Project delivery is an endurance sport

The Middle Is the Hardest Part

There are a lot of hard moments in an Ironman event, but somewhere in the middle tends to be the most challenging. The nervous energy from the start line has waned, the swim is done, and you’ve been on the bike for six plus hours, dealing with exhausting heat and humidity weather is throwing at you. Now you’re staring down a full marathon on legs that feel like concrete.

By this point, the crowds are gone. It’s quiet. It’s just you and your mind, trying to stay in it.

I’ve come to realise that the middle of a project feels very similar.

The beginning of a project is full of ideas and momentum, and the end has energy too, especially when you can see impact starting to land. But in the middle? Between sprint 9 and 20? That’s when it can feel like you’re moving through mud. Priorities shift, your stakeholders move on to the next thing and the energy can dip.

That middle stretch is where consistency matters most, where clarity helps and where even small progress is definitely worth acknowledging.

Motivation isn’t always there, but systems and processes help

People sometimes ask how I stay motivated during long training blocks, especially in winter. The truth? I don’t, not all the time. Some days I’m tired and some weeks I don’t want to train at all.

The same thing happens in project delivery. Motivation comes and goes so you can’t always rely on it!

What I’ve learned is that having good governance, systems and support makes a big difference, both in training and in delivery. Having a clear sense of purpose helps too.

At work, I’m not naturally the most outwardly energetic person but I do try to create steady spaces for teams to talk honestly about where we’re at, especially when things feel tough. The most important thing we can do as a team is to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

You’re not behind, you’re running your own race

It’s easy to compare your progress to what others are doing, faster delivery, bigger milestones, more visibility.

But in triathlon, everyone’s racing for different reasons. Some are aiming for a personal best, and others just want to finish. The same goes for project delivery, every initiative has its own goals, constraints, and complexity.

Trying to match someone else’s pace doesn’t always make sense. Focusing on your team, your outcomes, and your own path helps keep things in perspective.

The finish line always comes

When I crossed the finish line at my first Ironman, it wasn’t a big moment. It was quiet, I was tired, and I had a massive cramp in my calf.

But underneath all that was a sense of real satisfaction — not because it was perfect, but because I stayed with it through the hardest parts.

That’s the same feeling I get when we deliver a project that makes a difference, especially when it’s been a long road.

In both Ironman and project delivery, it’s not about pushing through with constant energy. It’s about staying steady, having good structure and trusting the process. And remembering that progress is still happening, even when it doesn’t feel fast or visible.

If you’re in the middle of something tough right now — a project, a job change, a training block, just know the finish line will come.

Keep showing up. Keep moving. Or as they say in Hawaii, Holomua.