This past weekend, I ran two races back-to-back.

A 5K Saturday. A 10K Sunday.

In total, just over 15 kilometres in two days.

For experienced runners, that might not sound extreme. But for me, it was something new. I had never done it before.

And it revealed something important about leadership.

Momentum isn’t built in perfect conditions.

It’s built in imperfect ones.

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Day One: Movement Creates Momentum

The 5K was strong.

Nothing dramatic. Nothing heroic. Just steady movement.

But it set something in motion.

When you show up and execute once, something shifts internally. Confidence grows. The mind recalibrates.

Small wins create forward motion.

That’s how momentum begins.

Not through massive breakthroughs, but through consistent decisions repeated daily.

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Day Two: Momentum Meets Resistance

Sunday was different.

My legs were already sore. My body felt heavy. I knew I had another 10K ahead.

Then came the conditions.

For the first 3 kilometres, we ran straight into a 30 km/h headwind along the ocean.

Massive waves crashed over the break wall, soaking spectators as the wind pushed against every stride. The view was incredible — horizon stretching endlessly over the water — but the effort required to move forward was real.

Then came the next challenge.

A stretch of pavement flooded by incoming waves.

Six inches of water.

Forcing everyone to run a single file. High knees. Splashing through. Shoes and socks were immediately soaked.

And the race had barely started.

Cold feet. Heavy shoes.

Seven kilometres still to go.

Like this article? Check out Momentum vs Motivation.

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Leadership Looks Exactly Like This

Momentum doesn’t eliminate resistance.

It prepares you for it.

In leadership, the same pattern appears:

• Conditions change.
• Plans get disrupted.
• The path forward gets messy.

You rarely operate in perfect conditions.

But if everyone else is still running, you keep going.

That’s the shift.

Grit replaces comfort.

Structure replaces motivation.

And forward movement becomes the goal.

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Small Shifts Compound Over Time

The bigger lesson wasn’t the race itself.

It was the preparation behind it.

Daily runs.

Weekly discipline.

Incremental improvements.

Each small shift compounds.

The outcome isn’t determined on race day. It’s determined by the months leading up to it.

The same is true in leadership.

Small shifts in mindset, action, and commitment shape the outcome long before the result becomes visible.

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Momentum Is Built Before the Moment

By the end of the race, the conditions hadn’t changed.

The wind was still there. My shoes were still soaked.

But something else had changed.

Momentum.

Once you’ve endured the first few kilometres, the rest becomes possible.

That’s the power of momentum.

Not perfection. Not ideal conditions.

Just the decision to keep moving forward.

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Your Shift

What small shift can you commit to this week?

One decision. One action. One commitment repeated daily.

Momentum doesn’t arrive all at once.

It builds step by step.

And once it’s moving, it becomes very hard to stop.

If this resonated, join The Shift — my weekly newsletter on leadership, energy, and systems — where we build sustainable momentum, one shift at a time.

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Chris Wilson