My chest was aching. My breath labored. My heart racing. I struggled to gather myself as I made way up the steep staircase of a trail that is Mt. Sanitas in Boulder, Colorado. The trail gains about twelve-hundred feet in one and a quarter miles for a 17% percent grade, it’s very steep and really hard. And honestly I feel this way most of the time I get to climb this. I’m a little over two weeks out from contracting COVID for the second time so I wasn’t surprised by the discomfort I was experiencing. The last time I had COVID in fall of 2022 it came and went but I had chest pain for almost three months forcing me to DNF after 80 Miles at the Javelina Jundred. I have no noticeable symptoms right now other than the a little fatigue, a high heart rate on exertion, and a little cough every so often. The high heart rate honestly may even be from a bit of detraining and not COVID.

At its core, tenacity embodies the refusal to surrender in the face of obstacles. It's the quality that separates those who merely dream from those who dare to act. Tenacity isn’t just about persistence; it’s about resilience, adaptability, and an unyielding commitment to one's aspirations.

Here are five mental skills that I saw at the Leadville 100 Run that were clearly working from both the leaders of the race as well as back of the packers.