In ultra running, failure is part of the sport. If you stay in this long enough, you will experience it. The real question is not whether you will fail, but whether failure will stop you or make you stronger.

In this episode, I talk about why DNFs and missed goals feel so threatening, and how fear of failure quietly shapes the races you choose, and most importantly, how to fail better. Failing better is not about avoiding DNFs. It is about learning deeply from them so you race smarter, build real confidence, and keep improving over decades.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/44

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Loop courses tend to bring up one big worry for runners: boredom. Almost every time someone tells me they’ve signed up for a loop race, they immediately follow it with, “But what if I get bored?” I used to think the same way. Repeating the same terrain, passing your car every lap, and feeling like you’re not making forward progress can sound mentally exhausting before the race even starts.

In this episode, I explain why boredom feels so threatening in loop courses, how the common strategies runners use to handle it actually make things harder, and three powerful ways to rethink loop races so they work for you instead of against you.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/43

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When you miss a week of training, a key long run, or a stretch of workouts, it doesn’t just disrupt your schedule, it rattles your confidence. This week, I talk about what’s really happening when missed training starts to feel like a disaster, and why that panic has very little to do with the miles you missed.

This episode will help you rethink what “being ready” really means, let go of the false promise of perfect preparation, and show up to your race with more flexibility, confidence, and curiosity. When you stop fighting uncertainty and start working with it, you free yourself to run the race that’s actually available to you and sometimes, that race turns out better than the one you planned.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/42

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Choosing a race is easy. Staying committed to it when things get hard is not. If you’ve ever found yourself coasting, quitting, or losing interest mid-race, this episode will help you understand why. More importantly, it will give you a clear framework for choosing races that energize you instead of draining you, so when things get hard, you actually want to keep going.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/41

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If you've ever stood at a starting line feeling like you didn't belong, or felt like you were out of your depth while everyone else knew what they were doing, this episode is for you.

I'm covering something that causes trouble for a lot of ultra runners: that nagging feeling that you don't belong in a race, or maybe in ultra running at all. Tune in to discover why waiting to feel like you belong keeps you stuck and how deciding you belong right now can free you to actually run the race you've been dreaming about.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/40

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A year from now, there's going to be a version of you. She'll either be someone who's run the races and done the things you're dreaming about right now, or she'll still be sitting where you are today, wishing she had.

In this episode, you'll learn exactly how to meet your future self, build her, and commit to her throughout the year. This approach works differently in your brain and heart than traditional goal-setting because humans are wired to take care of people they love - and your future self deserves that same care.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/39

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Do you believe extraordinary things can happen, even when everything looks hopeless? In this episode, I share why staying open to possibilities you can't currently see might be the most powerful mindset shift you can make as an ultrarunner.

After 30 years in this sport, I've witnessed the impossible happen over and over again - runners finishing races that should have broken them, overcoming obstacles that seemed insurmountable, succeeding when failure felt inevitable. Some people call this hope, some call it delusion, but I call it a powerful mindset that works.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/38

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Coming back after a break in your training can feel like staring up at an impossible mountain. Whether it’s from the holidays or life getting in the way, the first run back can feel overwhelming.

In this episode, I tackle the mental hurdle of returning to training after time off. A lot of runners fear they’re starting from scratch, but that mindset keeps you stuck. I’ll break down three common thought errors that make it harder than it needs to be. You’ll learn why your pre-break fitness wasn’t actually your peak and how your experience can help you come back stronger and smarter.

For full show notes, transcript PDF, and more information, visit https://www.susanidonnelly.com/37

Connect with Susan:

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