GOOD NEWS! You are not as tired as you think you are.

GOOD NEWS! You are not as tired as you think you are.
One of the most important lessons I've learned from ultrarunning:
Fatigue is a choice.

Fatigue is your body saying, "You've stopped giving me what I need."

Fatigue is a symptom.
Depletion is the problem.

It happens in work as often as running.
We confuse stubbornness with strength.

In running, people limit water, skimp on nutrition, and "run through pain".
In work, people skip meals, sacrifice sleep, and work through every weekend.

Amateur mistakes.

Over long periods of effort, neglect compounds.
The result has a name:
- Runners call it "bonking."
- Workers call it "burnout."

Neither is necessary, but not because you should do less.
I'm a proponent of the opposite.
By all means, do MORE.
Much more!

Just give yourself what you need to make it sustainable.

There is no glory in peeing blood, passing out, or pulling off toenails.
Just like there is no glory in chronic stress, answering emails at midnight, and burning through your third energy drink by noon.

We can't ignore our needs forever.

I became a better runner by realizing what my body needs over long distances. The math is simple. Per hour of effort, I need at least:
- 1L of water
- 100g carbs
- 500mg electrolytes

As a worker, engineer, and entrepreneur, my needs are a little more complicated, but just as nonnegotiable.

Fatigue is a choice.
Burnout is a choice.

Want to go far? Fuel properly.