Stadium Run

Done and dusted with my first 12-hour stadium run at Wings Sports Centre, Mumbai, covering 73.5 kms (Garmin) and a stadium calculation of 71.6 kms!

I took up running in 2018 as an exercise for fitness and never considered participating in marathons at the time. I participated in a marathon for the first time, just to know what it felt like and I was hooked. Since then, I have participated, competed, and completed several half and full marathons across India... the exhilaration from this is unmatched.

?The stadium run was as insightful as it was exciting. And there are some parallels that one can draw between this experience and the ones that we have at work:

?1. Setting the big audacious goal: The target for the stadium run was 55 kms for women, however, the target that my coach said I should meet was 70 kms! My coach refused to entertain any objection to the target and pushed me to keep my focus on the desired goal throughout the run. Keeping the focus and just doing what I had to do without allowing self-doubt to creep in was key to the results. The bottom line is that you don’t know what you are capable of unless you push yourself.

?2. The power of encouragement: I don’t think I would have even considered 70 kms if my coach hadn’t insisted on it. I certainly wouldn’t have imagined that I would be able to accomplish it if it hadn’t been for his continuous encouragement. As I neared the last laps, I could hear him encourage me to keep going... I was exhausted and wanted to just give it up... but to hear my coach express his faith in my strength and ability was so crucial to my belief in myself. As leaders, that is our main job. To help our team members push themselves to utilize their full potential... help them see what they are capable of and encourage/support them to get there.

3. Having each other's back - A few hours into the run due to the extremely high levels of humidity (which none of us were used to as we practiced in relatively pleasant weather) I started feeling a bit exhausted probably due to dehydration, my running buddy noticed this and immediately got me some salt and water so that I wouldn't faint with exhaustion. Having someone watch out for me, support me, and help me stay on course made me feel great. There is no substitute for magic that happens when team members watch each other backs. That kind of trust is irreplaceable. A leader who can build a culture that makes trust and support a priority in the team along with target accomplishment can take superior outcomes and high performance for granted.

?4. Get to know people you are associated with - Our coach made sure we ran with different people for every session. In a group, you learn people’s strengths and weaknesses and similarly, I got to learn something new from every single one of them. The bond that we developed with each other was amazing and clearly showed in the way we cheered for and supported one another. That is so true at work too... connecting with people as people, beyond the roles they do is so important at the workplace. The support and encouragement that these associations can then bring are unparalleled.

?This 12 hours, 73.5?kms accomplishment makes me so proud of myself, equally importantly, it has helped me renew my commitment to implement the learnings I have had from this experience back at work.

?I want to express my gratitude to my phenomenal coach Amit Kumar Sir, for helping me discover my potential. My amazingly brilliant fellow runners Rupali Abhyankar, Vijay Wankhede, and Sandeep Chopra, for having my back and for believing in me. Last but not least to my wonderful family for supporting and encouraging my passion