Use Your Future to Drive Your Race Year

You’ve seen so many other runners talk about the amazing year they just had.

You want one too. 

Not a big race in the ‘same old’ kind of year - a big year.

Imagining it is exciting. Standing here looking at the new year ahead, it’s totally possible. You could do it. You’re ready.

Then reality intrudes. 

You’ve never done anything like this before. How are you going to do it?

How many races would you run, and which ones?

How would you fit them all in?

People are going to notice - what if you fail?

And most important - do you even have what it would take?

It’s a nice idea but you’ve got a lot on your plate and you don’t run for a living. The timing isn’t right and it would be stupid to set yourself up for failure. You’d probably burn out.

So you dial the dream year down to a dream race…or running the same races better, for real this year. Yeah, that’ll be good.

And it is good…unless this is where you were this time last year - dreaming of a big year but talking yourself out of it. 

Because if you do the same thing again, you’re going to find yourself in the same place again - looking at other runners’ years with envy.

The good news is what’s between you and a big year isn’t the work it would take. You can do hard work. 

It’s how uncomfortable it is to make all the decisions you need to make, commit to it all, and risk not not being able to do it.

You want to know how to do it first.

Fortunately, there’s someone who knows.

Someone who started where you are now.

Who’s been there and done it.

Who got through all the fear, doubt, hurdles, mistakes, and hard stuff she was sure she couldn’t.

The one who figured things out, summoned the discipline, showed up for herself and kept going.

Even if she had to do things herself, without support.

Because some part of her knew she could do it, and she was willing to listen to that voice over the one that said she couldn’t.

She’s done it and knows how you can do it.

That person is none other than your future self a year from now, who’s done it and is looking back on the amazing year you can have.

What would she tell you to do?

You can’t intellectually pick the answer. You have to be able to ‘hear’ her answers to make this work but once you do, you see how a big year is possible. 

You know the next step. 

You know you have - or can build - what it takes. 

And you know she’s there to advise you on the journey so you arrive where she’s standing a year from now.