The business case for running a race

It seems an odd tie, but I think running, races in particular, are similar to working in the business world. The obvious comparisons: both are challenging (if you’re in the right job or right race), both need practice and fine tuning to get better, and the most obvious - there are countless people trying to get ahead in both.

I initially thought of this entry while running the 25k – it was a friggin hard race, and I had a lot of time to think. As soon as the race was over, though, the thought of writing or doing anything that required motivation was too much. Today I set out for a 7 miler (I’m doing the SD Rock ‘n Roll Marathon so I might as well train) and, while feeling gumby and frozen like pushing against the wind, it all came back.

It takes passion to get into, and stay in, a race

I had stopped running for about 6years before I got this crazy desire to start up again. I started back running because I love the feeling both during and post run – the runners high. Races, on the other hand, are scary. You sign up and pay your $30-100 and then wait for d-day – or r-day really. The waiting alone is nauseating because although you can train, eat right, and rest, you never know what’s going to happen race day. The waiting is also exhilarating because a beautiful course with motivational people is on the horizon.

Working, too, and staying at it takes passion. Sure, you can do a 9-5 and make enough to get by. But to stick with what you’re doing there has to be some kind of drive and I think it’s best when it’s passion. I’ll be honest, most people don’t love what they do to the L. But I think to stick with a job you have to love some part of it – it can be the team, the product, the people you help, etc. It cannot just be the shoes that you get to buy at the water stops (paychecks). My husband is lucky in that he’s in a profession that he’s wanted to be in for over 20years. I’m in open source which, cool as it sounds, is not what I wanted to do my whole life, but I'm lucky in that I do love the challenge and the creative aspect(s). For some it’s tricky just getting the momentum to apply.

No one is guaranteed a spot or good finish

This intro sounds morbid – I don’t mean it to…

When I first started back running and got into races, I didn’t think I’d finish let alone do well in the races. I thought that everyone else on that starting line had been running much longer and harder than I so how the heck would I time well. Somehow, though, I did alright – not great, mind you, but better than I thought. In running it doesn’t matter how old you are or how fast you ran in the past (although the latter does typically correlate and contribute to doing well in the present), it matters how prepared you are, how much you’ve trained, and how mentally and physically ready you are.

When I was a kid I thought that older = better job and higher paycheck. Working longer = boss. The reality is tenure doesn’t always equate to stature. As with running, it’s how good you are, how motivated you are to push ahead, and how well you can work the course.

There’s always someone better

The runner’s high from my first race back has stuck and is pushing me forward. My times are improving, but I’m by no means good or great yet. I may never be. My times and races aside, there are thousands of phenomenal runners in the world. This just means there are more times to beat, more people to admire, and more runners to push me to go faster off the starting line.

In work I love to think something is “phenomenal” or simply “awesome.” Given, some of the creative blittherings can be decent or even good, there’s always room for improvement. There can always be a better podcast, a smoother webinar, a cleaner email blast, etc. Output aside, there are always marketeers (in my case) to aspire to. There are some people who just shine at what they do in their given expertise arena and these are the motivational ones.

There’s always someone faster, stronger, smarter, and bolder. It’s motivational.

You can get knocked down – you just have to brush off and keep going

During the 25k I twisted my ankle in a yogi wanna be fashion. It hurt. I mean really, it hurt. The problem was I was too far away from the start or finish to do anything about it, so I just kept going. Now had it been a truly severe injury – like a break or tear – I would’ve stopped. I’d probably of cried a bit more, too, but that’s another story. Instead, I kept going – I slowed my gate, corrected my posture, fixed my shoes and ran with it. The pain dwindled after another mile and after another two miles it was gone. On this same course I saw 2 people fall. It was an uber hilly, rocky, rooty course so it was hard not to fall. Both people paused, likely bewildered by the fall, got back up, and kept going.

In business it’s easy to get knocked down. A “brilliant” idea can be idiotic to some. In some cases, my company excluded, peers can knock you down for personal gain. I always thought PR agencies were like this, but I have no clue to be honest – just what TV tells me. It’s tough when you get knocked down in work – you’re not sure of the other things you’re working on, or if it’s a personal knock, you’re unsure of the people around you – do they really have your best interest at heart. If you stay down, you can get trampled and/or it can be even harder to get up and keep going. When a project goes awry, people don’t agree, or you get knocked “from the side, top, or bottom” it’s important to get back up quickly, shake up, buck up, and keep going.

You don’t know what the trail has ahead, only what you’ve run

A lot of runners do races multiple times and know the course, but I still think this rings true as courses and nature are constantly changing posing new challenges in old courses. For me, most courses are new, so this is an easy tie. When you set off on a race – no matter what distance – regardless of how much you’ve studies the course online or walked parts of the course in practice, you don’t really know what’s ahead. In trail races this is incredibly tough as you have to be alert to know when to dodge, jump, and duck with all the trees, roots, and even stairs and ladders. You do, however, know what you’ve already run. What’s more is you know how well you ran it and how you overcame certain obstacles so you can use these same tactics later in the race when faced with the same obstacles. The hard thing this doesn’t cover, though, is what I call a boogie man – the thing that comes up mentally in a race that you just have to get beyond.

In work you can guess what’s ahead, but you never really know. There are always quarterly marketing calendars or objectives that you’re striving towards. I have marketing calendars, editorial calendars, awards calendars, and more so I know what different dates hold, but not really what’s ahead. I can assume, though. There are always known and unknown obstacles – just like the trees, hills, and curves in a trail race, work has industry shifts, economy changes, and new players (both people and companies) jumping in the path. I think it’s important for everyone to remind themselves of what they did/accomplished/overcame in work – these are the things we learn from. The accomplishments and even the boogie man defenses help drive ahead and do better.

The mind tires before the body

I learned this saying when I was in high school and was training with a friend in Maui. It’s true, really it is. When you’re running it’s easy to let the mind wander and start thinking of excuses to stop – your lungs hurt, your legs are tired, you have a cramp, and so on. Truly, though, the body can take a lot. I’m not saying you should always push on and keep running, but sometimes when that little voice in the back of your head says “I think I’m tired, time to stop” it’s just another obstacle to overcome.

This one is the toughest tie for work, but there is a tie. Thinking … at work it’s often easy to say “this is getting tough, I quit!” and start looking for a new endeavor. People who know me (Molly) will know that I love thinking of what’s next. It’s fun. That said, it’s often just another mental game and it’s important to push on and not give into the little voice.

And that concludes my novel - deep thoughts from Amber Taylor :)