By: Greyson Gilbert, military family member
My dad flew F-16s in the Air Force. When I was 6 years old, he deployed to Iraq. On 27 November 2006, he was flying above Taji, Iraq, when he heard a call for help over the radio. A helicopter of 22 Special Operators had been hit and grounded. The Operators on the desert floor were about to be overrun by insurgents with truck-mounted weaponry. My dad heard the call and responded. While gunning down enemy trucks, his plane crashed, and he was killed on impact. All 22 of the Operators lived that day.
At the age of 6—before I could comprehend the definition of “endurance”—I had to learn how to endure, to not give in. Since then, endurance sports have become a mainstay of my life. Not surprisingly, the endurance that I practiced at a young age, through the adversity of losing my dad, has informed much of my athletic interests. A connection is there, but what is it?
What is endurance?
Definitions and context are important when talking about anything. Within the context of health and fitness, endurance seems to be defined as low-intensity aerobic exercise that lasts longer than an hour. For some people, that might be shorter or longer. “Endurance” indicates an intensity at which you can go for a really long time, despite discomfort.
However, endurance transcends the limitations of physical activity. What does it mean “to endure?” Merriam-Webster defines it as:
To undergo, especially without giving in.
Adversity is relative, as is endurance. One person’s threshold will differ from another’s. That’s why endurance is hard to define. However, it’s truly understood by those who have experienced it. Have you ever wanted to stop, but you kept putting one foot in front of the other? Ever felt like throwing in the towel, but you kept working and finished the job? That’s what endurance is.
You don’t have to be an elite runner, or a cyclist, or an Ironman to practice endurance. Just by being alive, you’ve endured something—life itself.
Humans have always been enamored by stories of epic endurance. Here are some examples:
- The 2010 Wimbledon championship match between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut lasted 3 days (11 hours of match time).
- In California in 2005, Dean Karnazes ran continuously for 80 hours—more than 350 miles—to set a world record.
- Each year, Tour de France cyclists push themselves on their bikes, testing their bodies and minds, over the course of 21 racing days—a cumulative distance of more than 2,000 miles and about 90 hours of riding.
These, and countless others, are incredible feats of human endurance in the sports world. But endurance isn’t limited to sports. Going through difficult times—sickness, loss, financial hardship, etc.—requires, and teaches, endurance.
How can we endure life?
The question remains, how can we use and benefit from this concept of endurance (in a training sense) to gracefully endure life (in a larger sense)?
As humans, we’re wired to endure physically. A variety of systems in our bodies interact to inform our endurance capabilities. Some of these are our bodies’ cooling mechanisms (like sweating), fueling systems (like carbohydrate- and fat-burning for energy), muscular structure, etc.
The wide array of physical and mental health benefits of exercise are well documented. All types of exercise can increase your quality of life, but studies have shown that endurance training specifically increases resilience to stress and lowers your symptoms of anxiety.
Defining endurance solely in physiological terms doesn’t do it justice. Endurance requires a certain spirit, a psychological component that’s undeniable. The way we think influences our experience of endurance. What happens in our heads when “things”—whether in training or in life—get uncomfortable? And how does that affect us when we come out the other end?
Life can be hard. It’s well known, however, that going through difficult things can make you stronger. I’m certain that most people have experienced this to some extent. I didn’t choose to lose my dad. You don’t choose to have cancer, or lose your job, or end a friendship. Sometimes, that’s just life. But, depending on how you respond, you can become a better person for having endured such hardship.
Even more, you can strengthen the positive way in which you respond to such inevitable adversity by using an endurance “practice.” The simple idea is this: In choosing to do certain hard things—such as endurance exercise—life’s inevitable hard times don’t seem quite so hard.
About the Author
* The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of USU or DoD. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not reflect the views, opinions, or policies of The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The author has no financial interests or relationships to disclose.
