The Secret to Becoming a More Resilient Runner

Building Running Resilience: How to Stay Mentally Strong When Running Gets Hard

This week on the Women's Running Collective, Hayles and Jussie are back in the backyard studio (fuelled by snacks courtesy of Hayley’s mum and Rob!) chatting all things resilience. The girls kick things off with a Gold Coast Half Marathon training update, including interval sessions, rolling hills, race-pace workouts, and the reality of training through life’s curveballs.

Hayley shares a challenging week dealing with period-related fatigue, migraines, and the early signs of shin splints, leading to some smart training adjustments and a reminder that resilience isn't always about pushing harder — sometimes it's about knowing when to pull back.

The conversation then dives into what resilience actually means, why it's often misunderstood, and practical ways runners can build mental toughness. Drawing on Mel Robbins' "24-Hour Resilience Turnaround" and sports psychology research, Hayles and Jussie share simple strategies to help you stay strong when motivation is low, training gets tough, or race day nerves creep in.

From pacing by effort, positive self-talk, and smiling through the hard moments, to embracing discomfort, training in less-than-perfect conditions, and finding your deeper "why," this episode is packed with actionable tips to help you become a more resilient runner.

Plus, the girls share their weekly recommendations, announce they're running the Harbour 10K in Sydney, and reveal details of a special ticket giveaway.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Back in the Backyard Studio 00:55 – Gold Coast Half Marathon Training Update 02:16 – Period Fatigue, Migraines & Shin Pain 05:39 – Why We're Talking About Resilience 07:06 – What Resilience Really Means 09:42 – Mel Robbins' 24-Hour Resilience Reset 12:45 – Celebrating Small Wins 13:54 – The Science of Running Resilience 15:11 – How Smiling Can Lower Perceived Effort 16:42 – Positive Self-Talk Strategies 18:10 – Creating Positive Pre-Run Rituals 19:27 – Learning to Embrace Discomfort 20:47 – Training Through Tough Conditions 22:41 – Getting Comfortable With The Unknown 23:35 – Planning Ahead & Mental Tapering 24:51 – Finding Your Purpose & Goals 26:03 – Key Resilience Takeaways 27:54 – Weekly Recommendations 31:24 – Harbour 10K Announcement & Giveaway 32:30 – Happy Running!

Jussie recco RUNNING GLOVES LULULEMON

Follow the Women's Running Collective for weekly running chats, expert guests, training tips, and plenty of laughs along the way.