You've had your eye on a dream race for years, but somehow, every time registration or lottery season comes around, you find another reason to put it off. The timing isn't right, you're not ready, or life gets in the way. You tell yourself you'll do it next year, but next year comes and goes, and you're still no closer to the starting line.
I've fallen into this trap myself, and I see it happen to ultrarunners all the time. The problem isn't necessarily your motivation or ability. It's that you're planning one race season at a time instead of looking at the bigger picture.
Tune in this week to discover why a 3-year plan could be the missing piece in achieving your ultrarunning goals. I'll explain how planning further ahead can actually get you to your dream race sooner, why it takes the pressure off individual races, and how to start working backward from the race you really want to run so it stops being a someday goal.
Race Crafting is a four-session coaching process where we work together to build a complete plan for your next ultra, so you can manage race anxiety, prepare for challenges, and approach race day with confidence. Learn more about Race Crafting here.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
Why your dream race keeps getting pushed to next year.
The hidden problem with planning your ultrarunning goals one season at a time.
Why a 3-year plan can actually help you reach your dream race sooner.
How planning ahead takes the pressure off qualifiers and buildup races.
Why a long-term plan makes it easier to navigate setbacks without losing momentum.
How to work backward from your dream race to identify the skills, qualifications, and preparation you need.
Listen to the Full Episode:
Featured on the Show:
The Ultrarunner’s Mastery Debrief Template helps you evaluate your races like experienced ultrarunners do - identifying what worked, what didn’t work, and what to do differently next time. Download yours for free here.
My 1:1 Mental Mastery Coaching for Ultrarunners is a six-month coaching program where we build the mental skills experienced ultrarunners use to handle difficult races well. Schedule a consult call to learn more here.
If you’re loving the show, please take a moment to follow, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts today!
Episodes Related to Delaying Your Dream Race:
Full Episode Transcript:
You scroll past finish line photos of other's dream races, maybe even yours, and it hits you. All the reasons yours hasn't happened come flooding in. It's frustrating. Next year is the year. But the same pattern is still holding you back, and you don't see it. Today, I am sharing the best thing you can actually do to run your dream race. And it's something I almost never hear anyone talk about in ultrarunning.
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 83. We are square in lottery and race planning season. So, this is another episode to help make this your most successful one yet. This time, in this episode, I'm talking about a mistake that I have most definitely made, one I see so many runners make, and one that I help my clients avoid. I have made so many of the mistakes that I coach on, so I know the pitfalls and I can help you avoid them. And in this case, there are a couple of races that I wanted to do forever. For decades, decades.
And I've made the excuses and the reasons I talk about in this episode, like the timing isn't right. I'm not ready. I want to do another race instead this year. Excuses or reasons, it doesn't matter because the end result of both is that I haven't done those races yet. Think about that. After decades of wanting to do them. So this is a very strong pattern I'm talking about here. I mean, these races are still on my list, but at this point, getting my hips replaced has definitely pushed them off another year or two.
So today, I am sharing the best thing you can actually do to run your dream race. And it's something I almost never hear anyone talk about in ultrarunning.
So, let's get into it. You know that dream race, that race you dream of doing? Let's say the entry is coming up. You have a short time to either enter it or enter the lottery. And you need to make a decision now. You're facing that decision now. Are you or aren't you going to sign up? The race may be months away, probably is, and it's a big commitment. And you don't feel ready to make that decision right now. You want to run that race. It's definitely a dream of yours. It's been a dream of yours, still is. But you have a lot of conflicting thoughts about signing up for it this year.
The timing isn't great. Life is just complicated, and you can't take on anything this big and new right now. You can't make or plan commitments that far ahead right now. I mean, there are just things you don't know about how the year is going to go. And you don't know how you'd take on a race of the magnitude like a 200-miler. So you don't really want to win the lottery because you don't feel ready, even though you wouldn't admit it.
Or maybe you literally aren't ready. You don't meet the current entry qualifications. You don't have a qualifying race. Or there's another race that conflicts with that race. They're on the same weekend this year, and you can only do one of them. So it's disappointing, but you decide this isn't the right year. So you don't put in for the lottery or sign up for the race. Next year. Next year, you'll for sure be ready. You're going to start right now. Definitely going to start right now, and you're going to do the work this year. This is going to be a year of doing the work, and you'll be ready for sure next year.
