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🎙️ Podcast Title:
When the Old Plan Stops Working: What Running Taught Me About Evolving
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🎧 Episode Script:
Hi friends, and welcome back to Running to Myself—where we talk about the miles we cover on the trail and in life, and how both shape the way we see ourselves and the world.
Today’s episode comes from a question that’s been quietly tugging at me:
Are you trying to use an old set of operating instructions to live a life you’ve outgrown?
It’s a question that has come up not just in my coaching conversations—but in my own journey as well. And the moment it first started to make sense to me... was on a trail.
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A few years ago, I made the shift from running marathons to dipping my toe into the world of trail and ultrarunning. I started with the 50k distance—and I’ve happily stayed there ever since.
Now, for those who don’t love running, this might sound wild: but that extra few miles beyond the marathon distance? It actually felt easier for me in some ways. Not because I was fitter or faster—but because my entire mindset changed.
See, in my earlier years of running, my goals were all about times. Qualifying for Boston. Hitting splits. Running hard.
So my training reflected that. The plan was rigid, intense, and measured by pace and performance. It served me well—until it didn’t.
When I transitioned to trail races and longer distances, especially here in San Antonio where the heat is no joke, I had to let go of those old metrics.
That first 50k was on the first weekend of September—and it was brutal. HOT, humid, unfamiliar. The trail was challenging, the distance was "50k-ish" (because trail races are rarely exact), and nothing about the day looked like what I was used to.
But I was prepared—not just physically, but mentally—because I’d updated my operating instructions.
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Instead of chasing a time, I focused on completion.
Instead of pushing through pain, I listened to what my body needed.
Instead of judging myself by speed, I measured by presence.
I had to build a completely new plan for this new season of running. The old one no longer fit.
And if I had clung to the old training, old mindset, and old expectations… I would have ended that race frustrated, discouraged, and possibly injured.
But because I gave myself permission to evolve, it became one of the most fun and fulfilling race experiences I’ve ever had.
And that is what today’s episode is really about.
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Because maybe you’re not training for a race… but you are in a new season.
You’ve outgrown some of the patterns, mindsets, or routines that once served you.
But instead of updating the system, you’re still trying to run your life with outdated instructions.
And it’s starting to show.
Maybe you’re:
* Exhausted and don’t know why.
* Feeling stuck in patterns you can’t name.
* Less motivated than you used to be.
* Snapping at people you love or second-guessing every decision.
That doesn’t mean you’re broken.
It means something deep in you is ready to change.
✨ You don’t need to do more.
✨ You just need to do something different.
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So here’s your invitation today:
💬 Ask yourself—what am I still doing because it used to work, even though it doesn’t anymore?
* What thoughts used to protect me but now limit me?
* What coping strategies are actually keeping me from healing?
* What plans or roles or stories no longer reflect who I am—or who I want to become?
Updating your operating system isn’t a failure.
It’s growth.
It’s courage.
It’s wisdom.
Sometimes it means slowing down instead of pushing harder.
Sometimes it means asking for help.
Sometimes it means learning to breathe in the uncertainty instead of controlling every outcome.
And just like that first 50k—it might feel new, unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.
But it might also become the most fulfilling experience of your life.
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Thank you for joining me today.
If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear what part of your "old operating system" you’re ready to update. You can always find me over at trishastanton.com or on Facebook at Trisha Shipley Stanton.
And if you're not already subscribed to my weekly emails—where I share gentle encouragement and mindset tools you can use right away—you can join the list at trishastanton.com/signup.
Remember:
You’re not stuck.
You’re being invited to grow.
One step at a time.
One update at a time.
Talk to you soon,
Trisha
