On The Move

Turns out that Grit is basically a backyard ultra. After five laps I’ve seen enough to know that this event could go on forever. So I’ll just wrap it up and continue to move on (which is basically the same as continuing to do more laps in the Grit backyard). Grit is defined by psychologist Angela Duckworth (she’s basically taken ownership of the word) as the combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Rather than relying solely on innate talent or intelligenc

Grit Passion Perseverance Interest Purpose Practice Hope Curiosity Alignment Identity Values Direction Discipline Optimism Feedback Stamina Adaptability Routine Repetition Stretch Correction Reflection Focus Tenacity Patience Reframing Recovery Effort Immersion Prioritization Sacrifice Accountability Agency Consistency Humility Endurance Commitment

When anyone is studying grit there is, by lap 3 for sure, only one person standing there; Angela Duckworth. She is currently a psychology professor at U of Penna, a 2013 MacArthur fellow and the co-founder of a nonprofit called the Character lab. In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth introduces the Goal Hierarchy Model to illustrate that grit is not simply brute force effort; it is an organized coherent architecture of purpose. Rather than viewing l

Duckworth's 12 Item Grit Scale Directions for taking the Grit Scale: Here are a number of statements that may or may not apply to you. For the most accurate score, when responding, think of how you compare to most people - not just the people you know well, but most people in the world. There are no right or wrong answers, so just answer honestly! Very much like me Mostly like me Somewhat like me Not much like me Not like me at all I have overcome setbacks to conquer an impor

... courage and determination: firmness of mind, unyielding spirit and the mental strength to persevere through hardship, danger or long term challenges. The combination of sustained passion and long term perserverance toward difficult goals despite setbacks. [Belonging to the family known as or under/within the 'psychology of effort'. -Angela Duckworth] Synonyms: fortitude, tenacity, backbone, resilience, determination and pluck; to name just a few. Antonyms: capitulation, f

... referring to a person's ability to cope well with difficulties; resilience, spirit, fortitude or strength of character under pressure. Key synonyms: Grit, fortitude, resolve, tenacity, pluck, backbone. Common phrase: "To test one's mettle", to put someone's strength, courage or endurance to the test in a challenging situation. "Mettle" originated as an alternate spelling of metal, 16/17th centuries, the two spellings were used interchangeably. Over time, figurative usage

...refers to a state of continued difficulty, misfortune, hardship or severe challenge. It describes unfavorable circumstances or trials that test an individual's endurance, resilience and character. Etymology Latin origin: Derives from the Latin adversitas, stemming from adversus (meaning 'turned against', 'hostile', or 'contrary', formed from ad- 'to/toward' and vertere 'to turn'). Old French: Entered Middle English via Anglo-Norman and Old French (adversite'). Key Nuance

I try to have faith and hope, but mostly I’m tongue-in-cheek at my core. Which is a polite way of saying that a half century in; I’m a skinny, bald, reformed people-pleaser who has almost entirely lost the plot, operating like captain jack sparrow in a sterile world that strictly requires an itinerary. By most standard societal metrics, I should have a curated life by now. I should have an ergonomic chair, a sensible mutual fund, a lawn I feel strongly about, maybe even an op

The Architecture of an Effective Practice Generic gratitude lists fail because the brain habituates quickly to static positive concepts. An effective practice relies on cognitive reactivation: forcing the brain to retrieve specific sensory details, recognize operational friction overcome, and acknowledge external dependencies. Part 1: The Daily Written Protocol (5–7 Minutes) Use this structure once daily—either early morning before external inputs arrive, or late evening duri

On episode #680 of This Past Weekend, comedian Theo Von sat down with ultra-endurance athlete Mark Dowdle. Fresh off a mind-boggling victory at the Last Soul Ultra in Germany—where he ran 395 miles in just under four days—Dowdle would be expected to talk splits, shoe choices, and electrolyte strategy. Instead, the conversation quickly mutated into a profound philosophical exploration of human suffering, the modern search for meaning, and why some people have to run across con

