1 Step at a Time, 55,374 Times

Let me start with the climax first: I just finished my second consecutive NYC marathon last Sunday, and I've never been more proud of myself. This year has been strange in many ways, and training for the marathon was no different; nobody enjoys running solo on an empty trail, and if it’s a long run with double digit miles then it's nothing less than a daunting adventure for which one has to win over several physical and mental fights to even attempt.. The key question was "why?", and I've had different answers for this at different points in time. Sunday's marathon was a perfect opportunity for me to gather all the "why's" together during 4+ hours of sheer perseverance. We make the world more resilient, and this year's marathon has given me the opportunity to test my personal resilience and learn some life changing lessons (which I am so thrilled to share with you all!). Here are some of my thoughts from my running experiences and how they all sum up life in a nutshell for me:

Life has no shortcuts – There are no shortcuts in life, and a marathon is the ultimate testament. You run at your own pace and you finish around your target time. There is no “zero to hero” overnight; shortcuts will short-change you, no guess working or sweet talk works, you're either trained (physically and mentally) or you're not. Any commitment less than full is at high risk of failure. Consistency and persistence prevail, and there is nothing more rewarding than self-pride.

We all live in our own time zones – The NYC marathon is the largest marathon in the world, with over 50,000 runners of all ages, sizes and abilities, all doing their best on a level playing field. There's always someone who's running faster or slower than you, everyone is running in their own personal space & time, i.e., time zone. Never compare yourself to others just focus on doing your best: it's a great lesson to remember in life. We all live in our own time-zones literally and figuratively;, the Sun can't rise in NY before Tokyo, and we all, at times, may feel like we are lagging behind others in one way or another, whether it's getting married, having kids, getting the dream job, promotion, etc., etc. You'll get your dues when it happens in your own time zone, so keep the ego out, do your best each time, and don't judge everyone by the same standard.

We all need a coach/mentor – We tend to believe that we're doing our best and we know it all. As someone said, when we talk, we're only repeating what we already know, but when we listen, we're likely to learn something new. So, why did I need a coach when I'm not aiming to win the race? I'm not an elite runner, I just need to finish the race, right? Well, not necessarily. You always need someone to set you off in the right direction, someone who can give us a different perspective and help us be accountable for our own goals. This void can be easily filled by a mentor—it does wonders for both personal and professional lives, this I’ve experienced, and so can you.

Be aware of external factors beyond your control – We can plan out our runs as meticulously as possible, but there will always be external factors beyond our control for which we should have a strategy to tackle them. This could include bad weather, unseen hills, a missing crowd, and no one cheering for you. This has been never true as much as it was for this year's virtual marathon— no crowd, no vibes, no external energy, nothing; instead pure self (willpower, tenacity and determination). What I missed the most in the 2020 virtual was cheering spectators and their positive vibes that energized me in the 2019 marathon and made the whole experience special.

Setbacks are a part of life – Setbacks are inevitable in a marathon journey; we should always know when to drop out and when to keep going. I canceled my entry in the 2018 marathon just one day before the race day and pledged to come back next year. Despite all the technology that helps us train and track progress scientifically (but we know technical devices do sometime fail to record our runs), injuries and illness happen, bad weather prevents you from training and could result into race cancelations at the worst: we've seen canceled marathons due to Hurricane Sandy and Covid-19. Some setbacks can easily drain your confidence, but the key is to maintain focus and flexibility. Choose to control what you can and adapt to conditions that are out of your control. Don't stop when the roads get bumpy, there is no other better time to learn this life lesson than this year of the pandemic.

Proactively refuel to succeed – Science shows that human bodies cannot run more than 90 mins without extra fuel, and we should know our own body's needs to avoid breakdown. Keeping your pace throughout the course is crucial for finishing the race on target, and one of the key factors to sustain your pace is "fueling before grueling"— this just means to refuel your body before it demands for more, if it demands, it's generally too late. On the business side, if we want to thrive as a data fueled organization, we need to inculcate the data culture that not only drives trust and commitment on data,  but also empowers everyone to procure, treat,  and use data as the core fuel of the organization. Trainings can reveal the most optimal intervals of refueling your body or your organization.

