Jennifer McConachie - Go Far: How Endurance Sports Help You Win At Life

I am in the oldest desert in the world, preparing to climb up one of the highest sand dunes on record. It is mid-morning on the final day of a five-day desert stage race. The sand is deep orange, ancient. I run across the veld approaching the pile of massive dunes that must be summited before the race is complete. I have already covered 108 miles, running for six, seven, eight hours a day in 120-degree temperatures.

A few months ago, I didnt even know there was a country called Namibia. Today I am surrounded by its vastness. I am on the other side of the world somewhere in the back of beyond. I approach the sandy foothill and climbfingers and feet swooshing deep into the ruddy sand. It is so steep that near the top, I crawl on all fours. I am one with the earth. I am connected with my body and my soul to nature in her most basic element. I tell myself this is what it means to be alive.

My name is Jennifer. I am a life-long endurance athlete in sports like running, wild swimming, mountaineering, paddling, triathlons, adventure racing and multisport. I am a wife, a mother, a Siberian husky parent, and now a writer. This book is a culmination of what I have experienced in more than 30 years of competing in endurance sports and living an adventurous life. I am an ordinary person with an extraordinary approach to fitness, life and training.

In this book, I cover my standout way to tackle big ideas and grand goals. I share what it takes to be a multidisciplinary endurance athlete who has traveled the globe, raced an ultramarathon on five of the seven continents, swam the Hellespont from Europe to Asia, escaped Alcatraz, climbed several of the Seven Summits, and conquered an American epic by running across the Grand Canyon and then back again.

In these pages, I share how to find immersive global experiences from your front door to exotic locales around the world. I hope my journey inspires and teaches you how to connect with nature and seek adventure to become a confident winner physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I apply the principles I have learned competing and training in endurance sports to excel in business and life. Tackling endurance challenges can help you personally and professionally as you learn to take on adversity, combat stress and, most importantly, have fun. Endurance challenges like climbing the tallest mountain on a continent, running 100 miles, and swimming through the cold waters of the Baltic Sea taught me resiliency and persistence. I learned how to seek out new experiences and opportunities to succeed. I do this as a normal, non-professional athlete, without the backing of sponsors or excessive natural ability, but with a three-tiered life approach.

I am excited to share this pilgrimage with you, so you can use these principles of endurance in your life as well.