Dealing with Marathon and Ultra Marathon Training Challenges

No matter what you are training/running for, you will face obstacles in your training. Some will appear big and scary and take time to work through, and some will be simple and easy to get around. Just as in life, we can't always predict or change what challenges come our way, but we can control how we respond to them. 
I was recently talking to a runner about her training and she talked about the idea of training for a marathon was difficult to grasp. While two months of training consistently was tough to manage, how would she be able to do it for 6-9 months? Something would certainly come up and "derail" her training. So she wondered, "Why even bother?"

I told her that was true. Something would come up and maybe even lots of things would come up that she would have to work through. I told her to look at these challenges as hurdles instead of derailing her training. Adjusting your perspective on these challenges can make a huge difference. Each hurdle creates an opportunity for growth and learning, instead of your training derailing and you giving up. You are in control of how you respond to each hurdle.

I want you to think about this in your own training. Are you holding back? Are you pushing your goals aside because fear of failure? I know I am. So what if you don't make the race, or run as fast as you wanted. What's the worst that happens then? You won't know what you are capable of until you give it a shot again, and again, and again! Your goals may change, but don't give up. There is no time like the present!