Constant monitoring is key – It’s not easy for amateur runners to maintain their physiological vitals in optimal range while running on an uneven course. The uphills can easily shoot up your heart rate, and it is important to know how to quickly return to balance. Deep exhales and inhales, slowing down, and many more techniques are available to get your vitals back to optimal range. This equally applies to life, both personal and professional, again, thanks to technology for helping us monitor our vitals on the go.

Last lap momentum can be dangerous – Every journey comes to an end, and the marathon is no different. As soon as you see you're near the finish line, your mind and body starts to react impulsively causing you to want to score your best, every second counts, but this is also the time when you need to be the most careful about breaking down— the risk of overexertion and losing time is generally at its peak during the last lap. Enjoy the finish line and ignore the rest (unless you’re chasing Kipchoge!). Think of times when we've seen a failed launch of a successfully executed project due to a last-minute rush.

Having a support system is crucial to breaching the wall – Big goals need bigger support from those who matter the most to you, your life, and your goal. Personal commitments like running a marathon can't be kept without the support of your family, friends and well-wishers. The psychological demand for your support system peaks on the race day, and many runners hit the wall around 20 miles point, when the fatigue and negativity peaks— your body and mind starts giving up on you, and the only spirit alive that keeps you going is the wish to meet your family and friends cheering and waiting for you at the finish line. This year's virtual marathon would have been impossible to finish without the tremendous support of my family.

Learning mindfulness – I'm a big fan of yoga and I easily get impressed by people who can successfully practice yoga, but unfortunately, it's not for me, my mind constantly jumps from one topic to the other, back and forth. Running forced me to spend some time with myself with no distractions. Apart from seeing my surroundings and feeling my body, I have no other work for my mind to take a little time off and start processing what happened during the day, week, or month. Running has become my best teacher of mindfulness, so it's not just about marathons or crossing the finish lines anymore, but a broader part of a healthy lifestyle. Most of my creative ideas come up during running, earlier it was only every now and then, like under the shower.

Blur the future and enjoy the present – Often times we hear we should enjoy the run, focus on the journey and not the destination. It's easy said than done, it needs a lot of training to tune your mind and distract it from obvious temptations of checking your tracking device and doing the math. The goal is to cross the finish line and it's not going to change by constantly looking at your pace, heart rate or the next milestone. Enjoying the run makes the journey more memorable and less painful. Some memories are precious, just like my 2019 race finish celebration.

Humanity at its best – During my 2019 marathon, millions of people came out to cheer for runners, and many of these people didn’t even know anyone in the race, that's the spirit of the marathon. New Yorkers showed their support with chants, music, bands, choirs, waving, clapping, and giving high fives, creating an incredible environment of contagious energy that constantly pushed runners towards the epic finish line in Central Park. There's always some stranger to cheer and support you, thousands of volunteers wanting to hand you water or energy drinks, medical professionals ready to quickly get you back on track,  and fellow racers selflessly picking you up if you fall. Join a marathon race if you want to experience humanity at its best.

Strategy emerges until the race day – Running a marathon teaches us how to make bigger plans that can be measured by smaller improvements, smaller steps that make you run faster and reduce the risk of injuries. The virtual marathon needed a different strategy than professionally organized races of the pre-Covid era; the running environments are completely different. We should be able to let our racing strategy emerge until the end of our training period, because a good strategy will need to take into consideration all the factors and build up on your own training experiences. One strategy doesn't fit all, (look at the smile derived from the comfort of a perfect strategy!).

Lifelong pride – Crossing the finish line is not just an event, it’s a lifelong pride that you cherish forever. It doesn't fade away like the pain and discomfort you endured for achieving such an accomplishment.

Once could be a fluke, twice is a grit, but there's enormous power in passion and perseverance that can help us reach our own potential. The secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a passionate persistence.