First, a story.
My name is Mario Minnaert and in 2017, I signed up for a full Ironman in my hometown of Madison, WI. I had already completed a few sprint triathlons, one Olympic triathlon, and one half Ironman race. I signed up for that full Ironman race because like many of you, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
I believed that if I could complete that Ironman at an early age, then I could do anything.
Before I even started training for it, I listed out all the reasons why I wanted to do an Ironman and I listed out all of the people who I was doing it for. I don’t really know why I did that then, but I must have known that I would need to understand why and who I was doing it for before the training started. The race was set for September 10, 2017, so 30 weeks before my race and armed with a training plan, I started training. And it was a grind.
Over those months, I had to overcome countless obstacles: training in the cold of the midwest at the beginning of the year, waking up at 5 am to workout every morning, multiple eye infections that were a result of swimming in my contacts, and the worst of all, and IT band syndrome that forced me to stop running for 3 weeks of training.
It wasn’t just physical either; a lot of it was mental. I had to overcome feeling guilty that I wasn’t spending more time with my fiance on 6-7 hour Saturday bike rides, and missing out on countless other events because I had to train.
But I kept going because I know why I wanted to do it, who I was doing it for, and I wanted that feeling of crossing the finish line and knowing that I could do it. And luckily, I wasn’t alone.
My fiance at the time (and now wife!), Emily, was there with me through everything. When I would get back from the long rides, she would have a warm breakfast ready for me. She actively participated in training too: she would kayak with me during my weekly open water swims, she would bike next to me during long runs, and encourage me to keep going when I needed it.
Race day arrived and the nerves were real. I finished the swim and came out in full on beast mode. I erupted when I came out of the water and had never felt that feeling. When it got to the bike, the steady climbs of Madison’s hills were deadly and I hit the dreaded wall that marathoners had warned me about at about mile 15.
But I kept pushing because I wanted that feeling of crossing the finish line and I had clearly defined why I wanted to do it and who I was doing it for.
After 12 hours and 10 minutes of exercise, the feeling of racing down the red carpet, hearing my family cheering me on, and crossing the finish line to “Mario Minnaert, you are an Ironman!” is hard to describe. I still get a fire in my belly when I think of that moment.
But that’s all it was… a moment.
After my family had given me the congratulations, and I had made it home for a shower and a home cooked meal, my mind started to shift to my plans for the upcoming weeks.
- What meetings do I have tomorrow?
- What do I need to get done this week?
- What’s next?
Did I really train all those months and years for this?
Over time, I’ve realized a simple truth about competing in endurance events from triathlons, marathons, ultramarathons, 4-day hiking trips, climbs, etc.
It’s not about the race; it’s about the person you become along the way.
Once I embraced that truth, it changed everything. It made me realize that the training, and the journey, are more important than the destination.
Since then, I’ve completed several other endurance events and the same result has held up for me. It is really the pursuit of the goal that is the real treasure rather than the actual accomplishment of the goal.
Through the training, I had become the type of person that would overcome any obstacle that stood in the way of my dreams. When IT band syndrome forced me to stop running, I started physical therapy, did all the stretches and exercises, and started aqua jogging to get my running cardio in. Oh, you didn’t know that was a thing? I didn’t really either until I read about it.
The eye infections that were caused by swimming in my contacts? I went to the eye doc, ignored his advice to stop swimming for 2-3 weeks, and swam without my contacts in. Okay, okay.. I did take a couple of days off. But I didn’t let it stop me.
In addition to overcoming those obstacles, I started to develop the right habits that carried over into professional life. For Ironman training, I had to plan out each month and schedule around my most important activities, my long runs and bikes. I started to do the same things with my work projects. Identifying the most important things that must happen in order to be successful. I did that on a weekly and monthly basis.
So how can I sum up the truths about endurance and how it makes you a better person in every area of your life?
That’s where “Endurify” comes in.
Endurify is a word we created by combining “endurance” and the suffix “-ify.”
My favorite definition of endurance comes from Dictionary.com which states that endurance is “the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions.” And -ify is a verbal suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, with the meanings “to make, cause to be, render”; “to become, be made”
So when I say that the real benefit of competing in endurance events is the person that you become along the way; what I mean by that is that by competing in these events, you become the type of person who develops the strength to continue or last despite fatigue, stress, or anything else that gets in the way of your dreams and goals.
So that’s what Endurify is all about.
Endurify.co is way more than a blog or forum about endurance events; we are on a mission to help transform the lives of others through the true benefits of endurance experiences. I will share some lessons that I’ve learned along the way to help you become a better version of yourself.
At Endurify, we believe in starting with why. Why do we exist? Why does this matter?
We exist to transform lives of athletes through endurance experiences so that we can positively impact the world.
How do we do that?
By providing education on the right mindset, strategies, and tools to become better versions of themselves.
What do we do?
We do this by providing training plans, courses, group and 1:1 coaching, and events for people who are training for endurance events.
So there you have it. That’s the story, meaning, and why behind Endurify.
It doesn’t even need to be a full Ironman or marathon. By setting a goal, having a clear vision, coming up with a plan, developing healthy habits, overcoming obstacles, and consistently taking action, you will become a better person.
In the upcoming weeks, months, and years, you will see Endurify develop into a community where you can join like-minded people who are on a mission to become better versions of themselves through endurance. You will find weekly blog posts, inspirational content, training plans, courses, and products to help you endurify your life.
Our goal is to impact a million people through Endurify in the next 10 years. That’s our Ironman or ultramarathon event that many people believe is impossible. That will be measured through anybody who uses our training plans, books, courses, or joins our community and engages with us.
It’s an audacious goal and like any endurance event, there will be obstacles and setbacks. But I know that we can figure it out. I also know that the real benefit in pursuing Endurify is not the goal of starting a company or community, it’s all about the person that I will become along the way.
Join our journey!
If you want to be a part of our journey, check out our Instagram here or by saying hi at hello.endurify@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you on your 2020 goals and how we can help. Are you thinking about signing up for a triathlon, half or full marathon?
Tell us what your 2020 goals are below!