One of my former Carlyle colleagues starting running ultra-marathons.
Real hard-core stuff, like 4 days crossing a desert with little more than a canister of oil to keep you warm at night.
Some time ago before one of his races I remember him posting a picture of him with “HTFU” written perhaps by hand in the dusty rear window of the support vehicle.
I thought, ‘Exactly, that’s the type of support you need when you are in that situation.’
You don’t want someone to give you a hug and commiserate how hard it is to keep going.
You want them to grab your collar and ask you: “Are you the sort of person who caves or do you harden the fuck up?”
When your feet are burning.
Blistered.
Your body is hurting all over.
With only miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles…ahead of you.
Are you the type of person who focuses on how hard it will be to go the distance?
Or do you harden the fuck up?