Just Goggins it

If you want to grow your willpower, you need to do things that challenge and even scare you a bit.

I've just been back to the start line for the 2024 Coast to Coast 2-Day Individual multisport event, and getting there was an adventure in itself. I first lined up in February 2020 (and wrote a post about it here), but then the world shut down for a while and I got a bit too comfortable not getting up for 5am training sessions.

The event covers 243km across the South Island. Day 1 consists of a 2.2km run off the beach, a 55km bike ride then a 30.5km mountain run. It would be fair to say that I had unfinished business with the Goat Pass mountain run - my previous time the rivers were flooded and we ran the alternative route.

The mountain run is a classic traverse of the Southern Alps that takes you rock hopping up the Deception River, over Goat Pass and down the Mingha River with multiple river crossings and over quite technical terrain.

So, time to step up.

I figured I'd be smarter this time about training, nutrition, hydration, injury prevention and management, and optimising performance - and I learnt a lot. But, to cut a long story short, I trashed myself on a tree root, cramped wickedly and finished the Goat Pass run 20 minutes over the final Klondyke cutoff time.

Mixed feelings after all the mahi to get there, that's for sure. But at least I finished Day 1. I consoled myself with the fact that I had previously successfully completed Day 2 (15km bike ride, 70km kayak and final 69.5km bike ride) in high flow and Southerly conditions.

"It's all about the journey", they say.

If you've been living under a rock and haven't heard of David Goggins, I recommend checking out his interview with Andrew Huberman (about 46 minutes in) for more information on why doing hard things is important.

There's increasing data emerging on part of our brain called the anterior midcingulate cortex, which grows when challenged (by doing things we don't want to do) and shrinks when we get too comfortable in life. Goggins has an extraordinary life story, and certainly has complete mastery of doing hard things.

"My biggest fear is getting too comfortable", says Huberman.

So, if you've been considering a challenge for a while which seems like a giant stretch or even impossible, take heart and get started.

Just Goggins it.

You'll be building up your willpower along the way.