Episode 157. Goal Setting On The Run With Joan Benoit Samuelson

Today’s a big day: Coach Bennett’s new book, This Is About Running, This Is Not About Running, is officially out in the world. One of the chapters is dedicated to Joan Benoit Samuelson, so celebrating publication day with Joanie on the mic felt like the only way to do it.

Every runner knows the feeling of setting a goal that makes your stomach flip a little. For Joanie, that feeling has never really gone away—not after winning the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon gold medal in 1984, not after 150,000 career miles, and not today. But if you ask her, the numbers aren't the point. The point is the story that happens along the way.

That’s what this conversation is really about. It’s about choosing storytelling over rigid goal-setting, learning to embrace the moments that scare you, and understanding why a runner's journey is rarely a straight line. Joanie opens up about the chaotic weeks leading up to the 1984 Olympic Trials—undergoing knee surgery just days before, trusting her gut on a risky 17-mile test run, and finding the quiet conviction to step up to the starting line anyway.

We get into the critical difference between a workout that feels hard and one where you feel completely flat, why cross-training and balance keep you in the game for decades, and how the sport of running creates a two-way road where every single person has an inspiring story to share. Plus, stick around at the end of the episode for a voicemail from a listener in Seattle on navigating post-marathon burnout and finding your spark again.

CHECK OUT JOANIE
@joanbenoitsamuelson

Send us a message

My book This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running. is now available for pre-order!

USA readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.

FREE POSTER CAMPAIGN for US residential pre-orders

GLOBAL/INTERNATIONAL readers can pre-order my book by clicking this sentence.

________________________________________________________________________

AFTER DARK TOUR SERIES

If you have a question or story for the special After Dark Tour series of episodes please leave me a voicemail by tapping this sentence.

__________________________________________________________________________

Be sure to send any and all questions and comments for Coach Bennett to the mailbag:

Coach Bennett’s Podcast

57 South Main Street #215, Neptune, NJ 07753

Be sure to check out the Two Coach Bennetts Merch Store for t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, pint glasses and more! - https://twocoachbennetts.com/merch...

joan benoit samuelson