You Are Capable of So Much More Than You Think

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Over the past three weeks, I’ve shared how I went from not running for over seven years due to chronic injury and self-doubt, to completing a half-marathon - a journey that reconnected me with my adventurous spirit and taught me the power of resilience in life and business.

Today, I want to take you to race day and share the lessons it taught me about mindset, identity, and freedom.

Race Day: Sunday 6th April, 2025

The night before, I still felt weak from days of vomiting. I had barely eaten in nearly a week. My training had been disrupted, my confidence shaken, my body was depleted.

I drank litres and litres of fluids, had some very plain food and went to bed really early.

I woke up on the Sunday feeling much better. Not 100%, but well enough to put my running gear on and head to Hyde Park.

With my mum and one of my best friends by my side, I made my way to the starting line. The energy was electric. I’d never seen anything like it! I started to feel really excited!

I also had an additional level of appreciation for being able to be there. The previous days with food poisoning had been a stark reminder that our health is so precious, and that we cannot take it for granted. I was blessed to be able to be at the start line. I repeated to myself:

‘Run for those who cannot’

That mantra gave me strength far beyond what my body had. It reminded me of my big WHY. I wasn’t just running for myself - I was running for people with severe spinal cord injuries. For the Rooprai Spinal Trust. For the donations, the support, the belief others had put into me.

The first 10 kilometres were a dream. The crowds, the music, the iconic London landmarks - it was all so energising. I thoroughly enjoyed this first half of the race, being fully present and taking it all in. But as the race went on, my body began to feel the toll of the past week. Dehydration, fatigue, and pain set in, and by kilometre 18, I hit the infamous ‘wall’.

Kilometre 18: The Wall

By kilometre 18, my legs were done. I was in so much pain, weak, and deeply fatigued. I really started to doubt whether my body could carry me to the finish line. I physically could not run anymore, so I had to resort to walking. At first I felt really disappointed - Ideally I wanted to run the entire race. But given all the obstacles I’d overcome up to that point, it was incredible that I was even at that race in the first place. So I was kind to myself and reminded myself that walking is still making progress.

At around kilometre 20, I told myself: You’re going to finish strong. And I started gently jogging again. I’m not going to lie, it was agony. My legs were like lead, my lungs felt like they were going to explode, my stomach was touch and go. However, my mind was stronger than ever. All the resilience and self-belief that I had begun to build since early 2024 was paying off. I reminded myself just how far I had come, and that I could achieve anything I wanted. The last few kilometres had very little to do with my physical ability, and everything to do with my mental fortitude.

Reflection: Imagine how much stronger your mind could become when you start showing up for yourself, even when it’s hard.

I must also mention something that really caught my eye. I had never ran a race before so this was a new experience for me. When you are running, there are amazing supporters on the sides, many of which are holding all kinds of signs. The signs were amazing - a combination of really inspirational and motivational messages with some really hilarious ones. Every time I wanted to give up, I would look up and see a sign that would give me a little bit more motivation and hope. These signs, and the people holding them, were everything.

They made me think about how these signs are a good metaphorical representation of our thoughts. As we are going through life, we have millions and millions of automatic thoughts. These thoughts are either positive and empowering, neutral, or negative. It struck me - what if all the signs in the race had been of a negative nature? What if they all had messages about my lack of ability, about how I wasn’t going to make it, or about how difficult it was? I would have found that really deflating and it would have massively and negatively affected my performance.

Instead, all the signs were incredibly empowering. They were inspirational, fun, positive, enlightening, funny and smart. Every sign was a spark of belief. And I realised - this is exactly what we need to do inside our own minds.Create signs of support, not sabotage.

Sadly, for most of us, we do not have such supportive or positive ‘signs’ running through our minds. Many of us allow negative automatic thoughts to dominate our thinking. Our inner critics dominate the narrative of our minds, and the worst part is that we believe what they are trying to tell us.

The good news is, it is totally up to us to decide what thoughts we allow to come forward, and which we gradually eliminate. Just like those signs during the race, we can create our own empowering, positive and uplifting mental signs that pop up automatically during our day to day, to support our own beliefs in our abilities and who we are. We can start by becoming conscious of our negative thoughts, and gradually replacing these with empowering ones. It takes time, but it makes all the difference in the world. We HAVE to learn to be our own best cheerleaders, and it starts with the way we talk to ourselves inside our minds.

