The Switch

Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash‍ ‍

One and a half miles. That’s how long it takes me to start enjoying my workout. Which, at my pace, is no small thing. If I’m running, that’s at least 15 minutes. If I’m walking, it’s 20 to 30, and for every one of those minutes before that point, I am not smiling, glowing, or floating on a runner’s high. I am simply… doing it.

Something happens though, when I hit that 1.5-mile mark; something shifts and I catch myself smiling. I don’t even realize I’m doing it at first. It’s like a switch is flipped in my body, which is very likely endorphins finally doing their job.

Research shows that endorphin release typically begins around 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, and some studies found participants reporting euphoric, endorphin-linked feelings after about an hour of sustained effort. In other words, it takes a while. Your body doesn’t reward you instantly, it rewards you eventually, which means that until that switch flips, I’m running entirely on discipline.

People see the medals on my wall - the marathons, the half marathons - and it would be easy to assume I just wake up in running shoes but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every single day of my life is a struggle to exercise. Honestly, it’s a struggle just to get out of bed.

So, if you've been struggling too, know that you aren't alone. It's common. It's science. You just need to find your switch.

Just ask yourself: what is the moment when the benefits finally start to show up? Is it a mile and a half? Is it 20 minutes? Is it the third page you read? The first weed you pull?

If you can name that moment, then you can make a plan for everything up until that moment - the part that's powered by nothing but grit, structure, and the promise that the good part is coming.

For me, I’ve stopped trying to negotiate with myself about how far I’m going to run. Instead, I focus on getting to that mile‑and‑a‑half mark, because I know that once I reach it, the resistance softens and the joy finally starts to seep in. Anything before that point is just noise and arguing with myself before the switch flips is, frankly, pointless.

So, what’s your mile and a half? What is the moment, in whatever you’re trying to build, when effort finally starts to feel like momentum?

Once you can name that moment, you can stop expecting yourself to feel good before you get there. You can plan for the hard part, honor the discipline it requires, and trust that the switch will come, because it always does.