It's a sprint IN the marathon

At mile 18, I hit a wall.

It was my first (and so far only) marathon, my calves were cramping so bad I wanted to cry, and I didn't know if I was going to finish the race.

Six months of training, hundreds of miles logged in the process, and already 18 miles in, I had a choice to make: I could give up, or I could keep going.

I slowed to a walk then paused by the side of the road to stretch. I could not imagine running another 8 miles. But I started walking again, and I decided to just focus on one mile at a time.

I started jogging, then had to walk again. Mile 19. Then I jogged some more, walked some more. Then I started jogging and kept jogging. Mile 20. I doubled down on hydration at the next aid station. Mile 21, the furthest I'd ever run consecutively. Miles 22, 23, 24...

A mile from the finish, I threw off my hydration pack. Feeling lighter, I started to pick up the pace.

And then I could see it: the finish line. As soon as I caught sight of it, I started all-out sprinting.

As a runner, I've always been a sprint-to-the-finisher.

My cross-country coach used to yell at me for this, said I wasn't pacing myself properly if I still had that much gas in the tank at the end.

While he may have been right about the pacing thing then, I've learned to do that over the years, and still, there's just something about the finish line that always lights a fire under me.

That feeling carries over to life at this time of year too. I get to December and it's like a game to see how many goals I can still realize before the end of the year.

I reach an article recently that put this tendency in perspective for me. Though time is a fabricated construct, we humans love to think in terms of endings and beginnings. They're just more tangible to us.

Maybe you can relate. If so, I dare you to go all-out on your goals this week. Sprint to the finish line. Or maybe jump the gun and get a head start on next year's goals.

As for me, by New Year's Eve at midnight, I'm planning to

• finish at least 2 more books

• go on 3 more hikes to get to my yearly goal of 52

• post every day on my Instagram page

• coach the hell out of my 1:1 clients on their goals

• not sacrifice self-care in the pursuit of accomplishment

Maybe this sounds like torture to you and you're the kind of person who goes into deep hibernation mode this time of year to rest. That's okay too.

Wherever you are, I know you're multipassionate and recognize the interconnectedness of your overall well-being. You know that healthy nutrition is vital to fuel you. You know movement is essential for your energy. And you know that your mindset affects & is affected by it all.

That's why I'm kicking off January with multiple cooking classes, extra fitness classes, and my signature Radical Reset group coaching program.

Whether you're coasting it in, sprinting to the finish line, or jumping the gun this last week of the year, I can't wait to see you in January and help you synergize whatever aspect of your well-being you most need to work on now.

With Fierce Love,

Chazz