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 Form Over Feeling In the final miles of an endurance challenge or an arduous circumstance, your body usually encounters a state of depletion. The initial surge of adrenaline and dopamine from the beginning stage is a distant memory. The quieter, more contemplative middle section has begun to yield to raw physical fatigue. The landscape may begin to blur and feel relent

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 Drafting in the Pack I recently hit the half century mark on the old chronological measurement system. I can't really say that there's anything exciting or fantastic about this 'milestone' for me. Actually it comes as a swift kick in the groin. Yeah, sure its mostly psychological and doesn't really mean shit but that doesn't mean my brain is somehow immune from the ridiculous self inflicted mental soup I've b

"Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel." -Isaiah 45:15 Adaptations in the Dark In long distance endurance running, the most critical physical transformations never happen on race day under the bright banners of the finish line. They happen quietly, unceremoniously, during the uneventful, grueling weeks of base building. When a runner logs long, slow miles through cold mornings, nothing looks dramatic on the surface. Your pace might even feel sluggi

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105 Dropping your eyes in the fog. You're running a technical trail at dawn, you know how disorienting it might be should a heavy fog roll over the ridge. Visibility drops to near zero, your instinct is to look out to the horizon, searching diligently for a landmark, a course marker, or the crest of the next hill. But staring into a thick fog isn't exactly getting the job done. You can't even see fifty yards a

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" - Psalm 13:1 The Metaphor: Between the Aid Stations If you've ever spent time on a long trail or pushed through extended miles in a race, you know the shift that happens when you leave the noise of the start line behind. For the first few miles, everything is loud. The crowd is cheering, the energy is high, and your momentum carries you effortlessly. But eventually, the course bends deep

Three of the core techniques from Rich Diviney's Mastering Uncertainty Method: 1. Moving Horizons This is the central tool: instead of facing an entire uncertain ordeal at once, you pick a DPO (Duration, Pathway, Outcome) - a small, near-term horizon to focus on. You pick a horizon, create a DPO, move to that horizon, and repeat until either you move through the uncertainty entirely, learn enough to ease the discomfort, or accomplish the goal. • Example: running for hours th

YOUR LOVE IS A WELL If Your grace had limits, we would have reached them If Your love had conditions, we wouldn't meet them With all of my running I thought I'd find the end But then You come running Time and time again Your love is a well that never runs dry, never runs dry One drink from the well and I'm satisfied, I'm satisfied You have always been life for the thirsty So I come before you just as I am With all of my running I thought I'd find the end But then You come run

People are lazy. Today these lazy people like to poke fun at Goggins and reduce him down to a 10 second clip about boats and logs. Lazy people don’t read books. Goggins wrote 2 books: Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished. Both books revolve around actionable lessons that we can apply to our lives. These are lessons that David used himself and is sharing with us so that we might navigate the difficult waters of life that are not unique to anyone. I’m posting this because I’m in th

Yes, you can absolutely do this, and it is a popular strategy among fat-adapted and endurance runners looking to lower the high cost of pre-packaged UCAN products. However, because of how UCAN's SuperStarch behaves, making it into a pocket-friendly DIY gel requires a specific approach. The Mechanics of Mixing UCAN + MCT The biggest hurdle with DIY UCAN gels is the texture. Because UCAN is a complex, large-molecule cornstarch rather than a highly soluble simple sugar (like mal

The summer of 2026 includes the release of three excellent shoes for your own ultimate and ultra, monsters of rock tour. Which shoe will you be choosing this summer? 1. The North Face Offtrail Ultra Price: $190 The Philosophy: Designed to maximize ground feel, agility, and precision without the stiff, aggressive lever of a carbon plate. It uses a single layer of dual-density, supercritical DREAMBOUND foam (a TPU/EVA blend) that frames a softer center core with a firmer outer