Have you ever had the urge to do something that felt totally ridiculous?

That’s how I felt when I finished my second relay race this summer, (already something I wasn’t expecting to do) and thought — if I’m going to stay in this running routine, I’m going to need motivation to make time for workouts…why not sign up for a marathon?

I’d run one marathon before, over 5 years ago when I was a senior in college. That race fulfilled two items on my bucket list: 1.) Run a marathon, and 2.) Run a marathon with my dad. After completing that race, I told myself I might do another one…but only when I had the time and interest to devote to training. Which, surprise!, hadn’t happened yet.

But this summer, not only did I suddenly want to run a marathon, I also wanted to have fun running a marathon. I wanted to train in a way that was relaxed and didn’t put too much of the rest of my life on-hold. And as the race date neared, I even let myself have a goal for how long it would take me to finish.

Sometimes we’re more likely to reach our pie-in-the-sky goal then a very do-able, but boring goal. Why? Because pie-in-the-sky is exciting! It can get our adrenaline going in a way that saltine crackers the next room over just can’t compete with.

It’s easy to be held back by fear, letting that fear overrule the ridiculously exciting ideas that you feel tugging at your heart. You might struggle with fear of what others will think of you, fear that you’ll disappoint yourself, or simply a fear of the unknown.

Here’s three steps that helped me complete my goal of running a second marathon. You might find they apply to working toward your own goals:

1. Make an initial commitment.

It’s all well and good to daydream, visit websites, and consider your calendar. Go ahead, gain confidence and quell your fears of being too spontaneous by taking in all the options. But then, decide you’re actually going to do this thing and take action. Put some money on the line, whether that’s putting in for time off work, signing up for a class or conference, or purchasing some of the equipment you need (in my case, a new pair of running shoes.)

I knew I was going to sign up for the marathon, but I waited weeks to actually sign up. Once I did, I gained clarity about what I needed to do in regards to training. And after you’ve made that initial commitment, don’t shy away from telling a few people. It makes it harder to write back for a refund or cancel the event from your calendar.

2. Make it easier by bringing others along with you.

You certainly know this, but it bears repeating: doing things with others makes it easier to follow through. When I was training for the marathon, I started doing as many of my runs as I could with a group of runners here in Seattle. Even when I didn’t make it to the group workouts, I would follow the workout plans on my own, feeling like there was an invisible team with me. Not only did this save me time coming up with a weekly running plan, but I always ran better with other people around me.

When we feel alone, it’s easier to give up. Who’s going to see? Who’s going to know? When we’re with other people, it’s harder to keep our attention focused so pointedly inward. Ideally, you’ll be thinking about their success and well-being as well as your own, and that brings perspective. It should make the goal seem more do-able, too, because they’re human and they’re doing it. So of course you can, too!

3. Make the leap.

For me, the leap happened on the morning of the marathon. I stepped up to the starting line and opted to join some runners I knew, who were on pace to run the race in 3 hrs and 40 min (about 20 min faster than my goal time of 4 hours.) We started running, and I stayed relaxed and tried not to freak out. I didn’t think about how many miles I had to go, or how tired I was sure to be at the end. I just let it happen and tried to stay up with the group.

When you’re in the moment — whether it’s an important interview, a high-profile presentation, or even a conversation in which you’re opening up to another person who you want to become close with — the important thing is to follow through and do the thing you committed to, (back when the idea popped in your head and you decided to take action.) Remember the people who helped you prepare for this moment. Believe that you can do much more than you think you can, and decide to welcome this opportunity to test your limits. You just might run the fastest marathon of your life. With a smile on your face and a group of people cheering for you along from the sidelines.