The Endurance Journey

A Better Way Of Living

Why are you here?

Or perhaps, what’s your “why” for training?

Understanding our core motivation is essential to build a lifestyle that’s both enjoyable and sustainable.

My motivation was simple, I was sick of sickness.

I had no idea where endurance training would take me, but I was certain I needed to change direction.

In 1993, I went for a walk. I was living in London at the time. At first, we’d walk to the pub, get drunk, and walk home.

Just get started.

Later, in September of 1998, I signed up for Ironman Canada.

Perhaps you’re here with a race in mind.

I can help with that.

Most valuably by sharing all the mistakes I’ve made and teaching you how to better apply yourself.

Racing can be useful but it’s a rather shallow form of motivation.

Take time to look deeper than the race, to the thick desires that drive motivation.

• Respect, of whom?

• Escape, from a path that’s draining your spirit

• Vanity, a powerful desire to look better

• Dominance, a way to test yourself against the best

Don’t judge yourself, core motives can be surprising.

Do try to figure out what’s driving you forward.

Excelling at endurance sport takes time. You don’t want to achieve your goals and discover they weren’t what you were seeking. I’ve been at the top and I’m going to share what I’ve learned.

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What This Book Is About

Fundamentally, athletes live better lives.

You might not consider yourself an athlete.

Back in 1993, I didn’t either.

I was wrong.

There was a champion inside me. A champion with a lot of emotional baggage and self-defeating habits.

It took winning the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii to change my attitude.

You don’t need to win an Ultraman.

I’m going to lay out everything you need, step-by-step.

Let’s start with the enduring lessons of more than 20,000 hours of endurance training.

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Races

Races can be an effective excuse to live an engaged and healthy life.

You don’t need an excuse to live a better life.

Keep this in mind when your race calendar nudges you towards stress and unhealthy habits.

I’ve seen people lose a lot, trying to win the wrong game.

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A Fit Body Feels Better

I feel better at 54 than I did at 24.

Apply this book and you will feel better in your body.

If you don’t then pause, and consider if you’ve gone too far.

Dial yourself down and remember your core motivations for starting this journey.

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We Win By Staying In The Game

15-20 years past the peak of my elite career, my victories mean nothing.

Sure, they are fun stories to get attention but they don’t provide lasting meaning.

What drives meaning? Connection.

The friendships and shared experiences that happened across my journey.

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Take Time To Enjoy Your Fitness

Much of the athletic lifestyle is about saying “no,” to ourselves and to other people.

If you have ambitious goals then “no” is a fact. High-performance sport requires a consistent choice towards doing what it takes to improve.

But, even if you have ambitious goals, there will come a time when what you really need is to connect with others.

I couldn’t see this 20 years ago. I was on a mission. However, I got something right. I made time to have fun and do cool stuff with my fitness. I didn’t sign up for Ultraman with winning in mind. I signed up because it seemed like the most ridiculous event I’d ever heard of.

If you’re a young gun then “fun” is a good place to start. I’ll be sharing stories to give you some ideas.

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Protect Your Health

I’m going to explain techniques that, when used in excess, will damage your health.

Simple as that.

Make the same commitment as me, “I will never knowingly damage my health.”

When we blew it, it was an accident.

Hopefully, I can help you avoid a few.

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When More Ceases To Work, Try Less

In 2012, I looked around and asked a familiar question, “if I keep repeating this pattern, where will it take me?”

I had a wife, a young family and a choice to make. My choice was to step back from racing and focus on being a father. At the time, I thought it was an 18-month decision. Turned out to be a decade.

Roll forward to 2023, my household is well established, my kids are doing great and I’ve returned to structured training.

If you are a person who plays to win…

…make sure you’re playing the right game.

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What’s All This Mean For Your Program?

When my first marriage ended, I had the opportunity to consider my role in its failure. What I did was write down a list of my errors.

I called the list my not-to-do list.

By inverting my experience, I had a template for rebuilding my life.

So let’s pause and consider why most training programs fall apart:

1. Not Fun

2. Painful

3. Injury & Illness

4. Incovenient

5. Complex

The optimal program, is rarely optimal.

Constant optimization will make you miserable and reduce the likelihood you’re still training 5, 10 and 25 years from now.

Consistency is the requirement for success, and success is being able to play the game.

Let’s invert failure and see what we can learn.

My Program Must Be…

1. Fun

2. Comfortable, mostly

3. Strengthening My Body

4. Improving My Health

5. Running On Habit Energy

Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

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