At mile 71 of a 100-mile race, Katy Duncan stopped. Later, she knew she could have kept going. That moment stayed with her, and when she reached the same point in her next 100-miler, exhausted, hurting and heading into the dark, she made a different choice. She kept moving.

In this episode of Conquer Stories, Katy joins Josh Yakes 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 huge goals become easier when you stop staring 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 with us. 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
Follow Katy Duncan @trainingstronger

CREDITS
Hosted by Joshua Yakes
Guest: Katy Duncan (@trainingstronger)
Produced by Mike Axe
Edited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.