Breathe, Run, Be Yourself

More Than Splits and Strava

Every once in a while, a conversation reminds me that endurance sports aren’t really about endurance sports. They’re about being human.

That realization hit me again during a recent Fireside Chat when I sat down with Laura Birch. Laura is a nervous system regulation coach who helps people, especially moms, find calm in a world that constantly asks them to do more, be more, and somehow still look polished while doing it.

And if you’re an endurance athlete reading this, you probably know that feeling well.

Training plans. Splits. Pace targets. Mileage goals.

Somewhere along the way, it becomes easy to forget that the person doing the running matters just as much as the running itself.

The Power of Something Simple

Laura’s journey started in a place that many people quietly understand: anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, and the feeling that your nervous system is stuck in overdrive.

Her solution wasn’t complicated.

It was breath.

Most of us breathe in short, shallow bursts through our mouths, especially when stress creeps in. According to Laura, that pattern tells our bodies to stay in stress mode. But when we slow things down and breathe deeply through our noses, something remarkable happens: the nervous system starts to regulate.

Calm returns. Focus returns. Peace shows up.

In Laura’s case, even her ADHD symptoms dramatically improved.

All from learning how to breathe correctly.

It’s wild to think that the same breath we rely on during a hard interval session might also be the key to calming our minds when life gets chaotic.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---

The Courage to Be Real

Another part of our conversation is something I am passionate about: authenticity.

Social media makes it easy to believe everyone else has things figured out. Perfect workouts and splits. Perfect lives. Utopia with a side of rainbows and unicorns.

Laura made a bold decision to delete her accounts and start fresh so she could focus on being real instead of polished.

That resonated with me.

Showing up as your true self isn’t always comfortable. But in endurance sports, and in life, it’s the only version of you that actually matters.

Runners Are Humans First

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Fireside Chat without wandering off course a little.

We debated pineapple on pizza.

Ranked Oreo flavors.

And confirmed what everyone already knows: corner brownie pieces are undefeated.

Those moments matter as much as that finish time.

Because everyday athletes aren’t just runners, cyclists, or triathletes. They’re parents, food lovers, music fans, professionals, dreamers, and occasionally people who argue passionately about dessert geometry.

Your Pace, Your Path

One thing Laura mentioned that has stuck with me long after we stopped recording.

She once felt like she wasn’t a “real runner” because she was slower than other people.

Let me say this clearly.

That idea is nonsense.

If you lace up your shoes and run, you’re a runner.

End of story.

The pace doesn’t matter. The splits don’t matter. The medals don’t matter as much as we sometimes think they do.

What matters is showing up as yourself. As everyday athletes, we measure oursleves beyond the metrics.

Because the most important pace you’ll ever find in endurance sports isn’t the one on your watch.

It’s the one that allows you to breathe, move, and live in a way that feels true to you.

ADVERTISEMENT