Ultra-Marathon and the lessons that relate to my career

I’ve just completed an ultra- Marathon of 56km/35 miles. Yet 4 years ago I finished my first 5km park run and had to count every second of the last 1km as it was pure agony.

Looking back on the journey of these 4 years, I realized so many of the things I learned about myself and running were so similar to my career experiences.

Below are the thirteen things I learnt from running and how they align or are similar to what I’ve learned in my career so far:

1.    It takes hard work and commitment

Progressing through different levels of fitness took pure hard work and commitment as does building your career. After the 5km Park run, I did a ten km run, slowly progressed to a half marathon which seemed impossible to imagine as I’d never ran at school or even completed 5k until I was 40. Then I entered my first 26 miles/42 km marathon and now after 3 marathons I’ve completed an ultra-marathon.

Skill, technique and attitude are important, as is good luck, but above anything else, hard work makes the difference. I don’t know one person who runs marathons or has a great career who has not had to work hard for it. You have good days and you have bad days but you need to preserve and stay committed to the goals you set yourself. I had to run over 400 times and over 4 000 kilometres to be able to run an ultra-marathon while in my career I worked every night making telesales calls when I was younger. Every success I achieved took hard work and commitment.

2. Starting off is the hardest part

When you plan a journey like your career or running a marathon, the hardest step is the first one.

Once you have started you get momentum, but so many people never start. They think, they plan but they never take the first step. Don’t get me wrong, thinking and planning are crucial but executing and taking the first step is vital. A child learns to take the first step before they walk and run. Careers and marathons are the same, you have to start. It may be a 2km run or fast walk or taking your first low paid job or volunteer experience but it’s the first step on a long journey that counts. I started running 2km distances and it felt extremely tough. I joined Barclays Bank at 16 years old on a government youth trainee Scheme and made coffee for the team. This was a low starting point but by far the most important steps I ever took.

3. You compete only against yourself

I am a naturally competitive person. I love to compete and yet I realized with running and your career you compete only against yourself and not others.

In running, you get a time then you want to beat that time. My 5km park runs started that way. I wanted to do a better time every week until I got to a pace I knew I may not beat so I went on to run longer distances. Similarly, with my career I moved through the ranks and got promoted every year for the first ten years in my career. You don’t compete against others, you only compete against the targets and benchmarks you set for yourself. My running and career goals were targets I set for myself and only I could achieve or compete against them.

4. You need bite size targets

You don’t achieve a marathon or a great career immediately. You have small goals and targets you achieve before you move on to the next one. For me, I thought of the ultra-marathon as 11 park runs and ticked each one off in my head as I ran another 5km.

You need daily disciplines and targets to achieve. How many km will you run today? this week? this month?

Similar with a career you need to know what is the next job? What is the next skill? The next development need you work on? I went from leading 4 people to 12, to 250, to 4 000 and then to 10 000 people. It takes steps and gradual movement.

5. You need the right tools to support you

With running I learnt that equipment such as the right socks make an amazing difference and saves you so many blisters and toe nails falling off! And I won’t even mention the joy I felt when I found sports underwear that saved me so much pain. Having a running app that works for you gives such guidance, history and helps you track your progress so well.

It’s the same with a career. Starting off I had great mentors and teachers at Harvard and Cambridge, and later when I attended leadership courses. For my job, the right Customer Relationship Management tool can make customer management so much better and more insightful.     

6. I’m brand loyal

I love a brand and stick to it. In running I have the same brand for trainers, pants and everything else. I love that brand and feel good with it. This made me reflect how I have only worked for 2 banks in 30 years and how I love them both deeply. For me sticking with a brand has helped me and made me feel a sense of belonging, both in my career and what I wear to run.

7. Seeing others succeed is even better than your own success

I love running, it’s been an incredible thrill that I have found in my forties. But what has been even more enjoyable and magical is running with my partner, friends and mostly my kids.

My son did his first 5km park run aged 6 and my daughter at age 5. Running it with them is amazing, my son Ethan is so desperate to beat his Mum’s best time. His feet hurt when he runs but he is determined and pushes on and continues running. He is 8 years old and has completed ten 5km park runs and now in under 30 minutes. During my daughter, Alissa’s first ever run, she fell over and hurt her knee. While it was bleeding, she stood up, looked at me and said, “Daddy, Vickery’s never give up! You taught us, now keep running”. I have rarely felt so proud or in awe of someone.

In my career, I incrementally lead more and more sales people. I realised seeing people in my team win awards or get promoted and recognised is the most rewarding and special feeling. I will never forget one of my team winning an incentive trip abroad and seeing the team cry with joy for the winner. 

8. Don’t forgot to enjoy the view

Two oceans is known as the most beautiful Marathon in the world. I understood this at 28km climbing up Chapmans Peak . Just one pathway, no other people or cars or anything about, the rock face at the side of you and then one of the most beautiful beach views you can ever see. It was staggering. I remembered to take it in, enjoy it and even did a running crime of taking a selfie ?? Remembering to enjoy a marathon is tough sometimes. You are so in the race and so focused on running you can forgot to take in the moment. With my early career this definitely happened to me, I was so eager for the next job I forgot to enjoy the moment and take in all the amazing things I experienced. Now I try and take a moment or 2 each day just to appreciate everything I have and experience. I travel to 14 different countries with work, meeting amazing friends and colleagues and sometimes you need to pause, take in the moment, be thankful for everything and enjoy the view.   

9. In the end journey is better than the finish

When I achieve something, I am very expressive and normally punch the air or scream with exhilaration!

