed to just do it scared without completely choking and quitting?
That's what we're covering today because there is a way to do it scared that doesn't just make it survivable, a way that actually helps you run stronger. And it might completely change how you think about fear.
All right, imagine this. You've got a race coming up that absolutely terrifies you. Maybe it's your first ultra or a mountain race that's been on your bucket list for years. Or maybe you got lucky in a lottery for Western States 100 or something way beyond what you think you're ready for.
Whatever it is, this race is big. It's the kind of race you've been talking about running someday, not the kind you ever actually expected to find yourself with a bib number for. But here you are. The date is circled on your calendar and getting closer every day. It's starting to feel real. And instead of excited, you're starting to feel terrified.
The more you worry, the more you worry about worrying. And the fear of it keeps you up at night, and it probably makes you irritable during the day or you get more jittery. You find yourself questioning everything: your training, your ability, and whether you have any business at all being at this race. I mean, what were you thinking? This inescapable fear you're feeling feels like proof that you're not ready, that you're in way over your head, and you're going to embarrass yourself or not finish.
It feels like you've got to get rid of the fear. It's driving you crazy, and you'd almost rather not run the race. You have to make it stop, right? And then you come across that statement, "Just do it scared." Great, you think. Now I feel worse, because that advice alone doesn't solve it for you. It makes you think that you just have to suck it up, like you shouldn't be feeling this level of fear. Real ultra runners can handle it, and you're just being weak if you can't.
The natural reaction then is to try not to show that fear because you don't want to look weak, and you definitely don't want to feel the fear either. So all of this usually makes you suppress the fear or ignore it. You decide, I'll pretend I'm not scared. I'll push through it. That's how it's supposed to be done.
But here's the problem. Fear doesn't disappear when you ignore it, and it doesn't vanish when you pretend it's not there. And ignoring it takes effort. Keeping up that pretense is exhausting, and the exhaustion sucks excitement out of the race.
And meanwhile, underneath all the pretending, the fear is still there, growing larger every day. And when does it finally show up? On race day. Right when you least want to deal with it, that fear comes roaring back. And now you're trying to run 31 or 50 or 100 or more miles while also facing this fear that you've been avoiding for months. But you have no strategy for managing it now because remember, you're just supposed to run it scared.
So it's there in your head now, every step of the way, pointing out what you're up against. And every mile feels like proof that you're not capable of this. And this is definitely not how you imagined your race would be. It's so overwhelming that sometimes runners drop simply to make the fear stop.
Now, here's where I'm going to surprise you. The problem isn't in doing it scared. The problem is in what we think that has to be like. We think we just have to put up with the fear and somehow just do this big thing in spite of the fear, which makes the challenge of the race seem extra impossible. You've just layered extra fear on top of the challenge. But there's a way to do it without freaking out and even better, a way that makes you stronger.
The smarter way to actually, quote, "do it scared" is to change what you think fear means. Most of us unconsciously assume that if we're feeling fear, it means that something is wrong, that we're not capable, or we're going to fail, and that we should back out of the race while we still can. But what if I told you that fear is actually a golden opportunity, the one you've been seeking?
Think about it. Why did you sign up for this race in the first place? Was it just to run 31 miles instead of 26.2 or to add another buckle to your collection? No. You signed up because doing those things was a challenge, because they're hard, and that was exciting.
Because it was outside your comfort zone and you wondered, what would that be like? Can I actually do that? What if I could? That uncertainty is what you wanted to explore. That not knowing whether you can or can't, that's what you wanted. And that's exactly what's creating the fear.
This is exactly what I did my first time at UTMB. It was way back in the day, and as far as my partner and I knew, there weren't any other Americans running. Some English friends were doing it, and they'd asked us to join them. So here I was in a different country, different mountains, different race, everything different. And I had no idea what to expect.
The logistics of getting there were an easy distraction to use to ignore my growing fear. But once we were in town, once we were in Chamonix, the fear became inescapably real.
As race day drew closer and runners flooded into town, I couldn't ignore the fear anymore. Everyone else was clearly feeling fear or pretending not to feel it. It was everywhere. It was in the air. I was just less and less able to push it down on my own until finally, standing at the start for what seemed like hours in a sea of runners and voices speaking all different languages, feeling completely out of place and looking up at those massive mountains all around me, thinking about what I was getting ready to do, it hit me.
This is exactly where I wanted to be. And this was exactly what I wanted to feel. Yes, I was afraid, but I wanted to take this step. I couldn't not take this step. Once my friends put the idea in my head, I couldn't let it go. I wanted to run a course this intimidating in another country where almost nothing was familiar, where I didn't know what to expect from the course or the race organization or my fellow runners.