So, decision made, you feel relieved. It feels like you have a plan. And with that weight off your shoulders, you get on with life. So the year passes, and you find yourself in the same place with the same thoughts this time next year. So, you push it off again. This past year was just too busy or too chaotic or something. Next year though, things are going to be smoother. Next year is going to be calmer, and you'll be able to do it right. And then next year, the same thing again. It's never the right time for one reason or another.
Other things draw your attention. You get injured, like it's complicated in new ways, or it just stays complicated. Believe me, like I said in the beginning, I have been here. This is exactly what I did. Maybe you see the race coming up a few months ahead, but your qualifier has expired, and now you have to scramble in the few months you have just to get a new qualifier. And you only have enough lead time for one qualifier before you need to enter the lottery or the race, so everything hinges on that one qualifier going right. It's a single point of failure, and it's hugely stressful because what if that race doesn't go your way? What if you don't qualify?
Or maybe you get to the lottery or the entry decision and at the last minute, you realize you really do want to run the race this year, but your schedule is already full, and you don't have the time you need to prepare. So you still put it off a year. Whatever the reason, you don't really notice the pattern because it happens one year at a time. But the years add up, and the end result is, like me, you never get in the race. And eventually, it's either a lot harder physically, or your chance is just gone.
This is a problem of long-term planning, and it's something almost nobody talks about in ultrarunning. We talk about training plans for sure and race plans, race strategy. I love that. But planning years ahead, we just enter races and run them. It's simple, right? But without a long-term plan, your dreams keep getting pushed off to the last minute or to someday.
So if you want to run those dream races, you've got to break this pattern and start planning further ahead. And before you tune out because you think I'm going to try and talk you into some complicated 10-year plan, I'm just talking three years. That's the sweet spot for ultrarunning. It's long enough to plan well and to plan for those big races. And it's long enough to hit big goals, but it's short enough to be real and to feel real. Three-year planning actually will get you there sooner. You might think three years is too far away, but it actually does get you there sooner because you don't lose all those years like I've described putting it off when you're not ready when sign-up comes around.
So you're more likely to get to that moment where you have to enter the lottery or the race to get there prepared, well-planned, when your desire to do it is strong and the race feels possible. And if you're thinking that you can't commit three years ahead, this isn't a contract. It's a map. It's a tool for you. You get to revise it as you go, as you learn what you need to do differently, and you adjust it if you don't get off a waitlist or you don't get in the lottery or you get injured or something like that happens. It's yours to adjust. But three years is a good time to focus your effort so that it all adds up instead of you forgetting every year to do the work you need to do to sign up or get in the lottery.
You're not starting over with qualifiers and building races every year. You're deliberately aiming in a structured three-year plan at that race and planning all the steps you need to get there. And it gets you out of pinning all your success on one qualifier or one build race. Three years gives you time to get the qualifiers you need so that one bad race or one DNF doesn't ruin your plans. You've got time to evaluate, change what went wrong, and do more build-up races and work things out before your dream race date. Three years also gives you the lead time you need to plan your travel, to save your money, to put in for the time off from work, to work it out with your family so there are no conflicts, to make sure that weekend or week is reserved for the race. You know what's essential, and you know what you can give up.
With three years, there are also fewer emotional swings. Think about it. When you try cramming a dream race into this year, every step feels like it has to go right. So the highs and the lows hit hard, and they hit often. It's like going out too fast in a race, and then needing everything else in the race to go perfectly just so you can finish. But a three-year plan, giving yourself three years to plan, paces it so the ups and downs spread out and they don't hit as hard.
If you're going to run that dream race, you've got to break the pattern with this three-year plan. And the way I do it with clients is by reverse engineering their way into the race. You first choose the dream race or races. You could have more than one dream race in that three years. Choose the one or ones that you want to do in the next three years, and then ask, what skills, what physical ability, and what qualifications do I need to be able to do it the way I want to?
Once you list those things out, break them down into smaller steps. What do you need to get those things? What build-up or qual races do you need? How are you going to build those skills? What's your training plan going to be? Next, build in a backup. Like if you don't get off a waitlist or in the lottery, how will you adjust to this three-year plan so you're not losing momentum? So you're using that extra year. And when you get that stuff lined out, put it all in a three-year calendar.
And however far away the race is, start building the identity now that I'm a runner who triumphs in this race. I belong here. This is my race. Seeing yourself that way comes from thinking, feeling, and acting like that runner consistently over time. So the longer you do that, the more natural it is because each race, each qualifier, each hard thing you do between the time you line out that three-year plan and race date, makes you seeing yourself as that runner more natural and you just react that way in the race.
