Training for endurance events like Ironman is genuinely brutal. It hammers you physically, devours your time, and here’s the bit most people don’t talk about, it’s a masterclass in mental warfare. You learn things about yourself you didn’t necessarily want to know.
Here’s what I learned: I’m a quitter.
Seriously. I discovered that whenever I’m on a run and spot a shortcut back home, the temptation is almost unbearable. I’ll fight it for a bit, then cave. Given an option to bail, I take it. Not exactly the mindset you’d expect from someone training for Ironman, right?
But here’s the thing, recognising this weakness was the breakthrough.
The Problem: Willpower Is Overrated
Most people assume endurance athletes are just built differently. Stronger. More disciplined. More willing to suffer. That’s bollocks. We’re not (well this one isn’t, Hayden Wilde probably is). We’re just as prone to taking the easy route as anyone else. The difference is we’ve learned to stop relying on willpower and start relying on systems.
Willpower is finite. It depletes. By the end of a long run, when you’re tired and your legs hurt and home is right there, willpower crumbles. You need something stronger. You need structure.
This is especially true when you’re pivoting careers or building something new. You start with enthusiasm. Week two hits and the novelty wears off. Week four? You’re exhausted from your day job and the side project feels like punishment. That’s when most people quit. Not because they lack ambition, but because they’ve built their entire plan around willpower surviving contact with reality.
“The best way to beat temptation isn’t to resist it harder, it’s to remove it from the equation entirely.”
The Solution: Front Load
This is where front loading comes in. Instead of adding extra kilometres to the end of my run when I’m knackered and passing my house I add them to the start. Before fatigue sets in. Before temptation has a chance to whisper.
It sounds simple because it is. But simple doesn’t mean ineffective.
Front loading works because it removes friction and temptation simultaneously. You’re not relying on motivation or discipline. You’re relying on structure. You’ve already committed before the hard part arrives. You’ve stacked the deck in your favour before your tired brain gets a vote.
The psychology here is crucial. When you front load, you’re leveraging what researchers call “decision fatigue.” Your willpower is strongest in the morning, when you haven’t yet spent it on a hundred small choices. Use that window. Spend your best energy on your most important work.
Why This Matters for Your Reinvention
You’re reading this because you’re thinking about a pivot, a side hustle, earning more, or building something meaningful. And you’re probably worried you’ll quit. That you lack the discipline. That you’ll hit a rough patch and bail.
Here’s the truth: you probably will quit if you rely on willpower alone.
But if you front load? Everything changes.
Try This: Front Load Your Side Hustle
Don’t schedule your project work for evenings when you’re exhausted. Front load it. Do it first thing, before work, before email, before the day drains you. Even 90 minutes at 6am beats three hours of half-hearted effort at 9pm. Your best thinking happens early. Use it.
Try This: Front Load Your Fitness
Want to get fit but keep skipping the gym? Don’t plan to go after work. Front load it. Morning sessions remove the decision-making (my wife is amazing at this, me not so much). You’re already there before your brain wakes up enough to negotiate. The hardest part isn’t the workout, it’s showing up. Front load the showing up.
Try This: Front Load Your Boundaries
Trying to eat healthier? Don’t rely on willpower at the supermarket. Front load by not buying the junk. Remove the temptation before you’re tired and hungry. Same applies to your time, block it before someone else claims it.
“You don’t need more discipline. You need fewer decisions.”
The Real Lesson
Being a quitter isn’t a character flaw, it’s just being human. We all take shortcuts when given the chance. The people who succeed aren’t the ones with superhuman willpower. They’re the ones who’ve stopped fighting their nature and started designing around it.
Front load your priorities. Remove the friction. Make the right choice the easy choice. Build your system so that quitting becomes harder than continuing.
I’m not a quitter…I never start!