Win The Lap You're In
Last Saturday, I ran my second ultra marathon: a 6-hour timed run on a 3-kilometer loop. That sounds deceptively doable until you realize what it actually means. You run the same bloody loop over and over and over again until the clock runs out. There is no finish line, no end in sight - only…
Ready Is Not a Future State. It’s a Decision.
We love the myth of “ready.” Ready is tidy. Ready is safe. Ready is the story we tell ourselves when we don’t want to move. I’ll sign up for that race when I’m ready. I’ll take that promotion when I’m ready. I’ll start that business when I’m ready. I’ll leave that toxic team when I’m…
Emotional Intelligence: The Skill You Can’t Fake Under Pressure
At kilometer 42 of the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, a whopping 56 kilometers long in total, something decisive happens. Your body isn’t broken. You’re not injured. You’re simply empty. Every system that normally carries you forward has gone offline, and yet the finish line is still far enough away to feel unreasonable. This is the…
DNF. Km 28. That's where it ended.
A straight downhill. Nothing technical. No roots, no switchbacks, no reason to come unstuck. Just a rock I didn't see, a fall I couldn't stop, and the ground coming up fast. I hit hard enough that my Garmin triggered an incident alert. The watch case now has a dent in it - a permanent, slightly…