In many ways, retirement isn’t a goal, it’s an endurance sport.
I had the opportunity to compete in the Pittsburgh Marathon over the weekend and wanted to share a quick thought that came to me during the race:
To run the race, you not only have to train, but you’ve also got to be able to adapt your plan to uncontrollable conditions on race day.
We’ve often been led to believe that retirement is a singular destination, that all you need to do is show up at the starting line with the right-sized nest egg, and you’ll be set.
The reality is, however, that you have to prepare not just to be able to show up for race day, but also to sustain yourself along the way.
It’s not just about putting in the miles to go the distance; it’s about pacing, nutrition, hydration and attitude.
In retirement, pacing becomes your spending plan. Nutrition and hydration represent efficiently growing your wealth and protecting it. And your attitude? That’s staying disciplined when markets and life throw challenges your way.
A misalignment in any of these components is likely to fundamentally change your race day experience.
Heading into my taper week ahead of last week’s race, I felt like my training was solid and was certain that by race day, my body and legs would be fresh. But wouldn’t you know it, I woke up on Sunday morning with a cold and a case of bronchitis.
That’s the paradox of endurance training: you can’t control the conditions, but it does equip you to press through them.
You change and test the variables weeks in advance so you know how your body might adapt to the unknown stresses of the event.
And once you’ve trained for an endurance sport, you’re likely forever changed.
Because more often than not, you haven’t prepared for a single race; after months of deliberate effort, you’ve forged a new way of life.
Many people believe retirement planning is about maintaining their current lifestyle for the next 20, 30 or 40 years. But the right plan doesn’t just preserve what you have, it expands your horizons. It equips you to live a lifestyle you may not have envisioned before, opening the door to entirely new races you hadn’t even considered.
You see, retirement success isn’t about reaching a single milestone.
It’s about having the right habits, resources, and mindset to keep going strong over the long run no matter where your journey might take you, even under the least optimal conditions.
Frankly, the conditions presented to me on my race day were certainly less than optimal. In the end, I finished the race, but not in the way I had hoped. Even so, my planning and training enabled me to envision an outcome (finishing the race) beyond current circumstances (illness).
Whether you’re already executing your retirement plan or still fine-tuning it, it’s worth asking: do I have the right systems, support, and strategies in place to thrive mile after mile no matter what life throws my way?
Humble Brag
I had a proud-dad moment this weekend as my oldest, Lily, ran her first timed 5K.
It wasn’t about speed or competition, it was about building grit.
We laughed, we cried, and ultimately, we crossed the finish line together.
Here’s to the first of many more races we’ll run side by side in the years to come.