It's just now, by the time you get to the race, who you are. Every step in your plan that you do along the way builds proof that you are the kind of runner that does that race and the kind of runner who belongs there. So you can start building that from day one of your three-year plan.
And let's talk about examples. Sometimes a three-year plan is really simple. Let's just say there are two races you want that are generally on the same weekend. So you need to decide and plan out how you're going to do one this year and maybe one the year after. But sometimes a three-year plan is a little bit more complex, like, say you've always dreamed of running a 200. So you pick one. And let's say just for this example, it's a point-to-point race like Bigfoot with sleep stations and generally when I was doing it, at least 20 miles between aid stations.
So you look at the race details and the course, and you realize you need to figure out the sleep thing and how to manage your fueling and hydration in sections that long, 20 miles long. And how do you train for something like this? So those are the things you need to figure out between now and race date. So you start working through those questions. When and how are you going to figure out the sleeping? Are you going to use smaller races to do that? And if so, which ones and when?
How are you going to train? When do you want to start training? What build-up races do you need so you're confident with your physical ability on race day? How are you going to deal with negative thinking in a race that long, days long? You can't just avoid it for days. So how are you going to build that skill? When are you going to start working with me on that skill, for example? And if you don't get off the waitlist this year, will you aim for the year after that? And how can you use that extra year to build even more confidence in yourself?
These strategy and mindset questions and all the other ones related to doing your dream race are ones that I help my clients list out and answer. And you can too. Once you have a list of the things you need to do to get to the starting line of that race, schedule it all in a three-year plan. Schedule the races, the skill building, the training so you start building it step by step. And by the time sign-up comes, you're confident in signing up for the race. There's no more of this waffling. And by race day, you're ready to run it.
With a three-year plan, race decisions get easier. You know which ones to do, which ones to skip, and why, because they're all building to this dream race. Races have more purpose, and so does training. It's not just random races you think about doing and you just pepper into your schedule, and it's not just mindless miles. They're stepping stones, intentionally chosen. And that makes consistency easier, too.
And with a three-year plan, you have a bigger, better perspective on your growth. It's not just a month or two where change is hard to measure. It's years, and you see exactly what skills you've learned year after year and how much stronger you've grown over this time, body and mind. You can look back a year, two years, even three years, and see the difference. And with a three-year plan by the time you actually get to the race, you've done the training, you've planned the race, and you are ready. There's no half-assing it or doing it at the last minute or trying to cram it into your year.
You spent time also building your identity. All this time you've been building your identity, so now that you're standing at the starting line, you know you belong as much as anyone else. You feel it. You know you're ready and you know you're equal to this challenge, and you can't wait. So with a three-year plan, you're no longer watching other runners post about their dream races. You're running yours.
I hope I've sold you on three-year planning because I want you to run all your dream races. I know what it feels like not to. I want you to have those experiences and those memories and the confidence to go after new ones. And I'd be honored to help. That's what we do in mental mastery coaching. We map out the races and the dates and then build the mental skills and the strategy you need for each step. So you get to the starting line trained, planned, and ready.
So book a free consult call with me. The link is in the show notes. Bring your dream race and we'll talk about what it would take to get you there. So that when that entry window for that race opens and you hear yourself saying in your head, "Not this year, it's not convenient," you don't stop there. You ask the next question, "Then when?" Pick the year, then reverse engineer it. Someday never makes it onto the calendar. Let's make sure your dream race does.
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 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 83. We are square in lottery and race planning season. So, this is another episode to help make this your most successful one yet. This time, in this episode, I'm talking about a mistake that I have most definitely made, one I see so many runners make, and one that I help my clients avoid. I have made so many of the mistakes that I coach on, so I know the pitfalls and I can help you avoid them. And in this case, there are a couple of races that I wanted to do forever. For decades, decades.
And I've made the excuses and the reasons I talk about in this episode, like the timing isn't right. I'm not ready. I want to do another race instead this year. Excuses or reasons, it doesn't matter because the end result of both is that I haven't done those races yet. Think about that. After decades of wanting to do them. So this is a very strong pattern I'm talking about here. I mean, these races are still on my list, but at this point, getting my hips replaced has definitely pushed them off another year or two.
So today, I am sharing the best thing you can actually do to run your dream race. And it's something I almost never hear anyone talk about in ultrarunning.
So, let's get into it. You know that dream race, that race you dream of doing? Let's say the entry is coming up. You have a short time to either enter it or enter the lottery. And you need to make a decision now. You're facing that decision now. Are you or aren't you going to sign up? The race may be months away, probably is, and it's a big commitment. And you don't feel ready to make that decision right now. You want to run that race. It's definitely a dream of yours. It's been a dream of yours, still is. But you have a lot of conflicting thoughts about signing up for it this year.
