Don't Just Trust the Process: Test It

Evolving Soul,

I know that you’re working hard to push your limits. You wouldn’t be reading this otherwise.

Do you ever feel like you’re putting in all that that work but the results just aren't showing up?

If so, I don’t want you to be discouraged. I want you to know that this is normal.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a threat though.

This part of any achievement, when the workload is heavy but the payoff invisible, is probably the biggest danger we need to navigate in pursuit of any of our achievements.

The key to this is knowing that there will always be a time lag between your hard effort and your reward. It’s simply part of the process.

That’s why this week is an evidence-based edition.

Proof in the pudding that your efforts really are worth it.

That’s If you like evidence-based achievement, this one’s for you.

An Evidence-Based Story

Recently, I’ve been training for a 10km race at probably the busiest point in my adult life.

I’m a fairly experienced racer now, which means that over time I’ve learned something simple: my body performs better, and gets injured less, when I’m going to the gym too.

At peak intensity, I worked up to 40 miles a week, plus two gym sessions (one upper body, one lower body).

It felt like a part-time job, which to be fair, it probably equates to time-wise. The thing is, I don’t have time for another part time job. Who does?

So, as training reached its peak, three weeks ago, I found myself with no option other than for Sunday to suddenly become a double-session day.

I’d run 11 miles in the morning, then do an upper body session at the gym in the late afternoon or evening. The belief being that if I have a strong upper body and back my arms will help push me through.

To be completely candid, for those 3 Sundays, I crawled into bed absolutely dead. Phantom pains and fears of injury plagued my mind during the week too.

I could also feel the effects of it on my running performance too. I was slower and simply couldn’t go as fast as I wanted to.

Then this Monday, I woke up and my HRV (heart rate variability), the tiny spacing differences between heartbeats was back up again after a 2 week dip, perfectly matching the 3 Sundays / 2 full weeks of peak intensity.

So…what’s my point?

This is a tiny experiment, but if we zoom out, this is the pattern.

My body took a bit of time to come good, but ultimately, evolved under pressure.

It successfully adapted.

This got me thinking.

We are literally built for adaptation, and so are our 2 B’s: The brain and the body.

Your Beautiful Brain: Built for Flexibility 🧠

The first B is of course the brain. What would we do without it?

The brain’s primary evolutionary purpose is to help us survive in a world that won’t stop changing.

The core mechanism for this is Neural Plasticity. This is what makes learning physical. Our brain constantly rewires itself based on new experiences. That’s when new connections form, and others weaken. This is how we build skills, change habits, adjust emotional patterns, and recover from setbacks.

Here’s a diagram illustrating this process:

In the diagram above, the neuron is the fundamental cell of our nervous system. The synapse is the junction where the signal between neurons is actually strengthened or weakened based on your experience.

Basically, as we put ourselves under pressure and repeat the effort, these synaptic connections physically remodel and strengthen.

Just by being aware of this process, we can understand why a time lag may exist. It's the time needed for these physical connections (synapses) to literally adapt and handle the new load.

Your Adaptive Body: Built for Regulation 💪

The second B is our body. Your physical form is an adaptive masterpiece designed to match the level of demand you put on it.

The key to its survival is the ability to regulate itself, a process known as homeostasis.

This regulation is what drives the lag. Every second, our bodies have to balance temperature, heart rate, blood sugar, and immune responses.

It can’t possibly be instant, there’s so much going on. This is why the HRV spike took two weeks. My muscles, bones, and metabolic systems couldn’t instantly upgrade.

They waited, measured the increased demand (in this case the double session), began began the physical process of remodelling, and then did.

The Code

The exhaustion we feel during that lag period is not failure; it is the biological cost of your system upgrading itself to a new, higher capacity.

And this is the part of me that wants to say: trust the process.

You’re meant to evolve. You’re meant to become more.

That’s why the Code this week is to:

1. Do the double session (or whatever demanding task you need to commit to)

2. Trust your amazing body and beautiful brain 

3. Remember you’re meant to evolve.

Now, go have a bit of fun with it.

Your Calzone Cub,

Dan x