The Endurance Athlete's Cheat Code for Doing the Next Right Thing

Henry R. Shoemaker

November 16, 2026

"Failure Is Not Final: Flaws Are Not Fatal"—a quote popularized by Eric Mansfield's book of the same title. I haven't read it, but there's a definite duality worth exploring. Of course, the quote is true. But bad decisions have a way of snowballing and even becoming a way of life.

Everyone who's had a tough Ironman—and that's pretty much everyone who's ever done one—has faced a difficult decision, if not a series of them, that led them to the finish line... or not.

Wear the wetsuit or not? Spring for the aero helmet? Carbon-plated shoes? Those are the easy ones. Many of us face harder decisions: Can I walk another step in this marathon, or am I heading into that hotel lobby right there to call my spouse and admit I'm done? Do I pick up my gear bag tomorrow, defeated?

Those are the decisions we remember. But often, it's the decisions we made months earlier in training that put us on the path we're walking—or not walking. Leave the house for the pool at 5AM? Finish the set on the prescribed rest intervals or mail it in? Skip the long bike this week and catch-up next week? Drift into comfortable Zone 3 pace instead of the monotonous Zone 2?

One decision doesn't derail us. But without proactive, purpose-centered decision-making, we'll find ourselves on a start line somewhere with dread, knowing we're not ready and hoping for the best.

So what's the cheat code? It's simpler than you think, but it requires brutal honesty. It's three questions you must answer before race day and revisit every single day in training:

Know Your Why

Cliché, I know. But I have this talk with my athletes all the time. Are you targeting the next triathlon distance because you think it's what you're supposed to do? Because you think it's what your family or teammates want? Because you want to brag to people at work? Those might be okay reasons if you're honest with yourself, but they may not be enough to get you to the finish line.

Often, your real why isn't the one you tell people when they ask. You know that well-rehearsed utterance that makes you seem both humble and adventurous: "I just needed to test myself and see what I'm capable of."

If interrogated, your real why is probably more uncomfortable than that, and it needs to be unpacked before you get to the start line. I talked with Jesus one night in Waco, Texas, on the most desolate Ironman run course you could ever imagine. I told Him that if I survived that race, I would know my why if I was ever lucky enough to toe the start line again. I suffered through a painful and humiliating performance, and I honored my word.

Your real why should be powerful enough to get you to the workout day after day, even when everything about your training block sucks and you don't want to do it. Not the B.S. one. Not the cliché. The blood and guts underneath it all that drove you to hit "confirm" on that registration screen.

Know Your How

You're not going to like every part of the training. You'll get sick of that pool or be afraid of the open water. Your glutes will feel like they've been chopped by 1,000 machetes at hour three on the bike trainer—maybe hour one for some of you. You'll hate the speed work or maybe the Zone 2 stuff. You'll tell yourself you need that double or triple session when you really need rest and recovery, because it satisfies your ego and pride or quells some internal angst.

But you'd better understand the roadmap to where you're headed (Your How). Otherwise, you're not going to stay on track when it gets tough—and for some of you, that's going to be four weeks in, not four months in.

Knowing why you're doing the work will help you push past the things you don't like to do. If you understand what the workouts—or conversely, the rest and recovery—mean for your training, you're far more likely to find a way through the tough stuff, not around it.

Pro tip: Find something you like about every discipline, something you want to show up for, and make that the reward for doing the thing you don't like. For some of you, that's getting through the kick set so you can use the paddles. For others, it's a group ride to look forward to, motivating you through those three hours alone on the trainer. For some, it's having the discipline to stay in Zone 2 by focusing on the tempo work at the end. Or making yourself take a rest day so you can conquer a quality session like a monster the next day or hit that double workout with tenacity instead of exhaustion.

Know Your Who

Who's your tribe? Not the people you tell the B.S. why story to, but the couple of confidants who have also done hard shit before. The ones who understand what it's like to toil in silence for a feat that's only impressive the first time you meet someone for five minutes. Someone you can share an easy run with and commiserate about why in the hell we decided to take up this insane sport to begin with—or, if you're like me, why this sport chose us.

None the less, you need to be able to vent with someone who understands what you're going through. You also need a buddy who will remind you that the run is really going to suck if you don't start running. You need that friend who's going to jump on a two-hour training ride for a few minutes even when they don't have a race coming up.

The truth? Having quality people around you—a high-performance coach, a committed team, training partners who get it—makes all three of these infinitely easier. When you surround yourself with excellence, doing the next right thing stops being a daily battle and starts becoming who you are.

Your tribe, your coach, your team—they're not luxuries. They're the difference between showing up on race day ready or showing up hoping for the best.

Want to build yours? Let's talk.