The timing isn't great. Life is just complicated, and you can't take on anything this big and new right now. You can't make or plan commitments that far ahead right now. I mean, there are just things you don't know about how the year is going to go. And you don't know how you'd take on a race of the magnitude like a 200-miler. So you don't really want to win the lottery because you don't feel ready, even though you wouldn't admit it.
Or maybe you literally aren't ready. You don't meet the current entry qualifications. You don't have a qualifying race. Or there's another race that conflicts with that race. They're on the same weekend this year, and you can only do one of them. So it's disappointing, but you decide this isn't the right year. So you don't put in for the lottery or sign up for the race. Next year. Next year, you'll for sure be ready. You're going to start right now. Definitely going to start right now, and you're going to do the work this year. This is going to be a year of doing the work, and you'll be ready for sure next year.
So, decision made, you feel relieved. It feels like you have a plan. And with that weight off your shoulders, you get on with life. So the year passes, and you find yourself in the same place with the same thoughts this time next year. So, you push it off again. This past year was just too busy or too chaotic or something. Next year though, things are going to be smoother. Next year is going to be calmer, and you'll be able to do it right. And then next year, the same thing again. It's never the right time for one reason or another.
Other things draw your attention. You get injured, like it's complicated in new ways, or it just stays complicated. Believe me, like I said in the beginning, I have been here. This is exactly what I did. Maybe you see the race coming up a few months ahead, but your qualifier has expired, and now you have to scramble in the few months you have just to get a new qualifier. And you only have enough lead time for one qualifier before you need to enter the lottery or the race, so everything hinges on that one qualifier going right. It's a single point of failure, and it's hugely stressful because what if that race doesn't go your way? What if you don't qualify?
Or maybe you get to the lottery or the entry decision and at the last minute, you realize you really do want to run the race this year, but your schedule is already full, and you don't have the time you need to prepare. So you still put it off a year. Whatever the reason, you don't really notice the pattern because it happens one year at a time. But the years add up, and the end result is, like me, you never get in the race. And eventually, it's either a lot harder physically, or your chance is just gone.
This is a problem of long-term planning, and it's something almost nobody talks about in ultrarunning. We talk about training plans for sure and race plans, race strategy. I love that. But planning years ahead, we just enter races and run them. It's simple, right? But without a long-term plan, your dreams keep getting pushed off to the last minute or to someday.
So if you want to run those dream races, you've got to break this pattern and start planning further ahead. And before you tune out because you think I'm going to try and talk you into some complicated 10-year plan, I'm just talking three years. That's the sweet spot for ultrarunning. It's long enough to plan well and to plan for those big races. And it's long enough to hit big goals, but it's short enough to be real and to feel real. Three-year planning actually will get you there sooner. You might think three years is too far away, but it actually does get you there sooner because you don't lose all those years like I've described putting it off when you're not ready when sign-up comes around.
So you're more likely to get to that moment where you have to enter the lottery or the race to get there prepared, well-planned, when your desire to do it is strong and the race feels possible. And if you're thinking that you can't commit three years ahead, this isn't a contract. It's a map. It's a tool for you. You get to revise it as you go, as you learn what you need to do differently, and you adjust it if you don't get off a waitlist or you don't get in the lottery or you get injured or something like that happens. It's yours to adjust. But three years is a good time to focus your effort so that it all adds up instead of you forgetting every year to do the work you need to do to sign up or get in the lottery.
You're not starting over with qualifiers and building races every year. You're deliberately aiming in a structured three-year plan at that race and planning all the steps you need to get there. And it gets you out of pinning all your success on one qualifier or one build race. Three years gives you time to get the qualifiers you need so that one bad race or one DNF doesn't ruin your plans. You've got time to evaluate, change what went wrong, and do more build-up races and work things out before your dream race date. Three years also gives you the lead time you need to plan your travel, to save your money, to put in for the time off from work, to work it out with your family so there are no conflicts, to make sure that weekend or week is reserved for the race. You know what's essential, and you know what you can give up.
With three years, there are also fewer emotional swings. Think about it. When you try cramming a dream race into this year, every step feels like it has to go right. So the highs and the lows hit hard, and they hit often. It's like going out too fast in a race, and then needing everything else in the race to go perfectly just so you can finish. But a three-year plan, giving yourself three years to plan, paces it so the ups and downs spread out and they don't hit as hard.
