Hi, and welcome to the your good news podcast. With me your host, Katherine Getty. It's easy to believe the news around us that the world is dark and the future is the same. But what if we chose something different? What if we chose to find the good news each day? This podcast is a collection of interviews with friends, mentors, colleagues on their good news and some solo episodes on inspiration I find from business to health to politics, and kind of everything in between. It's my hope you leave with a boost and find your good news. Welcome back to another episode of The your good news podcast. It's me your host, Katherine Getty. As I start every episode, some good news. And right now my good news is this podcast, I've said it before. But I have so much joy, being able to share stories of some really amazing people doing so much good. I've been recording a lot as of late and pouring my heart into finding some new guests for you for the summer. And I'm just really abuzz. This podcast is such a bright spot. And I'm so honored, you joined me this week. And I am so grateful for my producers at the epicenter podcast. They're amazing. So go check out all their amazing podcasts. But thank you all this is an amazing, amazing bit of good news for me. So with that in mind, what is your good news today, there's got to be something one little thing to hold on to. For the meat of the episode, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on the last few months of setting a goal of running and sharing what good and bad I found along the way. So to set the scene right before my half marathon, which I ran in early May 2020. I heard this song friends by Ella Henderson. The words hit me like a ton of bricks and captured my heart. And one of the line says there'll be good times there will be hard times and he ain't close to broken yet. There's going to be more about this song and the role it played in my in my heart and in my run. But I wanted to set the stage of friends have meant so much in the school setting process. These words made me think of just so many people who helped support me on the dream, this goal of crossing finish lines. And it made me think of the importance of reflection of thinking how goal starts, how it struggles, how it can triumph and go through that process multiple times. And so that's what today's episodes about goals, starting struggling and triumphs. So first it start each year, I take time to make a vision board. And I don't for one second think that cutting out magazines is going to determine my year. But it really gives me some quiet time to distill down what the previous year has meant to think of and to dream of the next year. And it helps me feel prepared and helps me feel a little bit clearer for the year ahead. So when I sat down and 2021 December 2021, I thought about what I wanted to see, in 2022, I hoped for health and happiness for myself and my family, for safety for a new space for clarity, for travel. And then I felt the edge to set a goal. I felt like I hadn't had a goal that really scared me like really scared me or challenged me physically, and some time. And I came to the idea of running, because I had so many amazing friends who loved running. I did not and so I thought well, this is gonna stretch me and I just signed up for races as fast as I could thinking. If I signed up, there was a higher likelihood that I would not back out. And that theory that theory held true.
I did finish the race as I signed up for but when I wrote it down, if I'm being honest, I instantly got nervous. I got worried if I could do it worried if I would fail worried what folks would think of me and worried what I think of myself have you had this little running dialogue in your brain too. But then it also hit me and I've talked about this idea before I decided that if I was going to let the narrative of I can't achieve this be my truth. Then I'd also have to live with that regret the regret of not trying of not stretching myself. So almost the next day. I went to my local running store after signing up for these races shout out pacers and I awkwardly bought some shoes. I got suited and booted and I just headed out. So for the goals struggle All those first few runs and runs along the way. Well, they sucked. They made those voices of why do this be so much louder. But then I found a plan that laid out how to chase the goal of a 10 mile or which was going to be the first race I was going to do. And I just started doing him. I gave myself shorter goals, I learned tricks along the way, I was bullied by good friends who just kept believing in me, when I felt like maybe I couldn't go on. And then I would have some good runs, and the confidence would start to build. And I learned so much from each time I lace up my shoes and headed out, I started to learn that it's a lot of mental fortitude, mental toughness, that good and bad runs are a part of the process. And I just started to like the challenge of getting one step closer to the goal. And as the first long run came, I got so nervous. I didn't want to do it. I psyched myself out. But I just, I went, and I am beyond grateful to you, BJ and thank you listeners for letting me do a direct to one person. But BJ, you got me ready. You spoke support over me. And you played as much logic as I needed to get through that first run. And wouldn't you know it? We did it? Why did it? The first long grind was eight miles and I did it on a Saturday afternoon. And if I'm honest, I share this story in the struggle section because I think it's important to look back on this tough times, it's important to think about the voice that tells you you can't do it, and just putting one foot in front of the other, taking it step by step. I think oftentimes that voice we all know it can be so loud, it's deafening. But I also think about what if we just tried and that's kind of what the struggle was for me. Each run was it was a victory. Each time I laced up those shoes as a victory not obviously crossing the finish line was going to be a victory. But it was in the having the tough runs and learning a lesson and applying it to the next that struggle that adversity got me so ready. And so if I fast forward a couple of weeks, it was cherry blossom 10 miler day, a race that as a you know Washingtonian that's lived here for nine years, I've always wanted to do the cherry blossom two miler, it's in early April, the weather is typically pretty nice. The cherry blossoms, if it's time to write, are blooming. And it's just a beautiful time in DC. But I was very nervous, unsure of how I would feel unsure what the grace, if it was going to be too cold, how my knee was going to hold out. I had, I played every, you know, scenario in my head. Pretty good at that. But as I stood on the line, I instantly started thinking about how today how that race was the cherry on top, how I had done everything I needed to do. I had had the long runs, had the short runs, done the strength training, done the PT. And I just wanted to enjoy it, to listen to the playlist and just start going. And so for a goals, triumphs. So there could be waterworks in this section. So forgive me if I tear up on this part. You know, a part of the goal, like I said was I wanted to do something that absolutely scared me to do something that I knew would stretch me. But what I learned about myself, what I learned was so much more than my body's physical capability.
I learned how disciplined I am, how I can set a plan and use it, how I could modify for injury and I didn't let my ego get in the way. I learned how to ask for help a little bit more. And it's still a muscle I need to work on. But it felt so good to realize the support system that was with me along the way. And I'm so grateful for that I I also learned the strength and beauty of my body. Those words, just saying them hasn't always been easy and isn't always easy. And I often I often struggle with my body image. But what I learned was how amazing my body is, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned that. You know, I say she and I were a team over the last few months and in a way that I don't think I've ever really experience and those lessons, the knowing I can do something is something I want to incorporate more. I also learn more about my support system. Q How Ella Henderson's song friends comes to play in and I just took the idea of friends and I dedicated miles to them. So as I got ready for my half marathon, I thought I could run each mile for a different person or a group of people. And that was definitely a mind trick to help break it down a little bit more, but it gave me such purpose running and I am just so grateful I was able to think about the people that means so much to me, and I I know you all know who you are. Probably don't say it enough. So thank you. Thank you for being my rocks. Thank you for believing in me, when sometimes I didn't think I could do it. And I share all of these stories about running. Because I think we all have a quiet dream. I think we all have something that we've put on the shelf. And I just hope that you'll think about maybe Dustin that puppy off and, and going to chase it. Find friends who will go with you find resources around you find ways to incorporate yourself into that goal and just do it. This life is too short. And wouldn't you rather live from a place of I did it I tried, versus I didn't even give it a chance. Thank you for listening to today's episode. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to think about goals from its starts its struggles, its triumphs, water are those goals for you. I know you got one. Thank you again also for listening to today's episode of The your good news podcast. If you love the orga news podcast, why don't you just go ahead and subscribe. Each week each Thursday a new episode will be ready for you and leave a review these little actions, pay huge dividends and help the podcast grow. Also follow me on Instagram. My handle is at Katherine Getty. And for more content on this topic. Just look there. Check it out Instagram. And join us next week for another episode of The York good news podcast.