Running 104: Good Things Take Time

The Science of Sudden Progress

Long-awaited, this is from a day back in March 2024.

Seemingly out of nowhere, I felt a sudden burst of energy. As if my body had flipped a hidden switch.

Clear mind, steady pulse, effortless concentration during my run.

Over the past year of running, I had noticed subtle improvements — greater endurance in meetings, easier focus during afternoons — but nothing like that day’s vivid clarity.

There’s a reason this happened. When we consistently push our bodies through exercise or sustained effort, physiological adaptations occur.

These deeper changes — building new capillaries, strengthening heart muscle, multiplying mitochondria — require weeks to months of gradual protein synthesis and structural remodelling.

This biological reality means there’s often a lag between our efforts and visible results. Then one day, the accumulated changes suddenly break through, and we feel dramatically different.

Progress, in other words, is both slow and sudden.

It’s easy to feel impatient during the invisible stage of adaptation. We crave immediate feedback, instant validation. Yet nature operates on a different timetable, reminding us that genuine transformations can’t be rushed.

Be patient, build reliable systems, and embrace consistency.

Trust that your effort matters deeply, even when you can’t yet see it.

Because good things truly do take time.