If you're going to run that dream race, you've got to break the pattern with this three-year plan. And the way I do it with clients is by reverse engineering their way into the race. You first choose the dream race or races. You could have more than one dream race in that three years. Choose the one or ones that you want to do in the next three years, and then ask, what skills, what physical ability, and what qualifications do I need to be able to do it the way I want to?
Once you list those things out, break them down into smaller steps. What do you need to get those things? What build-up or qual races do you need? How are you going to build those skills? What's your training plan going to be? Next, build in a backup. Like if you don't get off a waitlist or in the lottery, how will you adjust to this three-year plan so you're not losing momentum? So you're using that extra year. And when you get that stuff lined out, put it all in a three-year calendar.
And however far away the race is, start building the identity now that I'm a runner who triumphs in this race. I belong here. This is my race. Seeing yourself that way comes from thinking, feeling, and acting like that runner consistently over time. So the longer you do that, the more natural it is because each race, each qualifier, each hard thing you do between the time you line out that three-year plan and race date, makes you seeing yourself as that runner more natural and you just react that way in the race.
It's just now, by the time you get to the race, who you are. Every step in your plan that you do along the way builds proof that you are the kind of runner that does that race and the kind of runner who belongs there. So you can start building that from day one of your three-year plan.
And let's talk about examples. Sometimes a three-year plan is really simple. Let's just say there are two races you want that are generally on the same weekend. So you need to decide and plan out how you're going to do one this year and maybe one the year after. But sometimes a three-year plan is a little bit more complex, like, say you've always dreamed of running a 200. So you pick one. And let's say just for this example, it's a point-to-point race like Bigfoot with sleep stations and generally when I was doing it, at least 20 miles between aid stations.
So you look at the race details and the course, and you realize you need to figure out the sleep thing and how to manage your fueling and hydration in sections that long, 20 miles long. And how do you train for something like this? So those are the things you need to figure out between now and race date. So you start working through those questions. When and how are you going to figure out the sleeping? Are you going to use smaller races to do that? And if so, which ones and when?
How are you going to train? When do you want to start training? What build-up races do you need so you're confident with your physical ability on race day? How are you going to deal with negative thinking in a race that long, days long? You can't just avoid it for days. So how are you going to build that skill? When are you going to start working with me on that skill, for example? And if you don't get off the waitlist this year, will you aim for the year after that? And how can you use that extra year to build even more confidence in yourself?
These strategy and mindset questions and all the other ones related to doing your dream race are ones that I help my clients list out and answer. And you can too. Once you have a list of the things you need to do to get to the starting line of that race, schedule it all in a three-year plan. Schedule the races, the skill building, the training so you start building it step by step. And by the time sign-up comes, you're confident in signing up for the race. There's no more of this waffling. And by race day, you're ready to run it.
With a three-year plan, race decisions get easier. You know which ones to do, which ones to skip, and why, because they're all building to this dream race. Races have more purpose, and so does training. It's not just random races you think about doing and you just pepper into your schedule, and it's not just mindless miles. They're stepping stones, intentionally chosen. And that makes consistency easier, too.
And with a three-year plan, you have a bigger, better perspective on your growth. It's not just a month or two where change is hard to measure. It's years, and you see exactly what skills you've learned year after year and how much stronger you've grown over this time, body and mind. You can look back a year, two years, even three years, and see the difference. And with a three-year plan by the time you actually get to the race, you've done the training, you've planned the race, and you are ready. There's no half-assing it or doing it at the last minute or trying to cram it into your year.
You spent time also building your identity. All this time you've been building your identity, so now that you're standing at the starting line, you know you belong as much as anyone else. You feel it. You know you're ready and you know you're equal to this challenge, and you can't wait. So with a three-year plan, you're no longer watching other runners post about their dream races. You're running yours.
I hope I've sold you on three-year planning because I want you to run all your dream races. I know what it feels like not to. I want you to have those experiences and those memories and the confidence to go after new ones. And I'd be honored to help. That's what we do in mental mastery coaching. We map out the races and the dates and then build the mental skills and the strategy you need for each step. So you get to the starting line trained, planned, and ready.
So book a free consult call with me. The link is in the show notes. Bring your dream race and we'll talk about what it would take to get you there. So that when that entry window for that race opens and you hear yourself saying in your head, "Not this year, it's not convenient," you don't stop there. You ask the next question, "Then when?" Pick the year, then reverse engineer it. Someday never makes it onto the calendar. Let's make sure your dream race does.
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 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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