The Pursuit Is Better Together
I want to start with this idea:
Life isn’t a sprint.
It’s not even a marathon.
It’s a Pursuit.
And any Pursuit worth having is better when you don’t go alone.
Last year I was running a mountain race. About 16 miles of the 33.5 mile Ultramarathon in, I broke my toe.
I knew it immediately. Sharp pain. Face plant into another rock. Not good.
The problem was — I was on a mountain. There was no way out. No quick ride back. Quitting wasn’t really an option.
So I did what you do in those moments.
I kept going.
For the next 18 miles, I hobbled. Every downhill was brutal. Every rock felt personal. And runners passed me constantly.
But here’s what i noticed.
Some of them didn’t just pass me.
Some slowed down.
Some checked in.
A few jogged with me for miles.
They didn’t fix my toe.
They didn’t take away the pain.
But even in the worst stretch of that race… I was never alone.
And that’s when it hit me:
The pursuit is worth more when others go with you.
Counseling and Ultramarathons
My name is Adam Glendye. I’m a counselor, and I’m the founder of The Pursuit Counseling.
And my work is built around that exact idea.
Every day, I sit with people who are on a pursuit.
Some are pursuing healing from trauma.
Some are pursuing clarity in a career that looks successful on the outside but feels empty on the inside.
Some are pursuing connection in their marriage.
Some are just trying to make it through a season that feels overwhelming.
They are all high-capacity, high-performing people.
They’re used to pushing through.
They’re used to being the strong one.
They’re used to handling it alone.
Learning to Connect on the Pursuit
But what I’ve learned — both in therapy and on the mountain — is this:
Strength isn’t just about endurance.
It’s about connection.
At The Pursuit Counseling, we don’t just focus on “fixing problems.” We focus on helping people understand the story they’re living.
Because the story you believe shapes the life you build.
If your story is “I have to carry this alone,”
you’ll carry it alone.
If your story is “Struggle means I’m weak,”
you’ll hide when things get hard.
But when the story shifts to “I need others and others need me.”
everything changes.
That’s where the real Pursuit begins.
The joy in the suffering
Lessons on the Pursuit
I’m passionate about endurance — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Ultrarunning has taught me that endurance isn’t about speed.
It’s about pacing.
It’s about purpose.
It’s about strategy.
And it’s about who you surround yourself with when things get hard.
In that race last year, I was in real pain. I was frustrated. I was slower than I wanted to be. I went from 15th place to 75th place out of 200 runners.
But I also experienced something powerful:
Community shows up when you’re honest about your struggle.
I didn’t have to pretend I was fine.
I didn’t have to hide the limp.
And because I didn’t hide it, people stepped in.
The same thing happens in the counseling room.
When someone finally says,
“I’m not okay,”
“I’m exhausted,”
“I’m scared,”
“I don’t know who I am anymore,”
That’s not weakness.
That’s the beginning of connection.
And connection is what carries us through the long miles.
So when I think about who I am and what I do, it really comes down to this:
I help people stay in the race.
Not by yelling at them from the sidelines.
Not by running ahead of them.
But by running with them.
Sometimes that means helping them process trauma.
Sometimes it means helping them rebuild a marriage.
Sometimes it means helping them redefine success.
But always — it means reminding them they are not alone.
Because the truth is:
We were never designed to white-knuckle our way through life in isolation.
The pursuit of healing.
The pursuit of purpose.
The pursuit of wholeness.
It’s richer.
It’s stronger.
It’s more meaningful.
When others go with you.
What it means to Pursue
So my emcouragment is simple:
Whatever pursuit you’re on —
don’t run it alone.
Let someone see the limp.
Let someone slow down with you.
Let someone share the miles.
Because in the end, the finish line matters.
But who you run with?
That’s what makes it worth it.