When It Doesn’t Go to Plan

I wanted to share a story and some lessons learned with you today.

The last few weeks of marathon training have been hard. Not physically, but emotionally.

If you work with me weekly, you know that another one of my dogs was recently diagnosed with cancer. The days since then have been filled with vet appointments, researching treatment options, and a constant ache in my chest, wondering what is the best decision is moving forward.

My runs didn’t feel like an outlet anymore, they felt heavy.
Meals were skipped because my stomach was in knots.
Sleep was restless.

I still got the miles in. I showed up for the workouts. But my body didn’t have it in it. I wasn’t producing like I usually do. Trying to force it felt like stuffing a too-full box and hoping the lid would somehow shut. Eventually, I stopped pretending and cut some of my long runs short.

But even in the moments I wasn’t running, the mental back-and-forth was constant:
​Do I go to the race?
Do I cancel to save money or to stay home with my dog?
Do I run for fun? Try to race? Use it as a training run?

Then one of my clients, a seventeen years old, looked at me and said: “You’re giving up before you even get there.”

That hit me hard. I’m not someone who gives up.
Maybe I’m stubborn, maybe it is my identity, maybe I’m afraid of failing.
But quitting isn’t me.

So, I decided....I’m still going. We are using the phrase, "Suck it up and go" 😂​
Even if I don’t hit my A goal, I’m going to give it my all.

My Goals (from A to D):

• A Goal: Hit my target pace
• B Goal: Run a smart, negative split race
• C Goal: Keep my mindset strong, don’t let mental doubt decide the outcome
• D Goal: Finish the race as fast as possible so we can go cheer on Ryan (a massage therapist in our clinic) run some of his Banana Slug Backyard Ultra.

What I’m Doing Differently

To shift the energy and get excited again, I started prepping early:
Playlist = in progress (any song recommendations?)​
Race outfit = picked
Fuel plan = ordered and ready

But here’s the big one: I took a closer look at my fueling.

I thought I was eating enough. However, after spot-checking my carb intake, I realized I was only eating half of what I needed to support my training. HALF! 🤯

So this past week, I intentionally increased my carbs by 100–150 grams per day. Next week, I’ll increase again for carb loading.

I have been amazed by the results.
I repeated a workout from last month and ran 30 seconds per mile faster.
I’m recovering better. I feel better. I’m sleeping better.

There’s a lot that goes into performance, but I believe fueling was a game-changer here.

Why I’m Sharing This

Because I know some of you are carrying heavy things too. I know what it feels like to want to give up, not because you’re lazy, but because you’re tired, life is throwing extra stuff at you, because the world can just feel crappy at times, and/or a trillion other valid reasons.

So here’s what I want to leave you with:

• Dig a little deeper before you give up. Talk to someone. Let them remind you who you are.
• It’s okay to pivot. It’s okay to have backup goals. It’s okay to run for joy.
• And please, please, please fuel yourself.

Carbs are not the enemy. They’re your ally. You don’t need to earn them. You need to use them.

If this resonated, feel free to hit reply and share your story.
And if you’re prepping for your own race, I’m cheering for you.

Run freely,
Adria