“What could a marathon possibly teach me”, you might ask. Running? Yes, and… More importantly, a marathon takes your mind on a journey of awareness and growth which you can benefit from in your personal and professional life.
Until 8 months ago, the only medal I deserved was for “Couch Potato of the Year”.
In July, I joined 542, a training program by the Beirut Marathon Association- 5 months to complete 42km. It was never my intention or in my physical ability to complete a full marathon. It was merely a way for me to get out of the toxic relationship I had developed with my couch during the pandemic. As with every journey I embark on, I went all the way.
On the 14th of November, I completed my first marathon. Yes. 42.195km!
“I dare you to train for a marathon and not have it change your life”, says Susan Sidoriak, runner for 30 years. Training for the marathon and completing it gave me a different view on life, indeed. It taught me a lot about myself, what motivates me, my strengths, areas for improvement, and redefined my priorities. So, allow me to share with you what I took away from the marathon, besides a medal!
Always start with why.
Setting a goal and working hard to achieve it are two essential pieces of advice. However, the critical moments happen between the lines. The key to success is having a thousand valid reasons to give up yet overcoming every single one of them. The best way to do that is to go back to your purpose, your why. If the latter is missing, it would become very hard and painful to carry on with a goal. I would also argue that without a “why” that makes sense, it would be perfectly legitimate for you to quit. (Read more on when it’s OK to give up here)
I suffered many injuries during my training, and my easy way out was “I’m injured, I can’t run”. It took me more time than needed to recover. I kept postponing going back to training simply because I could. I had a valid reason. What brought me back to running was very personal; it was my “why”. I had set off on this journey to challenge myself to achieve my own impossible. Giving up was out of question.
At times, especially during long runs, it became so hard I thought “Why am I doing this? I could do something easier and more fun”. Then, I would hold on to the reason I set this goal in the first place and I would find my drive once again.
The bottom line is that we seldom sail through success in marathons and in life. Things always get tough and if they don’t, it means the goal was too easy. Navigating through the hardships takes a strong motivation. So before equipping yourself with the running shoes (the how), start by defining your purpose (the why) because you will need it along the way.
Be your own competition.
Close your eyes and imagine this scenario. You are running, pushing yourself beyond your limits, proud of your achievement, and suddenly, someone outruns you effortlessly. How devastating is that?
Now, let’s apply this scenario to the corporate environment. You overachieve your objectives every year, take on additional responsibilities, continuously learn and grow, and you see a co-worker getting promoted faster and steadier. How would that make you feel?
We tend to observe others and compare, whether on a professional or personal level. How fast did they get promoted? At which age did they become millionaires? Did they get married and have children already?
In running, as in life, our pace depends on a mix of ingredients. First, it’s about our base physical and mental strength; skills and potential. Then, consider priorities. We choose to focus on areas of our lives that are most important to us. We cannot be the best at everything we do, and we must select where to invest the highest percentage of our energy. Finally, each one of us faces different obstacles and no two journeys are comparable. But hey, eventually, we all reach our desired finish line, at our own pace!
Is it going to be easy? I’d say it won’t. However, keep reminding yourself where you came from, how far you’ve gone and celebrate your achievement.
The only person that can put you down is YOU!
When you’re running long distances, you have plenty of time to self-reflect. I used it to observe what motivates me and what hinders my performance so I can use that to my advantage.
What I found was I was stimulated by positive reinforcement, like someone cheering for me or smiling at me. I was also motivated by setting small goals, like reaching that U-turn, or by listening to an upbeat song. When I needed a push, I would look someone in the eyes and they never failed to lift my spirits! So, take a moment to reflect on times where you regained motivation. Identify your personal triggers and attempt to reproduce them when needed.
I also tried to understand what slowed me down: a negative thought, focusing on my pain or someone overtaking me (I know- I’m still learning not to compete with others). Then, I realized that our thoughts are the largest contributor to motivation. It is not an external event. David Burns, MD, states in his book “Feeling good” that “Only one person in this world has the power to put you down- and you are that person, no one else!” Hence, let us shift our self-talk from destructive to constructive. In fact, I remember telling myself “You’re in pain now but it will go away very soon” or “Let’s focus on the good stuff. What did we achieve today?” Call me crazy but it worked. It also works in corporate.
Listen to your body and mind.
I’m sorry to break it you; but sometimes you are just not ready! Forcing yourself to achieve a goal just because you were told to never give up is nonsense. During my training, I had a 28km run. I made the mistake of wearing new shoes that day. It was going so well until the pain hit, starting from my toes all the way to my lower back. I had to quit at 25km. There was only 3 km to go but I knew that if I took one additional step, I would suffer an injury that would keep me in bed for weeks. So, it’s ok to give yourself additional time to reach that goal. It’s ok to get promoted next year instead of now or to have a child at 35 instead of 30 or even to finish that degree 4 years later.
There is no pain-free journey… even for the most successful ones.
When we see someone going on a fast track in our organization, we think they’ve got it easy. After the marathon, I learned that the fittest people on my team struggled, that some of them even shed tears from the pain and still finished in a record time. Then, I understood that despite our differences, we should all overcome some sort of pain to reach our goals. And it is very important to take it easy on each other.
In the end, I found that running is an exercise to the mind much more than the body. And you don’t really know your limits until you push them. So, if a “couch potato” like me can run a marathon, then anything is possible!