Running Through Uncertainty: Finding Strength and Strategy in Life’s Marathons

This is a photo of me crossing the finish line of my first ultramarathon (to clarify: not the “first of many”, only the “first of two” ??), which was the Skyline to Sea 50k in San Jose, California back in 2016. This photo represents me pushing myself to accomplish something I never thought possible.

That race was the result of 2 years of PTs and doctors getting me from bedridden and in a wheelchair to re-learning how to walk, followed by nearly a decade of strength and mobility training.

Doctors and experts had told me that once I was able to walk again, running (amongst a handful of other high-impact activities) might not be in the cards for me. While I heard their prognosis, I never fully believed it.

Once I was back on my feet (literally), I finished college and told myself that one day, I would run a half-marathon. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to train and grow stronger, but I was determined to make this happen.

It took me almost 6 years to run my first half-marathon. I was so wiped out after the race that I slept for 16 hours. Then I moved to Colorado and was casually looking at races when I saw a listing for a 50k ultramarathon. I did American math and realized that it equated to 31.5 miles. I laughed it off as a crazy thing Coloradans do but caught myself continuously thinking about it.

“Could I actually do 31 miles?”

Eventually, (after some encouragement from friends) I decided “What the heck – I’ll sign up and just go as far as I can.”

I spent the next 10 months training consistently and strategically. I focused on maintaining the areas where I was already strong, but more importantly, I also dove into building the areas where I felt weak.

I knew that for this long distance, my weaknesses were what could bring me down, so I needed to put in the work to overcome them to give myself the highest chance for success. Before I knew it, I was flying to California and checking into my Airbnb the night before the race.

I picked up my race bib and laughed as I saw that my number was 911. It was like the race directors knew that I might need an ambulance. ??

It was a grueling day, one where I actually felt my big toenail come off at one point and nearly dropped out of the race at least 4 times.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I felt a little vibration on my wrist and looked down: “31 miles completed”.

I couldn’t believe it. Then I heard it – cheering off in the distance. That was the freaking finish line! I took off as fast as my body would allow (which for clarity, was slow enough that the retirees who walk around the mall every morning could have easily outpaced me). The cheering was getting louder, and I heard the announcer “Coming into the finish, we have number 911, from Denver Colorado, MeiLee Langley!”

As the trees cleared, I saw my friends on either side of the trail, screaming and beaming as I ran through them and into the finish.

I don’t think I have ever felt more personal pride than I did in that moment.

Despite how hard the race had been at points and how many times I wanted to quit – I persevered and pushed and made it across that finish line. Despite repeatedly being told that running this far would never be a possibility for me, I had done it. I had defied the odds and completed an ultramarathon.

So why share this today?

Honestly, I debated if this was “too personal” for Linkedin, but realized this photo has truly resonated with me lately for multiple reasons:

I need to face this job market and #CPExpo with tenacity and resiliency

Something that I haven’t shared too widely yet: I have joined the large pool of people who are looking for their next job. And I know, for those who have been on the hunt for many months at this point, it is scary right now. One thing we often said in the channel was that it was easy for talented people to find a job because this is a people’s business. However, for the first time in a long time, as much as colleagues and mentors want to hire, there simply aren’t positions or budgets available.

Many of us are heading to Channel Partners next week, likely the first time without a logo on our shirts, with equal parts hope and dread. Hopeful to find a job opportunity but dreading having to answer the “So where are you working these days?” or “So what do you do?” and inevitable “Oh no! What happened?!” follow-up questions with grace and a smile. I know it will be hard. It will be hard to continuously work the rooms, to walk into a bar or event solo, to be vulnerable and ask about potential job opportunities. So I am here to remind you (and me) that we can do hard, uncomfortable things, as long as we keep our eye on the finish line – on what we set out to accomplish.

Let’s hold our heads up high and make the most of those conversations.

Remember YOUR value and YOUR impact. Wear your availability like a badge of honor. These companies have the rare chance to snatch you up, to benefit from your skills, expertise, relationships, and past success.? They will be lucky to have you and the value you bring. And at the end of the day, know that we’re in this together. And if you need a wingwoman for an event or to work a room, shoot me a message!

It's time to strengthen my professional edge and strategically train for success

Second, as we navigate this job market and our next moves, I encourage everyone to look at it like training for a race. While we have many strengths, let’s use this time to build up our weaknesses (or as I like to call them - “areas of opportunity”). Think of yourself as a product that you need to sell. Perhaps even do a SWOT analysis of yourself.

Confidently identify your strengths and differentiators and how those can quantitatively impact a department leader or company. More importantly, also uncover gaps and areas of opportunity, and make a plan to put in the work to strengthen those areas. Maybe that means improving your Salesforce reporting/dashboard skills or taking a course on executive presentation skills and storytelling. Be strategic and put in the work to build yourself and become an even more powerful weapon for the next company that hires you.

Lastly, I just love this picture and the pride it makes me feel. ??

At the end of the day, I just hope that anyone reading this (whether you have a job or are looking for your next one) takes a moment to remember that you can accomplish anything you set your mind, attention, and effort towards. Even if it seems impossible. You can persevere through the hard things.

If I had just accepted the notion that a 50k was impossible for me (which many said it was), I would have never had the moment captured in this photograph. A moment when I knew that I had just defied the odds. A moment when I pushed myself beyond anything I thought possible. A moment of pure pride and elation and gratitude.

We got this!