162. What Running Has Taught Us About Doing Hard Things
What started as a way to blow off some steam turned into half-marathons, early morning runs, sore muscles, and a whole lot of lessons about doing hard things. In this episode, Jena and Mary Pat talk about how running has challenged what they thought their bodies were capable of and what it has taught them about discipline, resilience, comparison, and making time for themselves in the middle of busy seasons of life.
They talk about starting from very different places, learning to embrace slow runs and recovery, fueling for longer distances, avoiding injury, and realizing that you don't have to be an athlete to become a runner. They also get very honest about the less glamorous side of running… including nervous bathroom emergencies, cornfields, and the surprising freedom of ditching your underwear.
Most importantly, they talk about how building physical resilience can help us carry the other hard things life throws at us and why sometimes the biggest victory is simply proving to yourself that you can do something you once thought was impossible.
In this episode:
How Jena and Mary Pat accidentally became runners
Why you don't have to be an athlete to start running
Learning to slow down and embrace easy runs
Fueling, hydration, and what they wish they'd known sooner
Injuries, recovery, and the importance of not rushing the process
The mental game of running and pushing past what your brain tells you
Comparison and learning to run your own race
Finding time to run as a mom
The very real (and very funny) bathroom side of running
Building resilience through physical challenges
Learning that you're capable of more than you think
Keeping fitness in perspective and remembering what matters most
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