📖 My Gift to You, 🚴‍♂️ 4 Lessons from Ironman St George, and 🧑‍💻 How to Master AI

PROGRESSION: 2025, Volume 10

This month marks the one-year anniversary of The Unconquerable Leader. The book exceeded my expectations and I've enjoyed hearing from readers who've found it valuable.

To celebrate, I’m giving out a free signed copy to you and all my newsletter subscribers. And if you already have a copy, I’ll gift one to your friend or co-worker.

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Lessons from Ironman St George

Okay, now let’s talk about maximizing potential, embracing pain, and my favorite topic—triathlon. Saturday was a special day in southern Utah. I competed in my 4th Ironman 70.3 here in St George, all with my brother. It's an annual tradition. Our Super Bowl.

• 1.2 mile swim

• 56 mile bike

• 13.1 mile run

My training was dialed in. I'd gone 110 days with no sweets. I was shooting for a PR, but my expectations were tempered when I saw the weather forecast. The heat was brutal and we saw a high of 96 degrees on Saturday.

Overall I had an incredible race, beating last year's time by 12 minutes and setting a personal best. The atmosphere was electric. The 4,000+ volunteers were incredible. My wife, kids, and parents were all there. It was a magical day.

Here are five takeaways from Ironman St George.

1) We don’t know our limits

Several years ago my stretch goal was to complete a Half Ironman in less than 6 hours. Then in Oceanside I finished in 5:55 and cried like a baby after crossing the finish line. I didn't think it was possible. I’d trained as hard as I could and was confident I couldn’t go faster. But on Saturday my time was 5:13, more than 40 minutes faster. Clearly I underestimated the power of consistent training and marginal gains.

Is there more progress to make? I don't know. But I'll keep pushing to find out. Too often our perceived limits are self-imposed. We can’t truly know our limits unless we test them. This comes from doing hard things over and over again.

2) Focus on what you control

The weather was certainly out of my control, but I was fortunate to have many things go my way. Others were less fortunate. My brother got pneumonia a few weeks before the race. His fitness wasn’t close to what he wanted, but he still showed up. One friend got a flat tire a few minutes into the bike. They both battled all day, ran their own race, and crossed the finish line.

We control very little beyond our preparation, our mindset, and our effort. Sometimes everything goes our way. But sometimes life gives us pneumonia, a flat tire, or some other setback. We can’t control those factors, but we can always choose how we respond to them.

3) Seek support from experts

Two weeks before the race, I strained my inner thigh on a training run. So I paused all training until it got better. 5 days before the race, I still felt pain while biking. Running was out of the question. I didn’t think I could race. A relay team reached out. They were looking for someone to just do the swim portion and I almost joined.

I decided to see a physical therapist instead. He worked on my thigh for 30 painful minutes. It felt a lot better the next day. It turns out I should have spent more time stretching and strengthening my leg, not less. I wish I would have seen a PT right away. He saved my race (thanks, Aaron!). Einstein is quoted as saying, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” Sometimes we just need to get out of our own head and get help from experts.

4) Life is about maximizing our potential

When I first got into triathlon, I’d train 6-8 weeks before a race then never think about training until the next year. Now I train year round. I like creating and executing a training plan. I like competing. It’s not about a single race or event. It’s about continual growth. I've fallen in love with the process.

Bhavin Turakhia said, "It is our moral obligation to make an impact that is proportionate to our potential.” In the grand scheme of things, triathlon doesn’t really matter. But I believe we owe it to ourselves and others to maximize our potential. You must decide what that looks like for you. It can be sport, work, relationships, or any other pursuit. It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress.

5) Embrace the suck

I have a few buddies who also did the Ironman. We’re super competitive and I wanted to beat them. When I saw how hot it would be on race day, I told myself, “Perfect. I know I can suffer more than them.” I meant it. These words continually ran through my head. I knew if it was painful for me, it would be worse for them.

There comes a point in every triathlon where things get unbearably hard. What you do in that moment defines your race. I’ve competed enough to know that all the pain stops the moment you cross the finish line. Then you’re left wondering, could I have pushed harder? Did I really give it my all?

Winning isn’t about who’s the most talented. It’s about who refuses to quit when it hurts. Winning is about who can suffer the most and keep going. This is true in triathlon and life. You must embrace the suck.

What I’m Learning

• I really enjoyed Shaan Puri’s post, Finding Your Thing. He argues that everyone you admire has found their ‘thing’. In his words:

  • “Michael Phelps has a weird body. Double jointed elbows, a torso 8 inches too long, and half the lactic acid production as a normal human. The dudes built like a flying fish. So he found his thing, swimming.

  • “Joe Rogan liked to have funny conversations with his friends about everything from fighting to aliens. 3 hour conversation with a stranger? I couldn’t do that. But Joe can. So he found podcasting. He found his thing.”

  • Finding your thing is the only true shortcut to life. But, how do you find your thing? Here’s a question Bun Kuhn, the CTO of Anthropic, posed: What does it seem like everyone else is mysteriously bad at?

• My friend Nolan Church recently shared this 6 Steps to Master AI video.

  • It’s an excellent resource for understanding the AI landscape and getting smart on this topic.

Gratitudes

I’ve found power in regularly expressing gratitude so I’ll continue the habit. I’m grateful for all of you who’ve read this newsletter, hired me as a coach, or read my book. Leaving the corporate world to start my own thing wasn’t without risk and my life has been blessed by your support. 🙏

As I mentioned earlier, to claim your signed copy of The Unconquerable Leader, just fill out this quick form or reply with your name and address. If you already have a copy, I’d be happy to gift one to a friend.

If I can do anything to help you, please reach out. As always, thank you for reading.

All the best,

Nathan

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