You’re Closer Than You Think

You finish a race or a long run and think, “That didn’t go how I wanted.”

You replay the mistakes. Obsess over what went wrong.

You start to wonder if the goal is just too far away.

So you either double down and push harder…

Or back off and aim smaller so it doesn’t hurt as much.

You’re either forcing it or fading.

But neither one moves you forward.

Because here’s what’s actually happening:

Every time I help a client break down a race or a long run, we find the same thing—

Ten times more things went right than went wrong.

Always.

It’s never, ever a total failure.

But they don’t see the things that went right—because nothing went wrong with them. There wasn’t any drama there. 

Ask them about the race and they’ll say, “I’m pleased,” then mention, “hydration was fine, shoes were fine, I stayed mostly on pace,” like that’s just expected background noise.

But that’s not noise. That’s progress. That’s success. That’s what we’re aiming for. That’s what we build on.

It’s usually just one or two small things between them and the race result they want.

- Not having a nutrition schedule

- Misreading exhaustion as failure.

- One decision, made in a low moment, that made them drop.

One or two things—never everything.

But in the moment, they can’t see that—because they’re looking through the lens of disappointment.

They label the entire effort—and themselves—as a failure.

The truth is:

You’re not far off.

You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re just zoomed in on the wrong part of the story.

So here’s what I want you to remember:

You don’t need to start over from scratch.

You don’t need to chase a brand new plan.

You just need to step back, get honest about what did work,

And make a few small, intentional adjustments for the next race.

Those so-called “mistakes”?

They’re not proof that you’re failing.

They’re data—and they’re putting you that much closer to a strong finish.

Because now you know what to change.

That’s how real progress happens.

Not from panic—but from belief.

Not from fear—but from trust in the path you’re already on.

Keep going.

You’re closer than you think.