Failure: The Most Useful Win

REFLECTIONS IN MOTION

1. The Preparation is the Win. The Race a Bonus.

I started preparing for this race two months ago. I knew I needed to be consistent if I wanted to hit my goal time.

Before that, my running had been on and off — but this time, I had to show up. Tough interval sessions. Long easy runs to help my body adapt.

Slowly, I felt myself changing. Fitter, yes. But more than that — stronger in mindset.

I started enjoying the long runs with a good podcast. They became moments to reflect on the week.

Each session taught me something simple but powerful: I can start something and finish it.

That discipline bled into other areas of life too. Projects I’d usually postpone, I finished. Habits I’d break, I kept. Every run became proof that I follow through.

By the time race day came, I wasn’t the same person who started. I’d built trust in myself — not just that I could run 10 miles, but that I could become someone who finishes what he starts. The start of an identity shift.

2. A Uncomfortable Goal Forces Consistency

Before I began my preparation, I set a goal: run the race under 1 hour 20 minutes. Two years ago, I’d done it in 1 hour 37.

I could have set it at under 1 hour 30 and still hit it, even if I skipped a session.

But I said no to myself. I put the goal slightly out of reach — uncomfortable.

I knew I couldn’t miss a single training if I wanted a shot. Every session mattered. Every run counted. Consistency became a non-negotiable.

One week before the race, all signs were green — I was on track to hit it.

This preparation reminded me of a simple truth: always dream a little bigger. Make yourself uncomfortable.

Pick a goal that pushes you. Your body and mind know it won’t be safe — and that’s exactly what makes you work harder, stay focused, and rise to the challenge.

Don’t Just Accept the Pain. Welcome it.

Around mile seven, the pain started to come through. My legs were burning.

I was ready to accept it but I took it a step further. I welcomed it. I asked for more.

And when I did, the pain lost its power over me. It still hurt, maybe even more, but it felt good.

It meant I was alive, pushing past the point most people stop.

It’s the same when building something. A project, a business, a goal.

The moment things start to hurt — when progress slows, when doubt creeps in — that’s when most people back off.

But if you can welcome that phase instead of resisting it, you shift the power. The discomfort stops controlling you, and starts shaping you.

3. Let Applause Boost You

Around mile 6, I felt the fatigue settling in. Legs heavy, lungs burning. Then I heard it — a cheer from the crowd.

A stranger calling my name. Just that little burst of energy. I didn’t need it. I wasn’t running for applause.

But it hit me anyway. A reminder that I could still push. That I was doing something worth noticing, even if only for a moment.

That energy didn’t define me. It boosted me. It sharpened my focus.

Made me think: what if I can actually pull this off?Suddenly, the pain didn’t feel as big. The finish line felt closer.

It’s the same in any project. You don’t create for recognition, but positive energy — feedback, encouragement, support — can be a powerful tool.

It can help you focus on what’s working, fuel momentum, and push you through the moments when it feels like the goal is far away.

4. Finishing Is Its Own Victory

In the last mile, I saw it on my watch. I wasn’t going to hit my goal. Two minutes over.

I kept running. Didn’t slow down. I still wanted a great time. I was chasing a personal record.

I finished in 1 hour 22 minutes. When I crossed the line, I was completely empty.

My whole body broken, but I pushed through. My fastest mile was my last mile.

And in that moment, I knew I had already won. Not because of the clock, but because I had given everything I had.

I had finished what I started. I enjoyed the race. Next one is around the corner.

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