What is The Long Game?

When I think about my 80-year-old self, I don’t see a man sitting still.

I see me, mostly wrinkled, with long silver dreadlocks bouncing around my knees. Summers spent in Washington rocking a flannel cut off, surrounded by family at a cabin in the woods. Still chopping wood, taking morning hikes with the dogs, tending to a bountiful garden, and swimming in wild, cold waters. Then as the clouds set in and the weather turns we make the annual pilgrimage to Brasil where I see myself taking sunset beach strolls, paddling the coast, lifting weights, dabbling in yoga, and talking a little trash to my grandkids as I gracefully nutmeg them from across the room. It’s a man full of spirit, vitality, playfulness, and joy. Living in deep connect to himself, his family, his community, and the natural world.

That’s The Long Game.

It’s about having vision. A clear picture of a future that lights you up, brining you energy. And making sure the way you live and train today allows you to keep doing the things that bring you joy, connection, and meaning decades from now.

The Long Game is a reminder: today’s reps equal tomorrow’s freedom.

Curiosity expands capacity. Awareness creates longevity. Joy brings the juice. And agency aligns action.

Curiosity Expands Capacity

The Long Game isn’t boring maintenance. It’s exploration. It’s staying curious about what’s possible.

A few weeks before my 35th birthday it hit me, my body isn’t what it used to be. And it had been a little while since I really pushed myself. So when the day came I jumped on a rowing machine at Planet Fitness and decided to knock out 35 kilometers. No training plan. No stopwatch. Just curiosity. What I am I capable of?

And it lit a spark. A yearly event or project to expand my physical, mental, and emotional capacities.

At 36, that spark became a 70-mile paddle through the Puget Sound in the Seventy48.
At 37, it grew into a 100-mile mountain bike ride through Oregon’s High Cascades.

Every one of those efforts expanded my edges. They showed me that capacity grows when you’re willing to test it. That’s The Long Game too — not shying away from the unknown, but leaning into it.

Awareness Creates Longevity

But The Long Game isn’t only about pushing forward. It’s about knowing when to pull back.

Last year, in prep for the High Cascades 100 I pushed when I shouldn’t have. After weeks of riding indoors, I went straight into a brutal 30-mile, 3500+ of climbing ride in the rugged Olympic Peninsula. By mile 15, I knew my body wasn’t ready. By mile 25, my knee let me know for sure. Tendonitis altered my training for weeks.

That’s the price of not listening.

The Long Game demands awareness. It asks you to read your body honestly, honor what it’s telling you, and have the restraint to pull back when needed and push when its ready.

Joy Brings the juice

If The Long Game was just about training, I’d lose interest. The Long Game is about engaging in meaningful experiences outside the gym. Stepping into joy through playing, competing, exploring. It’s about tapping into the youthful energy, getting into the stuff that makes you feel like a kid again, that make you feel alive.

Movement is joy in motion.

For me, that joy takes over when you put a ball at my feet or drop me into some flowly single track on the mountain bike. It looks like paddle boarding, when my soul needs some nourishing. It smells like manual labor — a potent mix of campfire, fresh dirt, and salty air hair — as i get grounded by working on the off grid property.

That’s why I train. I’m not trying to be the best at exercising. But to have the freedom to play, compete, explore, and create meaning out in the real world.

Agency Aligns Action.

At the core, The Long Game is about agency.

It’s about aiming your actions in a direction with purpose.
It’s training in a way today that builds what your future self — your 50, 60, and 80-year-old self — needs to engage in the things you value and love the most.

Agency, action aligned with vision and clarity, is what transforms training from a grind into a gift. It’s what turns todays discipline into tomorrows freedom. It’s what keeps you consistent.

Principles of The Long Game

The Long Game’s foundation is a few timeless principles:

• Consistency: If you don’t use it, you lose it. Show up most days, even when it’s not perfect.

• Adaptability: Life is full. Some weeks flow, others fall apart. Adjust as needed, some is better than none.

• Progression: Push the edge just enough to expand it. Not recklessly, but reasonably.

• Variety: The aging body (and brain) crave novelty — keep exposing it to new challenges.

These principles keep you rooted. They’re what makes The Long Game sustainable, not just for a season, but for decades.

Today’s Reps are Tomorrow’s Freedom

Playing The Long Game is about honoring yourself. Showing up consistently, not heroically.

Doing things your younger self would be stoked to see.
Making choices today that keep your body feeling strong, fresh — energized.
And building the skills and capacity to do cool shit your future self would thank you for.

It’s about staying athletic for life, not just for a season.

That’s living Evergreen.
That’s Playing The Long Game

If you need help on this ride, shoot me an email and lets dig into it. alexrhargrove@gmail.com