Left Foot, Right Foot: What Endurance Running Can Teach Us About Mindset, Health, and Big Dreams with Erin McCarthy

Some conversations remind us that extraordinary strength often comes from very ordinary decisions repeated over time. That is exactly what stood out to me in my conversation with endurance runner and nutritionist Erin McCarthy.

Erin has completed some incredible challenges, including a one hundred mile race and long trail adventures around the world. But what makes her story so relatable is that it did not begin with elite athletic ability or a lifelong love of running. It started with something much simpler. She was a young mom who had just moved to a new place and was looking for connection.

In our conversation, Erin shared how community, mindset, and small daily habits have shaped both her running journey and her work helping women improve their health.

How Community Sparked a Running Journey

Like many people, Erin did not begin her running journey because she loved running.

In fact, she remembers that it felt uncomfortable and difficult in the beginning. At the time, her husband was in the military, which meant frequent moves and constantly rebuilding community in new places. When her family moved to Arkansas, she found herself searching for ways to meet people while raising young children.

A friend suggested joining a beginner running group for women. Erin immediately responded and said, she wasn’t a runner.

Still, the promise of friendship was enough to convince her to show up. That simple decision changed everything.

The runs were not easy at first, but something powerful happened. She left each session feeling accomplished, and more importantly, she found connection. Over time those friendships kept bringing her back, even on days when the miles felt hard.

Years later, many of those friendships still exist even though Erin has moved away. What started as a way to meet people became the foundation of a lifelong passion.

Holding Onto Something That Is Yours

One of the themes that stood out in our conversation was how important it can be for parents, especially mothers, to have something that belongs just to them.When Erin first joined the running group, her children were young. Like many moms, much of her time and energy revolved around caring for her family. Running slowly became a small space in her life that was entirely her own.

Over the years that space became even more meaningful.

Now that her children are grown adults, running continues to be a part of her identity. It is not just exercise. It is a reminder that she is still connected to her own passions, interests, and personal growth.

For many parents, that transition into an empty nest can feel disorienting. Erin’s story highlights how meaningful it can be to cultivate interests that continue alongside family life rather than waiting until later to rediscover them.

Trail Running and the Beauty of the Outdoors

Today Erin lives in California, where her running has evolved from road races to trail running. For her, this shift brought together two things she loves deeply: movement and nature.

She now runs two to four days a week and spends a great deal of time exploring trails and mountains. Trail running offers a slower, more immersive experience than road racing, allowing runners to move through forests, mountains, and wide open landscapes.

Erin is also deeply involved in the running community. She served as president of the Sierra Trailblazers running club and remains active on the board.

For her, running is still about far more than the physical workout. It is also about connection. She laughs that many people rarely get to say they spend five hours with friends on a Saturday, but trail runners often do exactly that while moving through nature together.

The miles become a space where people talk, process life, and support one another along the way.

The Mental Game Behind Endurance

Running long distances requires physical endurance, but Erin believes the mental side of the sport is even more important.

When she faces a steep climb or a difficult stretch of trail, she does not think about the entire mountain ahead. Instead, she focuses on a very simple rhythm.

Left foot, right foot, one step at a time.

Breaking a challenge into manageable pieces allows the mind to stay present rather than becoming overwhelmed by the full scope of the effort. This same approach applies to training as well. A runner does not wake up one day and complete a one hundred mile race. The distance is built gradually through consistent training.

That mindset carries over into many other areas of life.

Whether someone is working toward a major career goal, navigating a difficult season, or pursuing a dream, the same principle applies. Progress often happens one small step at a time.

Belief Matters More Than Discipline

Many people assume endurance athletes succeed because of extreme discipline. Erin sees it a little differently.

While discipline certainly plays a role, she believes mindset and belief often matter even more.

One powerful example came when she prepared for her first one-hundred-mile race at the famous Western States Endurance Run. This race is one of the most prestigious ultramarathons in the world, and most participants have already completed several hundred-mile races before attempting it.

