A strong engine cannot outrun an inefficient machine. 

If you want to achieve maximum performance, you must build efficiency. Efficient movement allows you to do the most amount of work with the least amount of wasted energy. Efficiency is the definition of doing something well.

Though I’ve always been one who prides myself on doing things well, I’ve failed to achieve this in my athletic pursuits (at least in my adult years). This is likely because I’ve never had a true performance goal. Aesthetics have always been my primary motivation for exercising. To be “fit and skinny,” I took the approach of doing the most amount of work, no matter the cost. The goal each day was to burn calories. Despite injury, illness, or fatigue, I continued to exercise. It didn’t matter if I was moving well; it just mattered that I was moving.

This past year, I set out to run a marathon, for the third time. About three months into the marathon training program, I listened to a Rich Roll podcast episode featuring David Roche — an ultramarathoner, running coach, and co-host of the Some Work, All Play podcast. The episode was all about David’s record-breaking win at the Leadville 100-mile race in 2024. After hearing David’s story, I became enthralled by ultramarathons.

In the episode, David mentioned that he and his wife, Megan Roche, had several free training plans. Since I had already built an aerobic base and was curious about running an ultramarathon, I switched to his 50-mile training plan. Even though I wasn’t ready to sign up for an ultramarathon, I figured this plan would have me more than ready to run my marathon in September (spoiler alert: I wasn’t able to run the race).

At this point in my running career, I knew that to cover a distance longer than a half-marathon, I was going to have to slow down. Trail running helped me come to terms with this, as running a slower pace on trails was much more enjoyable than on pavement.

Following this new training plan and logging most miles on trails, I developed a newfound passion for running. Fairly quickly, I was running 30+ miles per week. Seeing the miles rack up was hugely motivating. And the runner’s high I experienced from running longer distances was something else.

Fast-forward two months, and I found myself with nagging foot pain. A few days after my longest run (22 miles), I felt a pinching sensation near the fifth metatarsal in my left foot. I took it easy for about a week, hoping it would clear up, but the sensation persisted. Long story short, what I thought was a potential stress fracture ended up being an inflamed nerve. I was in and out of a boot for almost five months. Yet again, I was sidelined from activity due to another injury.

While I was extremely frustrated by the situation, I was also very motivated to get back to running. This time, instead of sulking and ignoring the glaring weaknesses that led to my injury, I made a serious effort to address them. Five months later, I’m back to running stronger, with a greater appreciation for efficient movement.

My takeaway from this experience: Efficiency is everything when it comes to performance. If you lack efficiency (in my case, running efficiency), the wear and tear of inefficient movement patterns eventually takes its toll and leads to injury. I may have had the aerobic capacity to go the distance, but I didn’t have the running mechanics.

So far, my failed attempts to run a marathon have taught me that running mechanics, and likely tissue tolerance, are my major limitations. If I want to run far, and do it with some amount of ease, my body needs a structured program to improve my movement patterns and build strength. This will be the focus of my training for the foreseeable future. Here’s to learning how to build a more efficient, resilient body.