Strategies to Make an Impossible Goal Possible (like going from a non-runner to a marathon runner)

Published in

The Startup

7 min readDec 14, 2019

About a year ago I put my name in the lottery for the Chicago Marathon. When I was selected, my first thought was, “What have I done?” I’m not a runner. While I had run 5K’s, 10K’s, and even a half marathon in the past, I never considered myself a runner. Running has never come easy for me, and frankly, I’m not very good at it. Over the last couple of years, I neglected training and, at the time I submitted my name to the lottery, I was no longer even able to run a 5K. I had been trying to make a comeback to the world of running with no success. I needed something to motivate me, and what better way to do that than setting a goal that I had no choice to commit to, if I was chosen. Well, I was chosen.

Running the marathon, crossing the finish line, and receiving the medal was an incredibly rewarding experience. However, it was the preparing and training that took me to the next level and has given me the confidence to realize I can do just about anything.

The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get. Jim Rohn

Along the way, I learned a lot about how to achieve what was in my mind, an impossible goal. I’d like to share what I learned, to hopefully help someone else run their 1st marathon or achieve some other impossible goal.

Visualize Success

A study conducted by Dr. Biasiotto at the University of Chicago tested the theory of visualization using basketball free shows. He had three groups. Group 1 practiced free shows every day for an hour. Group 2 just visualized themselves making free throws. Group 3 did nothing. After 30 days, the first group improved by 24%. The second group improved by 23% and they had not even touched a basketball. The third group did not improve at all, and that was expected. This study shows that there is a tremendous benefit to mentally rehearsing, or visualizing, what you are trying to accomplish.

When you visualize achieving your goal, you trick your brain into thinking you have already achieved the goal. Your subconscious mind thinks that your visualization is real, giving you the confidence and direction to actually make it real. When you do this visualization, it has to feel like you are actually there. In the above example, the second group experienced actually being at the free throw line feeling the ball, seeing it go into the hoop, and hearing the noise in the crowd when that happened. Visualization is most powerful when you use all the senses.

To prepare for the marathon, I not only visualized crossing the finish line, but also hearing the crowds cheering as I ran through the streets of Chicago and feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment when they put the medal over my head. I visualized saying to myself “I did it. I’m a marathoner!” and I experienced what that felt like, before it even happened.

Visualization is not just for sports. Next time you need to give a big presentation and are nervous about it, try visualizing yourself giving the presentation a few times and having it go well. Visualize the audience clapping after the presentation and feel the sense of accomplishment. Do this a few times, and your subconscious will believe it already happened and give your conscious the confidence to make it a reality.

Use Positive Self-Talk

Everyone has an inner voice that speaks to them during every waking hour. This “self-talk” has been proven to influence our behaviors and attitudes, and ultimately become reality. As suggested by the book “The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer” by Whitsett, Dolgener, and Kole, I developed a self-talk paragraph (or mantra) to use during my training runs and the marathon itself. It was especially useful on the long runs where I was struggling with the feeling of not being able to finish.

I would say these words when I started getting tired or feeling like I couldn’t go on and would even sometimes say them out loud.

“I am strong. I can do hard things. I will keep going until I finish. I will not give up. Pain and exhaustion is temporary. I’ll quit when I’m done.”

Saying these words repeatedly gave me energy and helped me believe I could do it. It helped me gain the strength to keep going.

Positive self-talk can work in any situation, not just running. If you are trying to accomplish the impossible, put together some self-talk that reminds your brain that you can actually do it, say those words to yourself repeatedly, and you’ll be amazed at how your brain responds.

Create a Plan and then Focus ONLY on the Next Step

In his book titled Outperform the Norm, Scott Welle explains that a key fundamental in the success of any athlete is their willingness to embrace and trust the process that leads to their desired outcome. To achieve an impossible goal, you have to create a plan that is made up of small incremental steps or improvements to get you to that desired outcome. You then have to execute that plan and trust that, even if the end goal seems impossible, you will get there if you follow the plan.

Outperformers know it’s about the journey; not the destination. Scott Welle

When I started training for a marathon, I could not even run a 5K. The idea of running 26.2 miles seemed impossible. At the time, it was impossible. If I focused on the 26.2 miles, it would have been so overwhelming that I would have quit. So, I did not focus on 26.2 miles. I used the Hal Higdon Training Schedule and updated my calendar with the plan. I then just focused on what I needed to do that day. Staying focused on those small increments is what helped me to keep going. If you take an impossible goal and break it into small pieces, and just focus on getting through the next small piece, you can accomplish anything.

Accept Failure, Learn from It, and Keep Moving Forward

I had been trying to make a comeback to running for a couple of years but kept failing. Now I am a marathoner. That’s because I didn’t give up. Strength does not come from doing things perfectly, it comes from failing and then picking yourself back up, learning from it, and trying again. Always remember that failure is just one step closer to success, as long as you keep going.

When I first started training, I had a really hard time running the entire distance of my long runs. I ended up walking after a few miles, and after I started walking, I couldn’t get myself to start running again. I felt like a failure and for a moment, was not sure how I’d ever complete those 26.2 miles. After some research, I learned about the Run Walk Run Method by Jeff Galloway. Using trial & error, I figured out what worked best for me, which ended up being running 6 minutes and walking 2 minutes. My failure in running the long training distances is what led me to the solution that helped me complete the marathon way under my goal, never hitting the wall and feeling pretty good at the finish line.

You may fail repeatedly when trying to reach your impossible goal. When that happens, figure out why, adjust, and continue moving forward. You may find like I did that the failure you experience, is what actually leads you to the solution that helps you ultimately succeed.

Surround Yourself with People Who Believe in You & Challenge You

I’m lucky enough to have a really great group of running friends. These are the ones who helped me get out of bed at 6am on the weekends to go do a long run even though that was the LAST thing I wanted to do. They are the ones who provided really great advice based on their marathon experience. They are the ones who believed in me and encouraged me even when I was not sure I could do it. They are the ones who cheered me on at various mile markers and met me at the finish line with a HUGE congratulations and a hug.

When you are trying to accomplish an impossible goal, it helps to have a support group to provide advice, encouragement, hold you accountable, and help you get over the challenges.

Keep Going Even When You Don’t Want To

In his book titled, Lore of Running, Tim Noakes, M.D., explains that most of us can keep going after our brains start telling us to stop. When our brain tells us we can’t go further, we actually still have a little reserve and we actually can push a little harder and still be okay. That is why finishing a marathon is more about mental strength than physical strength.

When training for a marathon, every time you feel you can’t go on and you do, you learn that you can go on. So, the next time you feel like you can’t go on, you push forward anyways because you know you’ve done it before and therefore it’s possible. Part of the training is learning that you can go on even when you think you can’t, so you are able to do that during the marathon when you are pushing yourself further than you ever have.

Accomplishing an impossible goal is going to continuously take you out of your comfort zone. Being out of your comfort zone is going to feel uncomfortable and scary. Your brain is going to tell you to give up. Each time you keep going and do not give up, however, you learn that you are in fact capable. Being able to keep going even when it is uncomfortable and scary is what will allow you to achieve that impossible goal.

Resources for Running Your 1st Marathon