Flooded
What I told my team at Week 5 of training - and what I had to tell myself.
Waking up thought bubble…. Ugh I don't have time today to train/exercise/move.
I have to… (fill in the blank - catch a flight, take my kid/parent/spouse to the doctor, submit a proposal, give a presentation, see a client, write a blog post, you get the picture).
Just typing these scenarios spikes my cortisol and induces shortness of breath.
This is real. Really real for most of us.
I am training with 18 VITAL Adventurers right now, preparing for either the August VITAL Kenai or September Dolomite Adventure.
Both are multiday trekking expeditions that involve miles and elevation and therefore demand strength and endurance, not the kind of adventure you show up for hoping you're ready, but rather one you earn by investing months of consistent effort and strength training.
At VITAL, we outline the strength and conditioning program down to the day. Outside of the weekly long hike, it typically takes an hour to train.
We invite experts on the trail and nutrition to share their advice, and we track progress together as a team along the way. The goal is both encouragement and accountability to self and the team.
Beyond the physical numbers, I've also started something newer: team check-ins to get a pulse on where heads are - not just legs and lungs.
Most recently, I checked in with Team Kenai at Week 5 of their 12-week program.
The question I ask is how do you feel about your training, your gear, your fueling plan - right now?
The emotional temperature of the zoom room was honest: Answers were…"overwhelmed", "rushed", "flooded", "frozen", "eager"....
Unfiltered honesty. My word was "flooded".
This is us. This is life.
Rarely do I have someone who says this is the perfect time for me to say yes to a big, bold, audacious goal or experience. I hear more often, if not now, when?
So that brings me to what I hope to convey to my teammates and you.
Yes. You have a training plan. You have a team of people supporting you. You have a really exciting goal approaching.
Yet inevitably life gets in the way of sticking to plan and all that negative self-talk and stories flood your thoughts, and you beat yourself up for missing a few miles or days of training.
Here's the moment where I like to set a gentle VITAL reset to that old story in your head.
Training for something big rarely happens in a vacuum. It happens while running businesses, raising kids, carrying stress, making hard decisions, and trying to stay steady inside it all.
The VITAL PATH - from first 'why' to the habits you carry home.
This isn't accidental, by the way. VITAL's Personal Growth Advisor, Eric Olson, built our resilience framework around three phases: create clarity, connect deeper, commit to act. That check-in call? That's clarity. Naming "flooded" out loud in front of the team? That's connecting deeper. What comes next is committing to act.
And this is where the deeper work begins. Missing a workout is not failure. Let it go. It's feedback.
Brené Brown draws that same line: "Shame is 'I am bad.' Guilt is 'I did something bad.'" Missing a workout isn't who you are — it's just something that happened.
So take a moment and notice your barriers, bumps in the road, or blockers. Think about what you can do to show up for yourself, even if for only 15 minutes of training vs 60 minutes.
Here's how I give myself that grace when life is maxing out.
Personally I have a Travel Training Tip that I use if I'm traveling for business or pleasure, don't have equipment, time or a gym. I focus on 3 key strength moves and walking and this keeps the muscles engaged and building and takes no real thought to do in under 20 minutes.
My VITAL travel training routine - it works.
3 sets of pushups
3 sets of squats
3 sets of core (birddog, deadbug, bicycle combo)
My VITAL travel training routine is simple by design: 3 sets of pushups, 3 sets of squats, sets of core (birddog, deadbug, bicycle combo). If I have the time, I incorporate 30 min of walking whether it be to a meeting, to a restaurant, or an early morning tour by foot.
Stop beating yourself up. Simply begin again the next day with a kinder, gentler tone to your inner voice reminding you this is all feedback.
Adjust. Communicate. Keep going.
This is why we built VITAL the way we do - not just for physical preparation, but for reflection, support, and the reminder that how we show up for the trail often mirrors how we show up for our lives.
The mountain will ask a lot of us.
But maybe the real training is learning how to meet that ask with less shame, more grace, and deeper trust in ourselves.
xx Libby