Reflection: What are the signs you’re holding up for yourself? Take a moment today to write down three empowering thoughts you want to see more of in your mind.

Back to the race. The last 2 kilometres were agony and felt like they lasted forever. However, just as I could see the finish line, I also clocked my mum and friend, waving a huge Colombian flag! I was overwhelmed with emotion, and ran towards them with the biggest smile on my face, grabbed the flag, and lifted it above me as I crossed the finish line. What a moment!

Wow. 13.1 miles (21.1 kms). I had successfully run the race! I ran it in just under 3 hours. I was physically destroyed, but emotionally soaring. I genuinely couldn’t believe it!

The medal wasn’t just for running.

Whenever I look at my medal, I am reminded of what it took for me to get there. I am reminded of these key lessons:

We can build our own resilience
We can develop a mindset that supports us
It is crucial to surround ourselves with people that support us and believe in us, and to nurture our community
Having a big WHY or purpose is incredibly compelling

And most importantly:

Our ability to show up, even when imperfect, even when faced with obstacles, when things don’t go to plan, when we are full of fear…when we still show up, this is how we build our dream lives and become the truest, most authentic version of ourselves.

What This Taught Me About Business, Life, and the Person I’m Becoming

This journey wasn’t about fitness. It was about FREEDOM.

It reminded me that we don’t grow by staying in the safe lane.
We grow by challenging what we think we’re capable of.
By stepping into uncertainty.
By doing things we never thought we could do.

This experience also helped me massively re-connect with my adventurous spirit.

I grew up in Colombia, and was blessed with a dad who encouraged me to be crazy, spontaneous, and to embrace my adventurous and eccentric sides. I grew up climbing trees, swimming in the wild, swimming in volcanoes, exploring remote locations, and creating countless magical experiences. I will always be eternally grateful to my amazing dad, Henry, for awakening and nurturing my adventurous spirit, which he still does to this day! (Soooo looking forward to seeing you in September dad, for many more adventures!).

Now that I have been re-building my physical and mental health, I am able to do so much more with my body, and I am feeling so excited about embarking upon many more adventures once again. The spirit never left me, but I put on hold a huge part of who I am due to fear and self-doubt. Thankfully, I woke up to this truth, and gently, courageously, I started challenging it. Now I feel more ready than ever to re-connect fully with that adventurous side of me, and to help inspire others to do the same!

What does being adventurous mean to me?

It doesn’t necessarily have to mean jumping out of a plane (Although it can absolutely mean that too, and as someone who has parachuted 10 times already, it’s definitely something I’d highly recommend!)

Adventure is not just something I do - it’s who I am.

To me, being able to embody my adventurous spirit means being able to have the freedom, flexibility, health and space to be able to live life entirely on my terms.

It means being able to build and live a life and business filled with courage, creativity, fun and wide-open freedom.

This is a HUGE reason why I passionately advocate entrepreneurship. Having a business is great, and I absolutely love the work I get to do. But beyond that, having a business allows us so much agency, freedom and flexibility over our lifestyle. It allows us to design a life around our values and passions. The idea of helping other adventurous entrepreneurs to re-connect with those parts of themselves that give their lives so much purpose, meaning and joy, makes my work infinitely fulfilling.

Just like running a race, building a business is a test of resilience. There will be walls, setbacks, and moments of doubt.

But when you keep showing up, even when it’s hard, you’ll discover that you’re capable of so much more than you ever imagined. This is why I’m so passionate about helping adventurous entrepreneurs reclaim their lives through business.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about making money, it’s about reclaiming your life. When you overcome your fears and cross your own finish line - whether it’s launching that offer, showing up online, or quitting what no longer fits—you’ll realise: You were capable all along.

Final Reflection Question:

What would become possible in your business and life… if you truly believed you were already capable? What would you do differently?

Take a moment to reflect - and then take one small step toward that vision today.

Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me.

If this message resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you! Just hit reply and tell me what landed most - I read every response and love connecting with you!

And if you’re ready to reconnect with your adventurous spirit and build a business that gives you freedom and purpose, I’d love to support you. Stay tuned for more details on something really exciting I’ll be announcing very soon!

If you are also on a similar journey of reclaiming who you are and a life on your terms, please know:

I see you.
You’re braver than you think.
And you absolutely don’t have to do it alone.

With freedom, joy, and adventure,
Marcela 💛

💭 Quote of the week:

'The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.' - Oprah Winfrey

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Dr Marcela Aguirre