The Invisible Finish Line Holding You Back

I met him around mile 40 of a tough 100-mile race.

As we settled into pace together, the conversation naturally turned to our race goals.

"This is my third try at the hundred," he said with a rueful laugh. "Dropped out at 70 miles last year in this race. And tried another earlier this year and same thing—70 miles in that one too."

He paused and then laughed. "I just hope I can get past 70 this time."

As we talked, something became crystal clear. This runner was facing an issue I hear all the time.

He wasn't really running a 100-mile race at all.

In his mind, he was running a 70-mile race with a question mark.

When Your Barrier Becomes Your Destination

You might have your own version of that 70-mile mark. Maybe it's the point where you usually get nauseous. Or a climb that defeats you. Or the number of minutes on cutoff that makes you give up and drop instead of staying in and fighting.

These aren't just obstacles—they become your invisible finish lines.

Here's what happens: You become so focused on that one barrier, so convinced it represents your limit, that you stop visualizing what lies beyond it. You rehearse that moment - that failure - over and over in your mind.

Without realizing it, you plan for getting TO the wall, not getting PAST it.

My runner wasn't preparing to run 100 miles. He was preparing to struggle at mile 70 and face defeat. Again.

The Mental Trap That Keeps You Stuck

When you repeatedly fixate on a personal barrier, you start to believe it defines you. You tell a story about yourself like: "I just can't get past..." or "I always fall apart when..."

But that barrier isn't actually about your capability. It's about where you've unconsciously decided the real race ends.

You spend so much mental energy focused on that specific point of difficulty that you rob yourself of the vision and preparation needed for what comes after. It's like being so fixated on the storm clouds that you miss the clearing sky beyond them.

The Strategy That Solves It

The solution isn't just about pushing harder when you reach your 70-mile wall. It's about fundamentally changing how you see it.

First, the practical piece: You need a specific strategy for that moment—not just getting to it, but moving through it. What will you do differently this time? What support will you have in place? How will you fuel, rest, or pivot when you hit that familiar point?

But more importantly, the mindset shift: You need to see that barrier as nothing more than a mile marker on the way to your real destination. Mile 70 isn't the climax of your story—it's just the place where you turn the page to the next chapter.

Start visualizing the entire journey. What does mile 80 look like? Mile 90? The finish line? Get specific about these later stages. Make them as real in your mind as that 70-mile wall has become.

What Happens When You Break Through

Here's what I've observed time and again: Once you get past your defining limit, you usually finish what you started. Because that wall was never really about the distance or the difficulty or your capability—it was about your mental boundary.

You realize it was never about being strong enough to overcome the barrier. It was about becoming able to see beyond it.

And someday, you'll look back on that version of yourself who thought that obstacle was insurmountable and feel compassion for how small your vision was then.

You'll remember when that barrier felt all-important and all-powerful, and you'll smile at how far you've come.

Your '70-Mile Wall'

What's your version of this runner's wall? Where do you consistently stall out, give up, or tell yourself you've hit your limit?

It's not about your capability—it's just a story you've been telling yourself. And like any story, you have the power to rewrite the ending.

That barrier isn't your finish line unless you make it one. There's always more distance to cover, more growth to experience, more of your story to write.

The question isn't whether you can get to your wall. You've already proven you can do that.

The question is: Are you ready to finally see what lies beyond it?