finish.  That’s the power of focus.  He went from a 3:54 to a 3:11 in about 24 months.  I just read today on social media that he’s gunning for a sub-3 finish next fall.  My training partner Brian toughed out a 3:33 at Baystate to get his 2020 qualifier.  We had another long-time friend of the show finally get the sub-3:30 she’d been chasing for years at, I think Amsterdam.  Great examples of sticking with it and doing the work to get the goal.  My race?  Well, you’ll have to listen to the race report I’m wrapping around this episode. … When you have a situation like Molly’s it clears away all the bullshit in your life.  It makes me ask the question why we can’t get this clarity until it is forced upon us by some crisis?  We all have the power to do what we want, to do what is right and to do what makes us happy.  Why don’t we? It’s because we are too busy trying to live the life that we think we are supposed to.  No one gave us a manual on how to live a healthy life.  The manual we got was to keep in line and do all the ‘right’ things and at some point the reward would come.  It’s probably time to update the manual.  What I would add is… Don’t wait until your name is called.  Don’t pretend to be happy living the life you think you’re supposed to live.  You only get this one life.  You only get this one now.  Respect yourself, accept yourself and do what YOU want to do.  I don’t mean to go Tony Robbins on you, but unless you can come to grips with who you are and what you want the world is just going to spin by.  So get busy with that, would ya? On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Baystate part 1http://runrunlive.com/vapor-flys-and-dead-squirrels   Voices of reason – the conversation Molly Marco Great links:   Imerman Angels   Gilda’s Club (Detroit— though they are in NY, LA, & others)   Look on Twitter for monthly chats regarding breast cancer & brain cancer, for example— using hashtags: #bcsm (breast cancer social media), #btsm (brain Tumor social media).    There are great organizations, depending on the type of cancer— and usually some fun races!   I just did Head for the Cure 5K in Detroit last month— that one is great! Do some google searches and you can find some great organizations near you.   Section two – BayState part 2 - http://runrunlive.com/vapor-flys-and-dead-squirrels Outro Thank you my friends for joining me for Episode 4-397 of the RunRunLive Podcast unless you gave up halfway through, then you’re not here anymore.  What am I going to do now?  I’m going to rest a bit.  Take some time off, gain some weight and get my head right, get my passion back.  Running, when you do it right is a clear a crisp beacon of passion.  When you do it wrong you get your ass kicked.  I’ve got some fun races in the fall.  There’s the traditional Thanksgiving 5K in Ayer.  Then the Mill Cities Relay with my club.  And, of course, the last Sunday in December, the 30th, we will gather for the Groton Marathon, which is a made up race of any distance and any pace you want to run with me and my friends up in Groton Massachusetts – you can visit the website at grotonmarathon.com. Come up and play with us.  Last weekend when I was in the pace pack people kept asking me how many marathons I’d run.  I didn’t know how to answer.  Do I count the ultras? Do I count those training runs that were longer than 26.2?  If that’s the case I think I ran 8 marathons over the summer! I’m going to continue to count Groton. Even though it’s a made-up race.  Come up and join me.  We’ll jog a casual 4:00 hour marathon and tell tall tales.  I told coach we have a full gym at the place I work now.  I told him he should teach me how to use the heavy bag because it always looks cool when people are kicking and punching it on TV! Next summer I think I’ll do a mountain biking cycle, I miss it.  Find an epic race that rewards endurance and doesn’t penalize lack of skill.  Before that I’ve got a qualified ticket to the 2019 Boston Marathon.  I haven’t requalified there since 2010.  Maybe that’s a worthy goal? … I have another trick for you when you are in uncomfortable situations where you feel like you have imposter syndrome.  This one is the ‘super-hero avatar’ trick.  It’s appropriate for Halloween.  Maybe I should have used it last Sunday! The trick is to think of someone real or imagined who is fantastic in these situations.  They are the superhero of whatever this situation you are afraid of. Picture them engaging the crowd, wowing the opposition, swaying everyone with their charisma and drive.  They are epitome of the pro you wish you were.  Got that person in your head?  Got them visualized?  Ok, now give them a name.  A cool name.  A superhero name.  Like “Crusher” or “T-Rex”.  Got it? Ok now next time you go into a situation that scares you think about how Crusher or T-Rex would handle it.  Visualize what they would do.  Now put their avatar in front of you like a projection.  Even better step into that projection like putting on a costume.  Live that situation through your super hero’s eyes and actions.  What would Crusher do in this situation?  What would T-rex do? Try that.  It might not help, but it’s fun. What the heck do you have to lose?  Life is short.  Live it like you mean it. And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -