The Mile After You Want to Quit

At mile 71 of a 100-mile race, Katy Duncan stopped. Later, she knew she could have kept going. That stayed with her enough that she made a video for her future self with one message: don’t quit again. So when she reached that same point in her next 100-miler, exhausted, hurting and heading into the night, she kept moving. In this episode of Conquer Stories, Katy sits down with Josh to talk about how running helped her through a difficult time in her life and eventually took her from training for a half marathon to running 100 miles. They talk about what happens when your body is telling you to stop, why a huge goal gets easier when you stop looking at the whole distance, and how the lowest points can teach you something you carry into the next attempt. For Katy, sometimes 100 miles has to become the next aid station. Then the next one. And when the race gets dark, those miles still count. You may be moving slower. You may not feel strong. You may not feel like you are making enough progress. You are still moving forward. That applies to a lot more than running. Quitting once does not erase the work you already did. A setback does not make everything before it meaningless. And the moment you wanted to stop does not have to decide what happens the next time you get there. Sometimes the most important mile is the one after you wanted to quit. YOUR NEXT STEP Think about something in your life that feels overwhelming when you look at the whole thing. Now stop looking at the whole thing. What is your next marker? The next conversation. The next workout. The next decision. The next day. The next step. Get there first. Then find the next one. And if you have stopped before, ask yourself what that experience taught you that you can use this time. Share what you are conquering in the comments. Someone may need to hear something you have to say. CHAPTERS 00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light? 00:27 Meet Katy Duncan 01:58 What Are You Conquering? 02:25 Why Katy Started Running 03:47 From Half Marathon to 100 Miles 05:08 What Running 100 Miles Really Takes 05:44 Recreational Suffering 06:31 One More Step Forward 07:29 Expect the Unexpected 08:16 Preparing for 100 Miles 09:25 Make the Impossible Smaller 11:26 When Your Body Tells You to Stop 11:40 Quitting at Mile 71 12:25 Deciding Not to Quit Again 14:35 When the Race Goes Dark 15:18 The Dark Miles Still Count 15:47 Progress Does Not Have to Be Fast 16:34 Why a Setback Is Not the End 17:45 The Message Katy Left Herself 18:10 Another Reason to Stop 20:13 When an Ultramarathon Starts to Look Like Life 20:58 What Comes Next WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW Watch, listen and follow Conquer: https://conquerjournal.conquerallthin... Follow Katy Duncan:   / trainingstronger   CREDITS Hosted by Joshua Yakes Guest: Katy Duncan Produced by Mike Axe Edited by Derek Kedell Theme Song From Mike Axe Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things. #ConquerAllThings #ConquerStories #KatyDuncan #Ultramarathon #Resilience #Running