This week reminded me why I run. The reason changes depending on the season of life I’m in.
And right now, I’m not training for a race or chasing a personal best.
I run because sometimes it’s the only place where my mind gets quiet enough to hear what I actually need. (and because I’m on a Run Streak, so there’s that.)
This week was mentally full. Behind the scenes, I spent over 60 hours building systems, planning content, and laying the foundation for the next chapter of Miles.Muscles.Magic. Every day my brain felt like it had twenty tabs open. (No, more like 362 tabs open).
And every day, my run gave me exactly what I needed.
Each episode of Vol.41 follows my W.H.I. Framework: one Win from the week, one ‘Hell No’ (something I’m leaving behind), and one Insight I’m carrying forward.
W.H.I This Week:
🏆 Win: I Hit Day 365 of My Run Streak!
I started my Run Streak the day I turned 40, last year… I still can’t believe I’m typing this out. ONE FULL YEAR of running every day.
Damn. I’m really proud of that.
And one of the best parts was realizing that running became exactly what I needed. It became the place where I processed ideas, solved problems, and gave my brain enough space to breathe.
Some runs helped me process everything swirling around in my head. Others helped me stop thinking altogether.
It also happened to be one of my strongest training weeks in a while.
I completed Week 5 of my fat loss phase (SHRED), I ran 32 miles (the most I’ve run since marathon training last month!), and completed four lifting sessions… all while being about 7-10 days away from getting my period!
🚫 Hell No: Letting go of the Race FOMO
As tempting as it is to sign up for Hyrox races and marathons right now, that’s not the season I’m in. I’m intentionally finishing my SHRED because it’s preparing me for a long muscle-building phase. That means saying no to races for a bit, even the ones I really want to do, because they’re not part of this season. I’m leaving the FOMO behind and choosing to trust the process and vision instead of chasing every fun and exciting event.
💡 Insight: When I’m clear on where I’m going, saying no doesn’t feel like missing out anymore.
The clearer my five-year vision becomes, the easier it is to commit to today’s training. Every workout, every meal, every recovery day becomes another step toward the athlete I want to become, not just another item on my to-do list.
Running Became Exactly What I Needed
For the first time in a long time, every single run felt incredible.
That doesn’t mean they were my fastest. It doesn’t mean they were the prettiest. One day I forgot my watch and almost talked myself into cutting the run short. Another day I picked my route simply based on what I felt like I needed instead of following a perfectly planned course.
There was freedom in that.
Right now, I’m running for time, not pace or mileage. Since I’m in a fat loss phase, running is simply the form of cardio I’ve chosen. I’m intentionally keeping my effort under control because pushing harder would only make recovery more difficult and increase my hunger.
But it was that freedom that made me feel stronger.
On one of my six-mile runs, I glanced down at my watch and realized I was running around my marathon pace without even trying. I wasn’t chasing it. I wasn’t forcing it. I was simply flowing.
I’m falling in love with running again, in a completely new way.
Every season of life has given running a different purpose. Sometimes it’s about performance, sometimes it’s about proving something to myself, sometimes it’s about doing something big. But this season, running has become my therapy.
For the full story and everything this week taught me, you can watch episode 03 of Vol.40 below:
Staying Committed to This Season
I booked a sound bath the day after I hit my Run Streak. I walked in with a head full of to-do lists and all the little tasks that felt urgent. But somewhere in the middle of the session, my focus shifted and instead of asking:
“What do I need to get done today?”
I connected to something much bigger and started asking:
“What’s my five-year vision? And what am I doing today that helps build it?”
That question changed the rest of the day, and the way I looked at everything that followed.
Because the truth is, part of me wants to sign up for every Hyrox race I see. I want to train for another marathon. I want to chase every exciting opportunity.
But that’s not the season I’m in, and that’s okay. You can do it all. Just not all at the same time.
My five-year vision as an athlete includes more muscle, Hyrox, ultramarathons, an Ironman someday… and the only way I’ll become that athlete is if I’m willing to stay committed to the season I’m in today.
Don’t Let the ‘To-Do List’ Run Your Life
While I watched my to-do list float away during the sound bath I thought about so many of the women I get to talk to about their fitness, weight loss and body transformation goals.
Most of them spend all of their energy on the “to-do list”:
How many steps? Which workout? Should I change programs? Should I start over Monday? Should I use a weighted vest? Should I quit sugar?
The “to-do list” (a.k.a. all the shiny things) is endless.
But without a vision, those decisions start to feel random. Every new workout looks exciting. Every new challenge feels urgent. Every exciting thing pulls you in another direction.
When you know exactly where you’re going, those same decisions become much easier.
You stop asking, “What should I do today?”
And start asking, “Does this move me toward the person I’m trying to become? Is this moving me closer to what I say that I want?”
That’s a much better filter. Because the body you want five years (or even one year from now) won’t be built by one perfect workout or one perfect diet…
It’ll be built by choosing the season you’re in, even when something else looks more exciting.
