Sprint Champions, Marathon Strugglers
the capable human's consistency paradox
I like to write these, put them away and reread weeks later before sending out into the world. Admittedly I laughed upon rereading at the fact the avowed NEVER RUNNER refers to running so much below. Let’s call it willing suspension of disbelief?
Last week, a coaching client emailed after missing yet another morning workout with her trainer.
I launched three major initiatives this quarter, closed our biggest deal ever, and somehow can't manage to show up for myself 20 minutes a day. What's wrong with me?"
Nothing's wrong with you, I thought. You're just confusing sprinting with running.
Here's what fascinates me about capable humans: we've mastered the art of the heroic push.
Deadline looming? We pull all-nighters and deliver magic. Crisis at work? We reorganize entire systems over a weekend. Big presentation? We rehearse until we could give it in our sleep.
We are sprint champions. Absolute legends at the intense, short-term push.
But ask us to drink eight glasses of water daily for six months? To write 200 words every morning? To take a 10-minute daily walk after lunch? Suddenly, we're fumbling like we've never accomplished anything in our lives.
Sound familiar? You are DEFINITELY not alone.
📈 The Performance Trap
We mistake our ability to perform under pressure for true consistency. Because we can pull off miracles when everything's on the line, we assume we're naturally disciplined people. We're not lacking discipline; we're lacking sustainable rhythms.
Consider this: the same executive who emailed me shows up for every client call, never misses a deadline, and her team would follow her *anywhere*. She absolutely knows how to be consistent…when the stakes feel high.
The problem isn't that she's inconsistent. It's that she's trained herself to need urgency to perform. She’s become addicted to the adrenaline of the sprint, not realizing it’s keeping her from the steady pace real change requires.
🔇 The Quiet Work Problem
Here's where it gets tricky: the daily actions that create real change, the meditation practice, the journaling, the movement, the boundary-setting, don't feel important enough. There's no client waiting, no boss expecting results, no immediate consequence if we skip them.
They're marathon work, not sprint work.
And marathon work? It requires a completely different skill set than what got us to where we are. It asks us to show up when motivation is low, when no one's watching, when the payoff feels months or years away. It asks us to trust the process instead of the pressure.
Most capable humans have never needed this skill because we’ve succeeded by being brilliant in the moment: by solving problems as they arise, by performing when it matters. But transformation isn't a performance. It's a practice.
We're not lacking discipline, we're lacking sustainable rhythms.
🔛 The On/Off Pattern
When capable people pursue long-term goals, we often treat them like sprints: all-in for two weeks, burned out by week three. On for the launch, off for the maintenance. On in January, off by March.
We confuse intensity with consistency.
But here’s the cost: every time we stop and restart, we’re not only losing momentum we’re reinforcing the belief we can’t trust ourselves with quiet, unglamorous work.
We begin to think we’re ‘bad at consistency’ when really, we’re just using the wrong approach.
We’re trying to sprint a marathon and wondering why we keep hitting the wall.
The real consistency challenge
True consistency isn’t about perfect execution.
It’s about showing up even when conditions aren’t ideal.
It’s choosing the MVP when the full version feels impossible.
It’s staying connected to our goals even when life gets chaotic.
It's about learning to run, not just sprint.
That executive didn’t need a stricter workout plan or more willpower.
She needed to know that showing up for herself for 10 minutes matters just as much as showing up for her team for 10 hours. She needed to see the quiet work of caring for herself fuels her ability to perform when it really counts.
Finding our sustainable pace
If you're reading this thinking, "This is me: I'm a sprint champion struggling with the marathon," know this: your ability to perform under pressure is STILL a superpower. You just need to channel it differently.
The same focus that helps you crush deadlines can help you build daily practices.
The same commitment that drives your professional success can fuel your personal transformation. You just need to apply it to the quiet work, the unsexy consistency, the daily choices no one else notices.
Because here's what I've learned after years of coaching smart, capable humans:
When sprint champions learn to run marathons, they don't just reach their goals they redefine what's possible.
(read that again).
The world needs our sprint energy. We need marathon consistency.
And the best part? We already have everything we need to master both.