This isn't Hard; How I'm Running 50 miles

If you follow me on Instagram you are probably very aware that I’m training for my first 50 mile ultramarathon.

To say that it’s time consuming is a big understatement. Over half of my life currently is running, preparing to run, recovering from running, or thinking about running.

It’s a lot, especially the thinking part. What very few people know about training for this distance is that more than physical, it’s mental.

That has been especially true lately as not only the distance is increasing, but my coach is starting to sprinkle in sprinting efforts. Efforts that on paper look impossible and totally freak me out. And while these runs look hard (some of them really freaking hard!) in reality, they aren’t.

Let’s rewind a bit and go back to when my definition of "hard" took on a whole new meaning.

It started with the bombshell revelation from my husband of seven years decided he didn’t love me (and wasn’t sure he even did). Then moving out of the home we had built together, the one I was so proud to have was another blow. It felt like dismantling the dreams we had woven into every corner of that space. That was hard.

Settling into the new normal and battling major self confidence issues post divorce was hard.

And then came my dad’s long battle with cancer where I would split my week into spending time with him to try and makes sure he was living his best life, while to trying to help my mom, work full time and be a decent human. Those years were hard.

Not even 24 hours after my Dad’s funeral, I also lost my brother in law completely unexpected and had to navigate the proper way to still mourn my Dad, but be a love and support for my husband. That was a hard I didn’t know could exist.

Sustaining a small business during a recession, navigating through financial uncertainties is hard.

Yes, the sprints demand dedication and effort. But they are NOTHING compared to what “hard” really means. Often times I remind myself of this by yelling “THIS ISN’T HARD” when I want to stop sprinting.

I think for many people, they view taking care of their health as hard. But the honest truth is, just because you don’t want to do something doesn’t mean it’s hard. It feels hard because we have made that our mindset. But many actions that are in our control are not hard, you just have to take that action. You got this.