A couple weeks ago The Reman Runner talked me into doing a 5K: a race that happened to be a trail course, something I had never done before and certainly wasn’t training for. I convinced myself the three miles without any sort of recent running would be completely fine despite the total lack of preparation. Easy.
In the week leading up to the race, I was listening to motivational speaker Tony Robbins speaking about knowing your outcome. The gist of this podcast was that life throws a million different hurdles and challenges at you, and most of us (myself included) get bogged down by the small picture. In turn, when we look at the greater picture and goal of our life, we can not only overcome those obstacles but trust that the outcome will be worth whatever momentary setback we encounter.
My life the past couple of months had been utterly chaotic and a seemingly never-ending barrage of setbacks blocked my vision. Was my outcome to despair, become overwhelmed, and accept what life had given me? Absolutely not. My outcome was and is to become the best version of myself every day. My outcome is success no matter what the circumstance. My outcome is that I’m not limited by anything or anyone. I’m unstoppable.
Fast forward to that Saturday morning, cold and jittery with nerves, Rani and I took on that trail course. It was an easy enough start, through a field and into the woods we went! As I settled into a decent pace, we came upon our first hill, and I thought about that podcast. Determined to apply this lesson to my life, my outcome was to finish the race without stopping. A simple enough goal, right? Then I encountered another hill… then another one… When one ended another began. The entire course was freakin’ hills. Not so easy.
My legs were burning, a weird wheezing sound was coming from my throat, and my eyes were getting blurry from the constant jarring. I hadn’t told anyone my plan, so what was the big deal if I rested or walked for a while?
Know your outcome.
I ended up chanting my newfound mantra and finished that race without stopping. It was no personal record, but you can bet I was proud of my finish. Did my method seem crazy in the moment? Yep! Did I get some weird looks? Sure. But that’s the great thing about trusting in your end game. That fleeting moment of doubt or awkwardness is always worth it when you achieve your goals and crush that little voice that said you couldn’t, often your own.
 

Louisa is unstoppable. Yes, she will write her first REMAN U article. And yes, she will run that 5K with little to no time to prepare. How? Instead of focusing on the hurdles, The Senorita of Support visualizes the finish line. What’s your outcome? Add your thoughts below or email Louisa directly!