Knowing When to Pivot

Not every finish line is straight ahead. Some require a detour.

In running—and in life—there’s a moment when you realize the route you mapped out isn’t going to work.

Maybe it’s a mile into a long run when your knee starts barking.

Maybe it’s a job that disappears overnight.

Maybe it’s watching someone you love go through something you can’t fix.

Whatever it is, it demands a decision:

Push forward blindly, or pivot and adapt.

I’ve had to pivot more times than I can count.

When I was laid off during the recession, I had to let go of what I thought my career would look like.

When my family needed me—through health scares, hospital nights, and hard conversations—I had to shift my priorities.

Even in marathon training, I’ve learned that ignoring a warning sign (like a brewing injury) usually ends worse than hitting pause.

But here’s the thing about pivoting:

It isn’t giving up. It’s responding to the reality in front of you and choosing to move differently—not to stop moving altogether.”

In many ways, pivoting is resilience in motion.

That theme is so central to my life that I even had to pivot the name of my book recently.

Originally, I was calling it Stronger than the Storm.

Great message, right? I thought so too—until I Googled it.

Turns out, everyone is

stronger than the storm.

There are hats, t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and possibly even a beach towel with that phrase.

One Etsy search and I realized: I’m not just stronger than the storm—I’m apparently also late to the trademark party.

So I made a change.

Now the book is titled: Running Through the Storm.

And honestly, it fits better.

Because strength isn't always about “overcoming” something with your chest puffed out. Sometimes it’s about continuing through it—with shaky knees, a cautious heart, and just enough hope to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Running through the storm takes guts.

It takes awareness.

It takes grace with yourself and faith that the finish line is still out there—even if you can’t quite see it yet.

You don’t have to always love the pivot.

But sometimes, it’s the move that gets you to something even better.