Accountability Theory To Help Achieve Your Running and Racing Dreams

By Chase Parnell —  November 25, 2020

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I think we all have problems with starting things and then stopping them. We get inspired, excited, and consumed with a singular pursuit, but as we hit roadblocks and things get hard, we start looking for exit strategies. We pump out excuses like pancakes; they’re so easy to make. My favorite excuses are the altruistic ones. You know, we might decide that family should really come first, maybe that we need to be more present in our relationships, or we suddenly realize how we want quieter more humble lives and that ultrarunning dream (or whatever it is) just doesn’t align with the sort of balance we’re seeking to achieve.

Whatever the specifics, we tend to weave a narrative in our minds that it’s okay to give up when things get hard. And maybe that’s true, sometimes we have to walk away, but sometimes we just need to hang on, to get through one more day, and then maybe the pieces might finally come together.

We all have our own methods of garnering staying power and motivation, so what I’m about to say might not work for you, but I think for most people it’s worth a shot if you really want to follow through on your next—I’m going to…—moment. 

The Formula: Tell Everyone You Know What You’re Going to Do and Then Do It

Simple, right? This is a variation of the whole put it out into the universe trope. But instead of celestial powers guiding your path, it’s more of an accountability tool with your community, those you interact with on a day to day basis. Want to break three hours in the marathon? Tell your boss, tell your co-workers, tell your landscaper. Why? Because, the next time you bump into those people, you are NOT going to want to tell them you quit or that you didn’t do it. Does this feel like a lot of pressure on your shoulders? Yes? Well good, that’s what it’s supposed to do. Is this the healthiest relationship to have with your running? Probably not, but it might still be better than the alternative: a perpetual state of mediocrity and failure. 

Tell me, why is it that Alcoholics Anonymous is so effective? It’s the community, it’s the accountability, it’s the we’re in this together thing. You’ve had a bad day, you’ve been humiliated, maybe you walk in on your partner in the middle of a nefarious act. You want to say screw it to your decade of sobriety, but just as you are about to take that sip, young Johnny from group flashes to the forefront of your mind, you remember how he said you inspired him to stop drinking. And now, you’re about to let him down and you shudder at the thought of telling the tale to all those people whose shirt shoulders you’ve routinely cried through. You don’t want to betray all the tender moments. 

Same thing with marriage, weddings, tying the knot. There’s a ceremony, ritual, tradition, your family and friends spend a bunch of money to fly from all over the country to attend, you take the vows, you commit until death. I can’t think of a more difficult thing to extricate yourself from. And that’s the point! You are putting your stake in the ground and saying that come hell or high water, this will last! And so when things get hard, when you start to wonder if maybe you never loved him, or how she doesn’t meet your needs in some way, well, maybe you’ll think of what brought you together in the first place, or the moment when your mom walked you down the aisle, the first dance with your dad, the very genuine and teary-eyed speech from your best man. These are strong motivators to see things through.

Instances Where This Worked for Me

If you’re been reading Treeline Journal for some time, you likely know that I pronounced to the world on August 17, 2019 that I was going to quit drinking for a year. Everyone in my personal and virtual communities knew that I wanted to take a break from alcohol, throw a wrench in the habitual nature of my nightly routine and see what happened. I needed to know how life would change should I cut it out completely. I told everyone who would listen, I was a guest on two podcasts about it, I wrote articles about it. With each interaction and reiteration of the goal, the stakes heightened, and my motivation and confidence grew.

In some of the lower moments, during waves of nihilistic thought and apathetic despair, when all I wanted was to soothe myself with a summertime ale or whiskey nip, I thought about all the people who said I’d inspired them, I thought about what it meant to be a man of follow-through, I thought about how if I wasn’t able to complete the year, I’d be forced to reckon with what that meant. In the end, I got it done and although I’m back to my old habits, it was a healthy and formative experience.

