Don't stay stopped, failure and squats with me

Hi all,
This past weekend I had the privilege of serving runners at an aid station at mile 40 and 72 of the Mountain Lakes 100 by Go Beyond Racing. It was pure joy, hugs and smiles. (I can say that, I wasn't running!) While it might seem like training for 100 miles is more than an average person can do, I want to share some take aways from the runners I have coached who have had success at the distance. 

• It isn't about huge mileage every week, but consistent mileage every week for weeks and weeks. If you can keep up 40+ mile weeks for months at a time prior to the race, one piece of the puzzle is in place.
• Everyone I coach has full-time jobs, many have families and other responsibilities. The keys to managing training are 1) having family/close friends that are fully supportive, going as far as enabling training days, taking up slack at home and bringing snacks 2) training takes priority over other hobbies and house projects and brunch for the few months pre-race.
• Big days out happen a handful of times in the training cycle and sometimes this means missing a day of work, rearranging schedules or night runs.
• Recovery, proper fueling, strength work and easy days are prioritized and taken AS SERIOUSLY as long runs. 

If it seems absolutely impossible to run 100 miles but you are curious about what it takes, send me an email and let's chat. 
FEAR OF FAILURE
"Fear of failure is a complex issue in sports psychology, simply because every athlete experiences it in different ways. However, it does cause most athletes to focus on avoiding challenges. When you are focused on what you don’t want to happen during an event or race, it’s nearly impossible to perform with high confidence, trust and composure." A few signs that you may have a fear of failure:

• Too much focus on results and not enough focus on the moment 
• Belief that your self worth is tied to your performance
• Thinking that your race finish will make you more appealing to your community
• You get so nervous/tight/anxious that you can not perform your sport to your potential

DON'T STAY STOPPED
After 2,000 days running over 5 miles a day, Chris Guillebeau writes, "The never-miss-two rule is probably even better than building a nonstop, never-miss chain of events. When you break a perfect streak, you feel discouraged and might not want to start over. The other way of thinking of it—just pick it right back up if you stop—is potentially much more useful. The grammar isn’t perfect, but you could also think of it as “Don’t stay stopped.” Shake it off and get back up! Don’t miss two in a row."

BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFICATIONS 
Today it was announced that more than 12,000 runners who qualified for the Boston marathon will not be invited to run due to record high numbers of applicants. Runners had to be 6:51 faster than the posted qualifying time for their age group to actually secure a spot. The Boston Athletic Association has announced that qualifying times for the 2026 will be five minutes faster than current times, but running those posted times will likely still not get you a spot since this year even running the new time standard you would still have needed to be almost two minutes under. Personally, I love clear rules. Moving targets do not spark joy. Running the advertised time and then not making it in the race really irks me. My heart has been broken by Boston enough times that I should unfriend and unfollow. If you are interested in coaching to qualify for Boston, please be ready for a broken heart and running for at least 10 minutes under the advertised standard. 

SQUATS WITH ME
Tomorrow and every Wednesday, you are invited to do squats with me. And balance drills. And band work. And all the fun we can fit into 30 minutes. Find out more here and I hope to see you on my screen tomorrow. 

Dana