I Didn’t Hit My Goal… But I Didn’t Mentally Quit

A Half Marathon, a Hard Lesson, and the Road to Boston

This past weekend, I ran a half marathon—the Delaware Running Festival in Wilmington. A timed race. A real benchmark. And no, I didn’t hit the time I was hoping for.

But I walked away with something more valuable than a PR.

Let me rewind.

At the end of last year, I made a commitment: I wanted to qualify to run the Boston Marathon. Qualify the old-fashioned way: hit the cut-off times in a qualifying race. Not just say it, but do it. I’ve said it before. I’ve started training before. But something always got in the way—injuries, work, travel, excuses. But the brutal truth? It wasn’t my body that gave out. It was my mind.

I mentally quit before the journey got really hard.

This time, I decided: no more mental quitting. I may never run a qualifying time. Maybe my body won’t hold up. But I’ll be damned if I look back one day and say I never really gave it a shot. I’ll look back knowing I either did it, or I left it all out there trying.

So, I made a few key changes.

I hired a coach—not because I’m lazy, but to offload the mental weight of managing a training plan. One less decision each day. One more reason to show up. I paid him, told my personal accountability board of fellow GoBros[i] about my goal, and committed out loud: I will not mentally quit.

Fast-forward to this weekend: the first timed test run. A half marathon. The goal time loomed large in my head. And midway through the race, I started to spiral. I wanted to stop. I felt nauseous. I felt weak. I questioned everything.

But I didn’t stop.
I didn’t throw up (though maybe I should have).
I finished.

That was win number one.

Later, exhausted and beat down, I took a shower, crawled into bed, and eventually found myself at the local diner—pen in hand, journaling between bites of eggs and potatoes. That’s where the shift came.

I didn’t hit the horizon, the ideal. But I realized how far I’ve come in the past 90 days and in my journey from overweight non-runner in my late 20s to now. I’m in better shape. I finished 7th out of ~70 in my age group (45–49). And according to some digging with ChatGPT, I’m in the top 10–15% of runners my age—and the top 0.2% of all men my age. And when it comes to VO2 scores, top, excellent, near elite type measures.

As Dan Sullivan would say, I’m in the Gain, not the Gap[ii].

And best of all? My training plan is already laid out for this week. No mental fatigue required. Just show up and do the work. Rinse and repeat. Right back at it.

This result and journey reminds me so much of what we do at Members’ Wealth.

Clients come to us with big dreams. Sometimes those dreams are fuzzy: retire early, sell a business, support kids through college, give generously, live freely. But the process isn’t always pretty. Markets dip (definitely did this week ☹). Plans shift. Emotions get loud. Life throws curveballs.

But that’s where we come in.

We help them hold the long-term vision. We give them a plan. We walk alongside them when things get off track—not to panic, but to reassess, reset, and recommit. We’re not here to chase every short-term win. We’re here to help them keep moving—even when they want to stop.

Wealth planning, like marathon training, is about structure, intention, and mental endurance. It’s about building a life worth living—not just hitting a number. Some weeks feel like wins. Others, not so much. But we keep showing up.

Because how you do anything is how you do everything.[iii]

If you’re on your own journey—whether it’s financial, personal, or athletic—ask yourself: Am I mentally quitting when it gets hard? Or am I recommitting, right now, to show up again this week?

Let’s go.

Here’s to the road ahead—and to not quitting on the things that matter.

See you out there,
Dane
The Wandering Wealth Advisor

[i] GoBros is the term affectionately used to describe the men of GoBundance—a high-level mastermind community of successful, driven, and adventurous entrepreneurs committed to living lives of integrity, accountability, and growth. Through shared experiences and challenges, GoBros push each other to level up in health, wealth, relationships, and contribution.

[ii] The Gap and The Gain” is a concept developed by Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach. It encourages individuals to measure progress by looking at how far they've come (the Gain) rather than how far they still have to go (the Gap). It’s a powerful mindset shift that fosters gratitude, motivation, and long-term growth.

[iii] How you do anything is how you do everything" is a popular mindset principle often cited in personal development. While its exact origin is debated, the phrase underscores the idea that small actions reflect broader habits, values, and disciplines—and that excellence (or complacency) in one area often mirrors your approach to life as a whole