Insights and Epiphanies

Miles of Mind Over Matter: What Trail Running Taught Me About Strength

There’s a special kind of clarity that shows up when you’re deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia—legs burning, lungs screaming, sweat stinging your eyes—and the finish line is nowhere in sight.

I used to run 20 to 30 kilometer trail races across Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. I wasn’t built like a distance runner. I was carrying extra weight. The hil…