Erin had not.

Standing at the starting line surrounded by experienced ultrarunners could have easily created doubt. Instead, she worked intentionally on her mindset during training.

While running, she would repeat a phrase to herself over and over, “I run fifty miles for fun.”

At first it may have sounded ridiculous, but repeating it gradually reshaped her belief. Over time her mind accepted the idea that running long distances was simply something she did.

Our brains tend to search for evidence that supports what we believe. Erin learned how powerful that process can be when we use it intentionally.

When the Body Forces You to Slow Down

Even the most experienced athletes encounter setbacks, and Erin experienced one of her most difficult challenges about a year and a half ago.

While training for the Zion one hundred kilometer race, she developed a stress fracture in the neck of her femur. The injury was severe enough that she could not put weight on her leg and had to use crutches.

For someone whose primary outlet for stress had always been movement, the sudden stillness was deeply challenging.

Running, hiking, yoga, and strength training were all removed at once. Erin suddenly found herself sitting with thoughts and emotions she had long processed through movement.

Yet that difficult season also brought unexpected growth.

She returned to meditation, journaling, and visualization practices she had once relied on but had gradually drifted away from. She even spent time visualizing the bone in her hip healing and knitting itself back together.

The injury became a reminder that balance matters. Physical strength, mental stillness, and emotional awareness all play important roles in overall well being.

Adventure as a Motivation for Health

While races once motivated much of Erin’s training, her focus has gradually shifted toward something broader, great life adventures.

One recent example was a journey she and her husband took around Mont Blanc. The route, known as the Tour du Mont Blanc, circles the mountain through France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Over the course of 108 miles, they hiked from hut to hut, crossing alpine landscapes and meeting travelers from around the world. Each day involved long climbs and stunning views of the Alps.

Experiences like that remind Erin why she prioritizes health and movement.

Being physically capable opens the door to seeing extraordinary places that many people never experience. Staying strong and healthy allows her to keep saying yes to adventures like these.

The Connection Between Movement and Nutrition

In addition to being an endurance athlete, Erin is also a nutritionist who focuses on gut health, hormones, and sustainable wellness for women.

Her interest in nutrition began long before her professional training. When she was pregnant and raising young children, she became deeply curious about how food supports health and development.

That curiosity led her down years of study, eventually turning a personal passion into a career helping other women better understand their bodies.

One area she specializes in is gut health and the microbiome. Erin explains that the digestive system and nervous system are closely connected through the vagus nerve, which means stress plays a significant role in digestion.

Many people focus on supplements or probiotics, but Erin emphasizes something much simpler.

Calming the nervous system.

Practices such as deep breathing, slowing down during meals, and creating a relaxed environment while eating can significantly improve digestion. When the body feels safe, it can properly absorb nutrients and support the beneficial microbes that live in the gut.

Why Consistency Matters More Than Perfection

When people begin a health journey, they often try to change everything at once. Erin sees this pattern frequently in her work with clients. Instead of encouraging drastic overhauls, she focuses on small, sustainable habits.

Consistency matters far more than perfection.

For example, drinking enough water every day may seem simple, but hydration affects nearly every system in the body. Over time small habits like this can create meaningful improvements in energy, digestion, and overall health.

Erin often reminds clients that doing one positive habit consistently for years will create far more change than doing twenty things intensely for a short period of time.

Just like running a long race, progress happens step by step.

Moving Forward One Step at a Time

Throughout our conversation one phrase kept coming back again and again. Left foot. Right foot.

It is a runner’s mantra, but it also feels like a philosophy for life.

When we face big goals, overwhelming seasons, or uncertain paths, we do not need to solve everything at once. Often the most important thing we can do is simply take the next step.

Then the next one.

Over time those steps add up to something far greater than we imagined when we first began.

And as Erin’s story shows, those steps might just lead us to mountains, adventures, deeper health, and a stronger belief in what we are capable of becoming.