The work is in The Middle
One of my endurance goals for 2026 is to run my first 100k trail race.
Right now, it feels exciting. It’s a new goal. The initial training plan is done. The first few runs are in the books. Momentum is easy at this stage.
And the event itself is easy to picture. It’s in September. It will be a long day, of course, but really a celebration of months of preparation, discipline, and consistency.
What has me worried though is the long period between now and the event:
The Middle.
Now that the training plan is built and the long runs and milestones are on the calendar, the reality is setting in. Over the next 7+ months, it looks like week after week after week of slow and steady work. 5-6 mundane training days per week. Recovery days that require doing nothing at all. I expect the progress to be real, but subtle.
It’s a slog; not because it’s miserable, though running in the cold and rain/snow over the next few months might be, but because it will take a LOT of patience.
For me, that’s where endurance training becomes less about effort and more about patience and judgment. The hardest part isn’t pushing harder; it’s resisting the urge to push too hard or skip workouts because something more interesting is available. Trusting and committing to the plan.
Leadership is often the same; especially when working toward a big milestone.
The beginning of a big goal is energizing. There’s clarity, alignment, and (hopefully) momentum. The finish line, assuming you make it, should be rewarding, visible and worth celebrating.
But The Middle is where most leadership challenges live.
Progress is sometimes slow. The work becomes repetitive. Results often lag effort. That’s when leaders are tempted to intervene in unhelpful ways by adding pressure instead of encouragement, changing priorities too often, or mistaking intensity for progress.
One thing I’m learning, both on the trail and in leadership, is that the middle becomes more manageable if you do a few things:
Shorten the horizon. Focus on executing this week well, not worrying about finishing the entire race or transformation at once.
Protect recovery. Capacity grows during recovery, not during constant exertion, whether that’s easy runs or clear space on the calendar or a morale event with the team.
Be objective. Look for and respond to objective patterns in energy, consistency, execution and progress, rather than reacting to how slow progress feels.
Ensure balance. Use a simple check (FLARB, for me) to make sure progress in one area isn’t quietly coming at the expense of others.
While those practices aren’t always easy to do and they don’t make the middle exciting, they do make it sustainable and more manageable.
The leaders who navigate that stretch effectively understand something important: the middle is where capacity is built and progress is made. In endurance training, it’s the long, steady runs that prepare the body for race day. In leadership, it’s the weeks of consistent execution, clear priorities, and protected recovery that enable the team to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Trying to rush the middle doesn’t just increase risk. It undermines the very goal you’re working toward. Short-term intensity can feel productive, but it often trades away the long-term capacity required to finish strong. Meaningful goals demand a willingness to stay patient in the middle.
It doesn’t mean that you are passive or complacent; it just means that you are disciplined enough to trust the process.
The beginning is exciting and the finish is a celebration. But the middle is where the real work happens.
And how leaders and runners show up there tend to determine whether the goal is ultimately reached.