Business Lessons Learnt Training for the New York City Marathon

Those who know me well know I competed competitively in cross country and track and field at the high school and university level.? After seriously competing for a decade, I was happy to hang up the running shoes, socialize more, and focus on other passions.? Fast forward 20 years, and despite having an active lifestyle, I was 20 pounds (9kg) heavier and much slower than my younger years.? It’s a familiar story for most of us…

?

Lesson 1: Always Be Open to Opportunity

In November 2022, I was on a video call with a colleague in late 2022. ?I noticed he was wearing a Brooks running shirt which prompted a casual conversation. “Are you a runner? Yes…”?

The next thing you knew, we were talking about races and the half marathon I was casually training for in January 2023.? At that point, he called to my attention I could qualify for the New York Marathon if I ran a qualifying time at my race in two months’ time.? At the most unexpected of times, a seed had been planted…

?Lesson 2: Commitment is Key

Race day came in January and I was ready to qualify for New York.? After running 1:23:48 to reach the qualifying standard, I had a decision to make.? Training for a marathon is no small task, requiring months of intense physical training, personal sacrifice, and commitment.? To boot, the entry cost for the NYC Marathon is ±$350 plus thousands more in flights and hotels.? Similarly, almost any goal worth committing to (whether business of personal) will require time, commitment, investment of resources, sacrifice and focus to achieve.?

?

Lesson 3: Find the Right Coach and Use Data to Drive Your Decisions

As I geared up for the marathon, I knew I needed a coach to direct me in my training.? In the past 10 years, I ran casual races once or twice a year but didn’t have the right speedwork, long runs, and threshold runs to maximize my potential.? Despite investigating some coaches locally, I couldn’t find one that gained my full confidence, easily worked into my schedule and within the budget I had in mind.? Then I found Runcoach.com (RunCoach) , a data-driven coaching platform that built me a dynamic training plan based on my needs and history (race goal time, previous results, planned running days per week, etc.) and real-time training data.? The app automatically syncs running data from my Garmin account, with an algorithm that recalibrates my training plan based on real-time data and results.? Even more, their app provides access to USATF-qualified coaches who could quickly respond in real-time to questions that came up throughout my training. ?As most things of life, leveraging an evidence-based plan made all the difference in taking my game (running in this case) to another level.

?

Lesson 4:? Our Success is Often Determined By How We Respond to Setbacks

We all experience setbacks professionally and personally.? My first major setback while training happened in early May while playing basketball.? I jumped for a rebound like I have thousands of times, but when I landed, I rolled over my right ankle with all my weight.? I’d done real damage that could have completely derailed my marathon plans.? I immediately took my recovery seriously, getting both an X-ray and MRI and seeing my physiotherapist regularly to ensure I would be as ready as possible for the marathon which was only 5.5 months away.? Even worse, I reinjured my ankle in September less than 2 months away from race day. In business, we need a bias for action to respond quickly and decisively when setbacks arise to avoid catastrophe and stay on track to meet our goals.? Shameless plug: if you are Dubai-based, I strongly recommend the expert and independent team at Scandinavian Physiotherapy Center DMCC (Scandinavian Physiotherapy Center ) .? They helped me throughout my recovery to ensure I stayed healthy and was ready to meet my goals.

Lesson 5: The Importance of Goals Cannot Be Understated

Many of us get regular, periodic reminders to set our quarterly and annual goals through HR management software.? Some might ignore the reminders while others take it more seriously.? The truth is that goals matter; and goals don’t always need to be big, hairy and audacious.? Some of the most achievable and effective goals follow the Japanese concept of Kaizen (continuous improvement), consisting of small, iterative improvements repeated consistently over a long period.? The Kaizen concept often leads to significant, sustained improvements in performance over time, reductions in cost, etc.? Training for a marathon requires months of small improvements in speed, technique, sleep, weight, diet and more.? As results start to show, achieving even small goals gives us momentum, confidence, and desire to achieve more.

?

For me, my initial goal running the NYC marathon was to break the 3-hour barrier. As I gained my confidence in my training, I decided I should beat my time from the 2009 London marathon (2:54).? I would have loved to run even faster (sub-2:50) but happy with my race results.?

Lesson 6: Remind yourself why you work hard.? Engage others.? Have fun.

As much as I looked forward to the actual race, I was excited to train hard and commit to a goal.? I really wanted to challenge myself to see what I could achieve.? In preparing for New York, I focused on other facets of training that I ignored when I ran London in 2009: sleep, nutrition, and rest.? I openly shared training updates with friends and family, who supported me all along the way and further motivated me (and hopefully I motivated them as well).?

?

Like business, getting fundamentals right and continuing to hone your trade day after day are essential not only to success but how you feel about your work.? Similarly, getting others involved and bringing them along for the ride can benefit everyone.?

?

I didn’t expect to run as fast as I might have in my early twenties, but I wanted to have fun doing it.? When race day arrived, the thousands of miles ran over the previous months were all worth it.?

Conclusion

In business, we sometimes have an exceptional event, project or deal that makes or breaks our year; while at others we need to consistently work hard to earn incremental results day after day.? Nonetheless, we need to open ourselves up and be ready to seize the right opportunities when they present themselves.? Then, it’s time to commit truly and wholly to achieving those opportunities.? Data and evidence should drive and guide our decisions and planning.? When setbacks happen (they happen to all of us), they need not derail us from achieving our goals.? Regardless, we should enjoy not only the results we achieve but also the process and the people we engage with along the way.?

N.B. Now that my 2023 New York Marathon journey has run its course, lots of friends, family and colleagues are asking me what’s next.? The short-term answer is to give my time back to my family.? However, if I do run another marathon, I’m now automatically qualified for the 2025 Boston Marathon…?to be continued...