Endurance
Learning to do hard things and withstand discomfort on the way to meaningful achievement is how endurance on the trail leads to endurance at work.
This weekend, I hiked a technical trail that tested every part of me—scaling boulders, crossing a rock garden, and carrying my dog over obstacles. It reminded me how much these moments demand not just strength, but coordination, balance, problem-solving, and the ability to keep going when quitting feels easier.
This morning, I ran in sub-freezing temps while snow pelted my face. And like every long run, it reminded me that stamina and strength training aren’t just about fitness—they’re about mental toughness, strategic pacing, and the ability to stay focused in discomfort. It's about digging deeper when you feel gassed out—realizing you always have a little more in you.
Endurance sports have taught me how to pace strategically, push through thresholds, and stay composed under pressure. Whether it’s summiting 17,000-foot peaks, mountain biking down technical terrain, snowboarding uncertain slopes, or running through harsh conditions—these experiences build essential strengths:
🔹 Resilience
🔹 Focus
🔹 Situational awareness
🔹 Adaptability
🔹 The willingness to persist through discomfort for something meaningful
These same strengths show up in the workplace—especially in high-pressure environments where stamina, clarity, and steady execution drive sustained impact.
“Endurance is the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop.”
— Alex Hutchinson, Endure
“A runner is a miser, spending the pennies of his energy with great stinginess, constantly wanting to know how much he has spent and how much longer he will be expected to pay. He wants to be broke at precisely the moment he no longer needs his coin. And he is willing to make a fool of himself in the process, to lay it on the line, to hit the wall and crash, so that he can find his true measure.”
— John L. Parker Jr., Once a Runner
Practicing the mindset of an elite athlete helps develop the patience, trust, and discipline required to finish strong and master our craft.
Each time we stretch the boundary of what we think we can do, we widen the path for others, and we discover there’s always a little more in the tank to push on—breaking the belief of the impossible.
Just like Roger Bannister did in 1954. When he broke the once unthinkable four-minute mile”. Suddenly, after his achievement, dozens followed in his footsteps within a year. His feat didn’t just reset a record—it reframed what the human mind believed was possible., and how mental agility fuels performance.
That’s the power of endurance. It’s personal. It’s collective. And it’s contagious.
