The 3 things I learned from running at the Budapest marathon

First things first: I didn’t run the 42 kilometers. I ran the 10 kilometer (6 mile) race. But I can tell you, to me it felt like a marathon! I had a lot of time to think about this article as I was running. You will discover what running a race has to do with your career.

1) Setting a goal

I have done several 10k runs on my own already, so the distance itself was not really a challenge. I have been running regularly since I turned 19, but I never turned into a fast runner. So for me the tricky part was finishing within the allowed time.

To put things into perspective: the Budapest marathon organizers allowed a maximum net running time of 1:15h. My previous record time was 1:18h. You might think “well, you only need to save 3 minutes, that’s easy.” If you’re a runner, you know that a 5% speed increase is difficult, especially maintaining it over a long distance.

So my goal was to run another 10k, but this time also push for a faster time. A few weeks ahead of the race, the covid situation seemed stable enough and the race was confirmed, so I signed up. Leaving me with 4 weeks to train (half of which I was traveling around and eating unhealthy). Needless to say, I was not able to fit merely as many training sessions as I wanted into that time.

This is where mental training came in – and here any top athlete will agree. Spending time regularly on thinking about the goal gives another huge boost. I kept visualizing myself crossing the finish line with a time of 1:14h.

I remembered a meme I had printed and hung in my office… the success baby!

So in my mind, I was running over the finish line raising my fist and proclaiming SUCCESS!

But to get there, I had to make it through 10 kilometers of several exhausting, painful, and discouraging moments.

I decided to break down the goal into portions, aka minutes per kilometer. Studying the route in advance, I knew there would be uphill and downhill sections. So I would need to use the easy parts for a faster pace to build up some buffer I could use for an occasional walking break when I reached an incline.

I knew how to approach the race and I was ready.

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2 Executing the plan despite setbacks

On the big day, I woke up early and already felt the excitement in my body. Before I got out of bed, I sat up and massaged my legs. I was thinking “you will perform well today”, “1:14h!”, “after winning, you will enjoy a warm thermal bath in Budapest”. And again visualizing myself crossing the finish line with a big smile on my face.

I walked to the start area and pumped myself up with positive vibes. Cheerful music, free bananas, collective warmup session. So many people, all there to overcome their personal challenges. I also met a few friendly cows...

And then: the countdown started. You could feel the excitement in the seconds that lead up to the start signal. People jumping, stretching, cheering.

The various start groups were launched one after the other… And then it was finally our turn to start.

3, 2, 1… GO!

This was it. The race I had been thinking of for months. Beautiful sunlight, great temperature, and a body that was confirming already after the first meters that I was feeling fit and ready for the challenge.

Of course, along the way, I was being passed by seniors, people pushing baby strollers, and about 1000 other runners. I knew beforehand that this was going to happen and already mentally prepared for it. So I thought: good for them! They were running their race, I was running mine. Compared to others, my time was miserable, but compared to my own previous record, I was doing an outstanding job.

I won’t lie to you, some sections felt absolutely terrible. There were stages when the catcher car – my enemy – came dangerously close to me. The car even looked like a shark… lurking behind me, just waiting to bite my leg. Well, maybe it didn’t really look like that and it was just the dehydration speaking, but it sure felt like it.

Speaking of dehydration… I knew where I would get refreshments along the way – oh, the bliss of that first cup of water after 3k… and the amazing energy boost from that iso drink after 7k. Small things that made the fight a lot more bearable.

Also there were many people standing alongside the track. I gave big grins to these people who were there standing in the cold for an hour to cheer for us runners… applauding, smiling, and high-fiving (forget covid for a second).

So with all this in mind, the intimidating 10k and the required fast pace became tough, but manageable.

The last kilometer began… and I was feeling ho-rri-ble. I knew I didn’t have a lot of time to spare for another walking break. I also knew I would get a big energy boost on the last 100 meters. But there were still 900 meters I had to survive to get there. I mobilized all the energy I had left and kept going.

And there it was… the banner announcing the last 100 meters. It acted like a turbo and I sped off. In the distance, I could see the race clock and the time was coming close to my 1:14h goal. I didn’t check my personal time anymore on my phone, I simply gave it all I had.

And then I crossed the finish line with one second to spare.

Success!!!

Oh, the amazing feeling of achieving a big goal! It felt fantastic. And even writing these lines now, I am smiling. This sort of experience leaves a mark in your mind. It reminds you that you can achieve things you thought weren’t possible. There were times when I couldn’t run for more than two minutes without taking a break. Times when even a 5k seemed impossible. Times when running a 10k faster than 1:15h was not imaginable.

And there I was, proving that it all could be done.

In fact, I could do even more than that. It turns out that on the last hundred meters I was looking at the general race time. My personal net time was well under 1:14h.

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3 Celebrating the win

After the baby success pose, I couldn’t shake off my huge grin for about a minute. It was time to celebrate. I received my medal and immediately hung it around my neck. Because that's what winners do!

I spent another half hour or so in the finish zone, sitting in the sun, massaging my legs again. They certainly deserved some nice treatment after the performance they had delivered!

I had a look in the finisher gift bag and enjoyed a banana, a protein bar and loooots of water. Then I picked up a free cup of espresso and walked to my hotel, smiling at the many runners who were pushing through their 5k.

Later that day, I treated myself to the warm thermal bath I had promised to my legs.

For my train ride home, I had booked a first class ticket and enjoyed sitting in a very comfortable chair in a compartment I had to myself. 10k finishers only ??

It all felt well deserved and prolonged the great feeling of achievement.

When I returned back home, I hung my medal on the bulletin board behind my desk. I still notice it several times a day. And every time, I think back to the feelings I had on that great day.

Especially as entrepreneur, I have loads of failures and setbacks. Sometimes, a lot more than I'd like. So it's all the more important to be aware of the successes and to enjoy them.

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Conclusion

What does all of this have to do with your career? Challenge: read the article again and relate it to how you (could) set goals, achieve goals, and celebrate goals. You’ll find many parallels.

Have you set yourself goals for this year?

Are you working on reaching them?

Do you have a celebration planned for when you reached them?

Working with goals can be a daunting task, especially if it’s the first time. I’ve been doing it for years now – in my private life, back in my corporate days, and now as an entrepreneur.

If you’d like my support with this, then drop me a line. I’d love to coach you on setting up goals and breaking them down into several stages. With my help, you’ll get that amazing feeling when you cross your personal finish line.

Get in touch with me!

3, 2, 1… GO!

About the author

I am a Career Coach who supports supply chain professionals in the first years of their career.

In my online coaching programs, you benefit from my years of experience in corporate supply chain combined with my passion to support people in their growth.

Do you want to reach your next career step? Then drop me a line on LinkedIn and let's talk!