The benefits and value of having a run coach even if you aren’t a professional runner. “If you want to be one of those people who reaches your best, whatever that is, then a coach is going to be the person who's gonna help you get there.

Letting go of the misconception of perfection.  Letting go of the idea of a perfect race. Just focus on doing the little things right.

Kids pick up what you do, not what you say. Marcus reminds us of the importance of modeling behaviors for kids because they are watching all the time. He says he’s mindful of getting and training and coming back day in and day out because those are the actions he wants to show his kids.

Even when external circumstances impact a race or training, it’s important to accept and move on. He shared that during the Boston Marathon of 2018 when the weather was terrible,  he had to switch off from what was happening.“I had to accept that the weather is terrible and that I was going to get through it,” he said. “Just one foot at a time.”

Running is like a mirror exposing our weaknesses. But it’s the practice of facing those things that you learn the most about yourself. Life is challenging and there will be more things that will try and knock you down. More challenges down the road, but if you take a breath and see your own worth, you’ll realize you are good enough and have everything you need to make it through them.

As co-founder of Black Trail Runners with Sabrina Pace-Humphries, Marcus says the goal of the group is to one day not have to have it exist with that name, but right now it is very much needed in order to help people feel comfortable running in outdoor spaces and feel included.

“We just need to appreciate that if someone's lived experience isn't the same as ours, we should still listen to them and we should still trying to pay them some kind of respect.”

Inclusion needs to transcend just being included on covers of magazines. Of course, that’s an important step, but the real questions are: Who is making decisions to put the person in the magazine? Who's making decisions about what they wear? Who's making decisions of how it's presented? We need to have that kind of representation in the places that matter.

As yourself: What am I doing to be a better person, a better human for my community?

 Resources

Thank you to Momentous, Tracksmith, and Goodr for sponsoring this episode.

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Thank you to Marcus, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.