The fourth quarter belongs to whoever still has legs. You build those legs in July.

The end of anything is decided by capacity built long before it. Whoever put in the unglamorous conditioning months earlier is the one still moving when everyone else is running on fumes. Nothing available in the final stretch substitutes for that, which is why the last part feels like a test of character and is mostly a test of preparation.

Look at what your version of July is, the base work nobody sees, and do some of it this week even though the deadline is far away. It will feel pointless, which is the nature of preparation.