I’ve been training for a half marathon for months and Sunday the day finally arrived!
I’ve done several races in the past, but this time I was racing for a time and not simply to finish, which was an interesting experience in itself. I enjoyed my training and felt really good the whole time, plus all signs were pointing to me crushing my time goal.
There was no crushing.
Just my heart being crushed by missing my time goal by 20 seconds.
On one hand, it was a PR and the fastest I’ve ever ran a half. On the other, allllll those months of training just to miss it by 20 seconds?! I was pissed.
Funny enough, I was thinking about business and all of the lessons my training was teaching me during my run (perhaps I got distracted?!). And there’s a reason the research says that CEOs who do marathons run better companies.
Here’s what I know from training that will shift your business and move you closer to towards your goals:
Learn how to commit daily to your bigger vision
There are plenty of days leading up to a race that’s several months away where you don’t feel like training. Or other things come up. Or you begin to wonder why in the hell you’re doing this in the first place.
You MUST learn how to make it non-negotiable to commit in the present moment, so that you can fulfill your future vision, even if it’s way down the road. Every decision you make today will affect your business 3 months from now.
Action step: What can you do today to move you closer to your vision?
Focus on your effort
When I started training in January, it was hard to run 3 miles. I didn’t get overwhelmed. I didn’t complain about how hard it felt. And I certainly didn’t throw my hands in the air and give up because I had SO much work to do.
I simply focused on that day. The workout I was to complete, how I was fueling my body, and what other things were going on in my life that had to adjust so I could be totally commited to training. I knew that with enough effort, I would get to where I needed to be to run 13.1 miles.
Action step: Stay in the present moment and focus on doing your best in regards to the effort with what’s in front of you.
Have a deadline
Ohhhhh the deadline. The good thing about a race is that there is a definite deadline. That race is happening whether I’m at the start line or not. The issue with owning your own business is that you’re the one creating the deadlines – and you’re the one that’s going to be tempted to move them.
There is an art to setting deadlines that give you a realistic time frame that also pushes you to meet it. The biggest thing is absolutely, positively NOT moving the deadline once you set it. I confess that this was a huge issue in my business for a long time, until I learned what a bad habit this was.
Action step: Set a deadline for that thing you’ve been avoiding and then tell 3 people about it. Ask them to hold you to your word if you start to waiver or create excuses. Get fierce about it!
Know how amazing you are
We are so hard on ourselves aren’t we? Amongst all of the pushing and striving, we can forgot to stop and take a look around. I mean HELLO, I ran 13.1 miles and was pissed. Mind you, it was the fastest I’ve ever completed a half marathon so I still hit a personal best.
And yet, I had to let myself feel that disappointment and then move into gratitude for all that my body had accomplished. And the truth is, I was proud of myself. It takes day in and day out commitment and problem solving to do what I did and I made it happen. There were definitely some celebratory mimosas afterwards!
Action step: Take a moment to look at where you are today and write down 3 things that you’re proud of. Then celebrate them and bathe yourself with gratitude.
Decide what’s next
The very next morning I was looking up other half marathons around North Carolina. Not because I’m a masochist or crazy hard on myself, but because I’m simply not okay with not meeting my goal.
I don’t want to be the kind of person who sets goals and doesn’t hit them, then gives up on them or let’s them go so easily. It’s true for this half marathon and it’s true for my business. So I’m signing up for another one, letting go of the mental chatter that says that’s crazy, and I’m looking at what I can do differently this time to ensure there’s no way I cross that finish line with anything other than 2 hours and 10 minutes or less on the clock. This last race wasn’t a failure by a long stretch. It’s a huge lesson and even bigger motivation.
Action step: Revisit your goals and decide NOW what you’re going to do about them – will you recommit, restructure them, or is there an even bigger goal that makes more sense now?
There are SO many parallels between the person I am when I’m training and the person I am when I show up for work everyday. I’m a firm believer in health and fitness making a huge impact on your life, but even if running isn’t your cup of tea, being better at business sure as hell should be.