So before finishing my first Marathon I had pictured my celebration a thousand times. I pictured how I would scream or punch the air as I cross the finishing line. The reality was I barely had the energy to talk or stand and gave a quiet celebration and fist clench. It made me realise how ever pleased I was to finish or whatever the achievement was, the real excitement and pleasure is the journey of progressing step by step. Finishing a marathon felt good but not as good as I imagined.

As I thought about my career, it’s a similar experience, leading 4 000 people at 26 was a dream come true but in honesty, I always looked to the next job or opportunity. I realize now that the achievement was every day, and not one particular moment or position. It was the daily wins and the relationships you build that are special.

10. Sometimes you have no idea why you doing it and you just have to keep running or working

Sometimes when training for the ultra-marathon, I asked myself, “Why am I doing this?”.

I was dedicated and ran a half marathon every weekend for 7 weeks just to train. My body and my legs were constantly tired. At times you need to just be mindless and get something done. I didn’t always know why I ran or what to focus on but I knew I couldn’t stop I just needed to continue. In the middle of the ultra-marathon I felt that feeling so strongly, I didn’t need to have an answer to why I was doing it, I just needed to keep running.

At times, this is the same in your career. You have can have a great vision, purpose and drive but sometimes you do not know why you are doing certain things and the motivational books, messages and talks just don’t work. All you need to do is to keep on going. I learned that it is ok to occasionally have those moments and that these moments pass. You will get your focus and purpose back. Do not stop, keep running or working hard even when you don’t know why!

11. Time and speed aren’t always the most important things

When I first started the park run and received my time and ranking, having something to beat became a drug. I wanted to be faster, have a higher rankling every week. As I started training for longer runs, I realized putting in the miles/kilometres is more important than getting your fastest times. Running in different conditions helps overall fitness which does not achieve best times. In my career doing a few things well rather than many tasks quickly has be so beneficial. When I first started work I wanted to get promoted every year and I was. As I progressed and got older and a little bit wiser, I realised job purpose, team achievement and enjoyment where as important. Efficiency and speed has its place but sometimes it’s not the only thing that matters, as quality and endurance also count.

12. You only get one shot, do not let it go

In life most moments are normal and every day, but occasionally a moment comes along that defines your character and who you are. At 48 km at the top of long uphill climb I experienced a moment that really mattered. I thought I’d pulled a muscle in my leg, I knew I had to slow down a little but also keep running. I was desperate to walk, I felt exhausted and to be honest beaten. I thought this is the moment I will give up making the 7 hour cut off time. I thought could I walk the last 8k and still make it but I quickly realized I wouldn’t. This was the moment I knew I had to make a decision to run or give up. My body said give up but my mind knew not too, (although as my son said on a park run ‘my feet hurt not my mind’ when I said to him it’s all in the mind).

I thought about telling the story of the day I didn’t make the ultra-marathon or being able to say I did it. I imagined going into work saying I’d not made it and then the moment came. I looked at my T-shirt made by my children with comments from them written all over it and their names at the bottoms, I knew I couldn’t represent them and carry their names and not finish in time. It wasn’t a burst of energy moment, I had little left, I just knew I had to keep running for the next 8 km and I couldn’t stop. It was the moment I really completed the race.

In my career I have experienced moments like this as well. When offered chances to move to a new country or new job, when I knew the easy option was to stay, but something inside me said this is a chance that may not come again and in the words of Eminem ‘you only get one shot so do not let it pass’, this opportunity comes but once in a lifetime’. Maybe my biggest achievement in life is when those moments have come to me, in work, personally or running I’ve always took the shot. It hasn’t always worked out perfectly but I’ve never had a regret and always know that something deep inside me says never give up and seize the moment. 

13. It’s not about the best I can be (self-actualisation) but the best I want to be

When I started running the park run, I quickly got to the best time in my age group. This was a problem for me. What could I achieve now? When I progressed to longer runs I realised I just couldn’t have the best time, even in my age group and I also realised it was ok. It didn’t reduce my enjoyment or the achievement. I also realised that I wasn’t prepared to put in the time, focus and energy to be the best. Maybe if I ran twice a day every day, spent less time with loved ones then maybe I could be much better. But I didn’t want or need that.

This was such an insight for me, as I mentioned I’m naturally very competitive and driven and focused. In the past I always wanted to be the best at everything, however I learned in my career that I’m a great retail banker and a great people and performance leader. But I’m never going to be the CEO of a bank and that’s ok, because I don’t want to be. I enjoy implementation and delivery rather than strategy. When you run in South Africa, it sometimes feels like the only run that matters is the Comrades Marathon (which is an 88k ultra-marathon). I have decided for myself that I do not want to participate in that marathon, just as I don’t want to be a CEO. If I put in all the work, training, sacrifice that is needed I’m sure I could, but I’ve learned I love the running I do, I love my career in Retail Banking and sometimes enough is enough! If I heard myself at 20 say this I would have gone crazy, but in the present, I am very happy and comfortable where I am.

In conclusion, as I came to the finish line in the Two Oceans ultra-marathon, all my emotions flashed before me. I raised my arms, screamed into the air and then lay down and cried, almost broken from the experience and tiredness. As the congratulatory messages came in on my phone, and I learned 4000 people were finishing behind me and I looked at my children knowing I’d made them proud (though they were even if I hadn’t finished) the culmination of months of hard work, focus and nearly 7 hours of gruelling running sank in. I realized how lucky I was to have a family that supported me, live in such a wonderful country, be physically fit and to have experienced a bucket list day I will never forget. As with my career, luck, timing, good grace all play such a big part . Many people never have the opportunities I’ve had or made. My biggest reflection was what a privilege it was to run the Two Oceans ultra-marathon and similar with my career what a privilege it was to work for amazing companies, cultures and people.