I was ready to do something this far outside of my comfort zone. And as scary as it all was at the time, I knew I needed to take this step into the unknown because I wouldn't be content not doing it. I saw that the fear wasn't warning me away. It was like a trail marker pointing at my way forward. It was pointing out the direction I wanted to go. I looked around again at those massive mountains surrounding me, but this time with excitement.
So, here's the breakthrough. Fear isn't a sign that something's wrong. Fear is a sign that you found exactly what you're looking for. You wanted a challenge that would push you beyond what you thought was possible. You wanted to grow as a runner and as a person. You wanted to discover what you're truly capable of when you step into the unknown, and you got it. Fear is just your internal alarm system saying, "Hey, this is big. This matters. This is the opportunity you've been seeking."
So, how do you actually shift your thinking? Here's the practical part. First, stop trying to make the fear go away. Fear itself is just an uncomfortable feeling in your body. Instead of trying to make it go away, get curious about it. Where do you feel it? In your chest or your stomach? How would you describe it to someone else? Don't fight it. Don't push it away. Just let it be there.
And notice that you can feel afraid and still function. You can drive and go to work and run errands. You can feel afraid and still train. You can do plenty of things when you feel afraid. So that means fear doesn't have to be gone for you to show up and run on race day.
Second, practice recognizing fear as your signal, as your sign. When you feel that familiar sensation, instead of thinking, "Oh no, I'm scared," start thinking, "Oh good, I found my growth opportunity. I found what I wanted."
And third, visualize the opportunity. See yourself running the race, each section or hour, and relishing the challenge. See yourself hitting a low and persisting through and out of it. See yourself solving your way through all the tough problems you encounter. See yourself conquering every problem you fear, every climb, all the exhaustion, and every low hour.
Then, visualize finishing the race and hitting your goal. Picture in your mind how you'll see yourself afterwards. What else will change for you? What else is on the other side of the fear? This is why you want to go toward the fear. And thinking of fear this way is how to do it scared.
Here's what happens when you start relating to fear this way. You stop being afraid of the fear. You stop wasting energy trying to get rid of it or worrying about what it means or trying to pretend it's not there when you know it is. Instead, you start seeing it as valuable information, the path to a stronger you.
And on race day, the fear might still be there. Probably will be, but now you know what it is. It's not evidence that you can't do this. It's evidence that you're about to do something that matters. And by that time, you can have spent weeks or even months getting comfortable with the feeling instead of fighting it, so that when it does show up on race day, you can say, "Hey, fear, there you are. Thanks for reminding me I'm exactly where I want to be, doing what I want to do to get where I want to be."
When you learn to work with fear instead of against it, you change your relationship with challenges forever. You become someone who doesn't shy away from big goals, who doesn't need to feel 100% confident of the outcome before taking action, who can step into uncertainty with self-trust and curiosity instead of dread. Whether you finish this race or DNF, you'll come out on the other side mentally and emotionally stronger, more resilient, more confident in your ability to handle whatever comes next.
So, to recap, here's what you can start doing today. First, stop trying to talk yourself out of being scared. When the fear comes up, say, "Hello, fear. Thanks for reminding me that I'm about to do something important." Second, remember that it's a sign of an opportunity, an opportunity that you want. And third, visualize the opportunity you have and what you get from facing the fear, how it will change things for you.
And here's a tip. Don't wait for race day to practice this. Find opportunities in training and daily life to practice feeling afraid and doing the thing anyway.
So, that's how you just do it scared. Not by pretending you're not afraid or fighting the fear or trying to make it disappear. By recognizing fear as your friend, as your guide, your sign that you're exactly where you need to be to grow into the runner you know you can be. The fear isn't trying to protect you from the race. It's doing the opposite. It's preparing you for the race, for the transformation waiting on the other side. And you don't want to miss that.
So lace up those shoes, feel that fear full out, and go do the thing anyway, because the fear isn't your enemy. It's a trustworthy guide pointing the way to your opportunity and everything you want on the other side.
All right, you all, that's this week's episode. If you know someone who could use this, share it with them. It might be exactly what they need to hear. See you all next week. Bye.
Thanks for listening to Unstoppable Ultra Runner. If you want more ultra talk, mindset tools, and strategies for running with confidence, visit www.susanidonnelly.com. This podcast receives production support from the team at Digital Freedom Productions. That’s it for today’s episode. See you next week.
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