This past weekend I finished my 4th marathon. I still cannot believe that I run marathons, let alone 4 of them. There are many reasons why I love running long distances, one of which is the feeling I get when I finish one. It is a reminder that I am capable of doing more than I ever thought I could which allows me to move past the self-defeating thoughts that creep into my head at times.
That’s a very helpful skill and I really put it to the test this past weekend when I was running in the Pittsburgh Marathon. First I want to say as a disclaimer, the event was amazing. It’s well organized and provides a big race atmosphere for a great value. It also had some neat add-ons like a relay race component and great local scenery for all tastes. I will do this run again! But not without training better which brings me to the title of this post.
I did not put in the miles like I needed to, nor did I do any other kind of training that may have helped. I knew I wasn’t in great form and yet I really wanted to run the full marathon. I don’t know if it was stubbornness or determination, but by mile 10 my mind was beginning to say things like, “How am I going to run 16 more miles?!”
Well, I learned some things that perhaps were lessons I needed to learn. I am running in the fall, though not a road race. I’m running in a political one. While it is different, many aspects are the same. I also own my own business and there are so many parallels to running marathons.
I was tired and not in my best form and even though I finished, I didn’t feel the usual elation that I feel at the end of the marathon. Yes, I finished and yes it was amazing and… it took a lot out of me. My recovery time lasted a little longer than normal. So here are some things I know now.
- Taking ownership and responsibility is key. I know what it takes to run better and I simply didn’t do it. No one else is responsible for that, only me. The same is true in my business. I am the one responsible for following up sooner, making sales calls, and ensuring that I am staying on top of the work. For my campaign, the same is also true. If I don’t do the work, I simply won’t win.
- Hire specialists to assist me. I know that if I ever want to run faster, I’ll need to hire a trainer and work really hard if that is what I want to do. I’m not certain that is my goal at this point, and if it becomes so, I know that I’ll need to concentrate my efforts in a very targeted way.
I see my clients struggle as well and that is why they hire people like me to help them improve. Much of my work lately has focused on helping teams communicate together better and to build more emotional intelligence and self- awareness so that efforts are focused where they should be, on growth and improving processes, and not on fighting, blaming, or other corrosive behaviors.
- Have fun! I had fun even though I was tired. I enjoyed the scenery and early on I decided to take pictures at each 5- mile marker just to see for myself what I looked like at each phase and I was smiling in all of them. In fact, by breaking it down into those smaller increments, it allowed me to focus less on the time left, and just conquer 5 miles at a time. I asked different spectators who’d happen to be standing near to take the picture for me and that added to the fun of it.
- Stay focused on the big picture. I know that my mind can overcome the obstacles and pain that I encountered along the way. In fact, even writing about it makes me realize that what stands out are the highlights along the way and the fact that I finished, not the pain or fatigue that I felt.
Having vision is so powerful and during times of transition there is going to be pain and it is going to be hard. Having some resources to draw on when that happens allows us to take on greater challenges, knowing that we know what to do or can get help if we need it.
So it wasn’t my personal best, and it is the farthest I’ve ever run this early in the running season (which usually begins around April for me). That is an achievement worth celebrating!