Another example: I used my 2015 UTMB race to raise money for clean water in Africa. People gave generously to the cause and to hold up my end of the bargain, I just had to run the race! Well, somebody forgot to tell me that UTMB is pretty tough, so by the time I got to mile 75, I was really on the verge of dropping out. In fact, I told my family as I entered the aid station that I was pulling the plug. But then, unexpectedly, I started to feel a real sense of accountability to finish the race. I’d flown half-way across the world, Nikki was 36 weeks pregnant and stayed up all night chasing me around the mountain, and now I’m about to drop out!? No way. Thankfully, there were some trail angels in that aid station on that day, combined with my new-found sense to duty, I managed to get out of there and press on to the finish in Chamonix. In short, I had a lot of skin in game and that’s what helped me get to the finish line.

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

And now here we are in the present moment. I feel I’ve arrived at another major juncture in time. Maybe it’s 2020, maybe it’s the virus, the social and political upheaval, maybe it’s me losing my grip on the meaning of life and what actually matters, but over the past eight months or so, my running has gone to crap. You probably wouldn’t know it, but I’m actually in pretty poor shape right now, relatively speaking. I desperately want/need to get back on the horse and start competing again at a high level. It’s who I am. If I’m not pushing myself towards a running goal, it has a trickle-down effect into all the other areas of my life. I need the excitement of the what if. What if everything comes together and I knock a race out of the park; what am I capable of? 

I’ve grappled with the idea that I shouldn’t need my running as validation; I should be okay in any state, any fitness level. I shouldn’t let my running define me. And theoretically, or objectively, I agree with that premise. But the other part of me knows how deeply this game of running is engrained in me and that maybe it’s okay to use running as a life preserver at times.

So what do I want am I going to do? I’m going to run another 100 miler at a competitive level. I want to be in the race, vying for the win. I want to feel that excitement again.

Covid Willing, Here’s My Racing Schedule and I’m Sticking To It! 

• December 5, 2020 —  Frozen Trail Runfest 25k  —  Eugene, Oregon 
• February 6, 2021  —  Bristow Trail Runs 50k  —  Dexter, Oregon
• March 29, 2021  — Badger Mountain 100  —  Richland, Washington
• May, 2021 —  Welcome baby #3 into the world.
• Aug/Sept, 2021 —  One of the following based on lotteries: Wasatch 100, IMTUF 100, Cascade Crest 100 or Oregon Cascades 100. *I need to get a Western States & Hardrock qualifier in 2021 or I LOSE ALL MY TICKETS. 
• December 5, 2021  —  CIM Marathon, the bucket list dream of a sub 2:30 marathon continues. 

Feel free as these events happen to peruse the results and see if I followed through. Injury is the only thing that I’m going to let stop me from running these races. It’s time for me to get militant. I’m sensing that it’s important that I press into my running right now to keep life between the rails. Running is not my religion, but it is my therapy. I need to fight for it now. 

Drama, right?

So there you have it, that’s where I’m at. I’ve said what I’m going to do and now it’s time to execute. 

Now It’s Your Turn

If there’s something that you’ve started and stopped, if there’s something you’ve been dreaming about doing and you’re ready to give it another solid try, go ahead and put it on blast for the whole world to hear. Here’s your chance to get the ball rolling; your first step on a journey of a thousand miles. Write out what you’re going to do in the comments below. And then, like I said, start telling everyone you know about it. Are you in a coffee shop right now? Tap that stranger on the shoulder and tell them about the Zion 100. On the can at work? Go back to your cube, pull up your word processor, and create a sign that says 2021 Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile Finisher and hang it for all to see! And oh, now I know none of our readers will be at any massive Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings this year, because Covid, but if you are, definitely tell everyone at the dinner table that you’re going to finally do the Rim to Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, the Mount Rainier Circumnavigation on the Wonderland Trail, or whatever other race or running objective that lights your fire.

I think most of us know that running is not just running. In a lot of ways, it can be the thing that makes our world’s go round. It’s the daily grind, the structure, the dreams, the moments of triumph and failure, the serotonin pulse, the thing that helps you be the best version of yourself. It gives us hope and we can never lose our hope. 

We’re in this together, as runners, and I’m excited to see what heights we might reach. It starts now. 

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