There’s a moment in every hard thing where quitting becomes logical. Not emotional. Not dramatic. Logical.
For me, it came at hour 20.
I was sitting in a blue school chair, staring at the floor, not wanting to get up. My body was wrecked. My hands were torn. My legs had nothing left.
Five years of preparation suddenly felt very far away. Then my mom walked in.
She was thin as a rail. Weak from chemo. Sick. But she stood right in front of me.
In that moment, the world went quiet. No crowd. No clock. No record. Just resolve.
I didn’t start my journey to set a world record. I started it to help her carry the weight of ovarian cancer.
And in that hour—when I wanted to stay seated—she gave me the resolve to stand.
I finished what I started. She passed on November 2nd. But I will always carry that moment with me.
Here’s why I’m sharing this with you:
Resilience isn’t about being ready. It’s about standing up when you aren’t.
As this week begins, don’t wait to feel prepared.
Show up.
— Cole