The Business of Running Marathons

I had a 19 mile training run yesterday which gave me a lot of time to think.  What I found was a great connection between activities that make me more successful at sports also make me better at work as well.

After every downhill will be an uphill.

Your current situation may seem  tough.  Even downright impossible.  You may feel like quitting altogether.  Hang in there.  Remember why you started in the first place.  Put your focus on your "why".  What motivated you and excited you in the beginning?  This will keep you going when it gets tough and help you dig deeper to get through the rough spots.  It will get better or you may find that you don't have a "why" and this is wrong for you altogether.  The uphill in that situation is that you will know it is time to move on to the next thing.

Keep your mouth shut. 

This is an easy one for running.  Flies taste yucky.  Sure, you want to shrug it off and claim it as a protein.  Not me.  I can't get over their last stop was probably a nice hot pile of poop.  In business it's not always easy to know when to keep your mouth shut.  For me, the chronic interrupter, it is near impossible.  What I have found is that most times it is much better to keep your mouth shut than it is to be right. (easier said than done)

Music makes it better

I love tunes to keep me motivated during a run. If you come across me on a trail it is guaranteed that I will be singing at the top of my lungs when one of my favorites comes on. I have also found that bringing the right playlist before a meeting and during breaks gets the team pumped up and engaged.  Dance tunes are a no-brainer.  Motown gets them dancing in their seats and classic rock gets them singing out loud.

Feed the bear

Nutrition is an important part of sports.  I find that if I eat junk I have a junky run and when I eat whole nutritious foods I run great.  I also know that if my sugar drops from not eating I am a bear to deal with. When you want your meetings to go smoothly you must fight off the bears.  Remember to feed your attendees.  If it is a long meeting have a small snack for later too.  You don't want your audience distracted by the grumblies in their tummies.