Feature story: The thing about doing hard things
Inspired by athlete Anna McKenna, you can check out her athlete interview here.
Read time 2 minutes
By Michelle Bates, Editor Trailrunningthings.com
I have been fortunate enough to have spent a little time getting to know Anna. We instantly got along, I mean, it is hard not to get along with a ray of sunshine like Anna. We have taken some long walks together and chit-chatted about all kinds of things. Life things. Nothing things. Hard things. Coffee. More coffee.
Anna is a hard-things-doer. We refer to ‘doing hard things’ when we check in before doing said hard things.
Anna’s ability to do such hard things, physically and mentally, inspires me to do hard things myself. Things that old versions of myself would be blown away by. I cheer Anna on from the other side of the world in awe of what she and endurance athletes manage to push through. The kind of hard things that I cannot fathom, but understand is in the realm of human possibility. Much like when man first went to the moon, it opened up the idea that didn’t equate to us all going to the moon, but removed the limit that it was impossible.
What do you tell yourself when you are doing something hard or experiencing something hard? This is how Anna has positively impacted my life, by gifting me with belief in myself, especially in hard moments. To reach for the simple words “I can do hard things” has been a mental game changer.
The beginning years of trail running are filled with so many moments of pushing through pre-conceived limits, going further than you thought was possible, and doing hard things. Hard things are different for everyone. It might be getting out for a 3km run after work, or it might be doing the Barkley Marathon that only a handful of people have ever finished. This month, the first female to ever complete the Barkley Marathon, British ultra-runner Jasmin Paris, achieved this new height of hard things.
The thing about doing hard things is that once our mind starts adjusting into the belief that we can in-fact do hard things, the world shifts.
We can go further, and dig deeper than we ever thought we were capable of.
You can do hard things.
You are a hard-things-doer.
Thank you for your time and interest in this content
Our mission: We are creating this space to support new trail runners, with the sport exploding in popularity. We are also supporting the growth of the sport by connecting new trail runners to elite athletes. We are doing this to connect them to athletes to support and follow, as a source of inspiration and learning. Embedding them further into the sport. Promoting safety and care for the environment with the growth of the sport is vital. We are connecting new trail runners to their local trail running communities, as a way to foster the special culture that trail running enjoys. We believe that is best done through community and knowledge sharing on a local level.
It is not expected at all, your time is gift enough, but if you are in a position to do so, we would love the gift of a coffee to help fuel our work. Sharing our content with someone who might find it valuable is another way that you can support us if shouting a coffee is not viable. But as I said, your time is gift enough. Thank YOU.
Happy, safe trails everyone.