Endure

I read this before my first marathon in Prague.

It's not the big glorious changes. It's the boring routines. The British cycling team went from mediocre to dominant by optimizing pillows for better sleep, testing which soap reduced infections, adjusting bike seat angles by millimeters. Not one breakthrough. A thousand tiny adjustments that compounded into Olympic gold.

Your body has more in there than you think. The brain limits you before your muscles do. There's an inner fuel tank you can tap into if you believe it's there. Self-talk is real. Belief matters more than we admit.

All training is brain training. Mental fatigue from being bored induces a training effect. Fasted workouts are like running with a weighted vest. The body adapts to what you give it.

Thirst and dehydration are not the same. Quenching thirst increases performance. Metabolic flexibility is key. Combine empty stomach training with fueled training. Carb loading for marathons.

I'm still thinking about running an ultra. When I do, I'll pick this up again. A reminder that small things compound into bigger outcomes. In endurance training. In life. Everywhere you look if you pay attention.