What Does Running A Half Marathon & Running A Business Have In Common?

I haven’t run more than 2 miles in probably 5 years. I used to love running in college and for a couple of year after. Something clicked and it wasn’t exactly enjoyable anymore. Crossfit, RHO Engine Room, Hot Yoga, bring it on. I’m assuming it was because it was a bit boring and it made me be with my own thoughts for an uncomfortable amount of time! Up and until I had Ellie you would find me at Crossfit 4-6 days a week. It was my time. I could 100% mentally check out. If I was in a crappy mood a good workout would turn it around. Nobody could get a hold of me and a coach told me where to go and what to do. It was perfection.

Fast forward 4 years and there has been a lack of exercise. With Sean traveling throughout the week, a 4-year-old, a dog, and owning a business, I tend to not make time for getting to the gym. Sean and I would get in a routine by going on Sunday to yoga or RHO, but we’d be out of town one weekend and then not get back on track. 

I went for a run at my dad's one Wednesday evening and just immediately felt better.  I know that when I work out, I feel better. So do it more, right? Well, I was finally annoyed with this narrative that was going through my head and I was ready to change it. 

As we were leaving my dads I told Sean that we should run a half marathon together. His response, “What? Are you okay? You hate running” I explained that I was annoyed by my excuses, but that I also needed a different challenge. Something not related to work or family. I wanted to have it far it enough away that I could start training with 1 mile. So, we looked up some upcoming races and got started. 

Once I was getting into the long runs I noticed that I found similarities between training for a half marathon and opening/running a business. So, instead of listening to music or solving the problems of the world, I started writing a blog while I ran, and here is what I found!

1. Your Why
Thank you, Simon Senik, for being so amazing on this topic. If Sean had asked me to run a half marathon just because he wanted to, I’m 99% sure I would have said no. I had to get fed up with my excuses and my lack of mental clarity to push me to want to conquer this. 

In business, if you just start something because someone else wants you to, you’re probably not going to last. If you start something because “everyone else is doing it”, you’re probably not going to last. It has to bring joy and a sense of accomplishment so that when it gets tough (and it will), you can lean back on your why. 

2. Create a Plan
I knew that if I was going to actually finish this thing, I was going to have to start at 1 mile. Thanks to snacking in sneakers I found a schedule that was simple and seemed doable. I looked at the schedule to see how far out it schedules you to run the race and then looked at the available races and found one that was around that time.  I put the runs into my calendar and got started that Sunday. Having each run marked for me to easily find helped me push past the excuse of not wanting to go. 

While it’s not as detailed - this is similar to creating a business plan. You have to know what your goal is and how you’re going to get there. What are you selling, who is your customer, where should you be located, what, when will you be open, how will you make money? These are just a couple of things you’ll want to plan out before you open.

3. Consistency
I have a background in being too competitive and being a little too obsessed with things (body image, workouts, etc.) so I had to find a running program and stick with it. Consistently showing up for our short 2-3 miles runs that we started out with, made the 6 miles run a lot more bearable than I expected! 

When starting and running a business you have to show up every day ready to go. This is showing up for yourself as an owner, a leader for your employees, and marketing-wise for your potential clients. If you show up some days and not others - you may lose that know, like, and trust that you have worked so hard to build. You will also lose the momentum that helps pull you forward. It’s much easy to stay in motion than to stop and restart!

4. Be Prepared
The first thing Sean made me do was to go to Fleet Feet and purchase actual running shoes. “Eh, whatever, I think these are fine.” went through my head because of the sticker price!  But I knew that good shoes would make a difference, especially with as many miles we would put in. You all, I went through 5 pairs of shoes to find the best ones! I felt like such an annoyance to their staff. But, their goal was to go through as many shoes until I found some that didn’t hurt because they understand how important it is to be prepared. As we got into longer runs we got Nuum tablets to help prevent cramping, snacks to help with fatigue, and better wicking clothing.

You might think I would talk about preparing for the weather, but I can’t. We had no control over the weather the day of the race, so we ran through 99 degrees with 89% humidity and also a rainstorm where we expected to see Noah’s Ark float by. 

This goes back to parts of your business plan and all of the work you should take to prepare your business for success. This includes market research to make sure you have a solid product/service, getting to know your target market so you learn their spending habits and needs, accessibility to your location or website, costs of goods sold, etc. These things shouldn’t be rushed as it may come back to bite you in the end.

5. Mind Your Own Pace
Sean has consistently run 5 miles every Sunday for the last 2 years. I have inconsistently run less than that all year. I had to check my mental game when it came to this because I could easily start comparing myself to him or to those who would zoom past us on the trails. I dusted my apple watch off and made sure to wear it during each run. It helped me look at the pace we were going. If I let Sean lead, we were for sure going way faster than our normal pace and I would struggle. This point was solidified when we were running a crazy rainstorm and thought we were getting along pretty well. Out of nowhere this guy basically sprints past us. Sean made a comment about our pace compared to his and I told him we have no idea how far he’s going or what’s he’s training for and that I was glad we just hadn’t stopped running!

You are going to constantly be disappointed if you are comparing your business journey to everyone else's. You have no idea what their background is, how long they’ve actually been working, or if they started with 1 million dollars in the bank. Instagram isn’t real-life footage and I’m giving you permission to unfollow anyone (in real life or digitally) who makes you feel like you’re not doing enough. If it’s your own mental critic, go talk with someone to clear that out - I promise you it’s worth the money!

6. Be Resourceful
I found the best bottoms for me to run in were short, not leggings. The shorts needed a zipper pocket to put our key, another pocket to put a snack, and have the underwear liner because when you’re drinking a lot of water you sometimes need to go. I found that process much easier with shorts than pants!  Yup, I said it and yup, I did it multiple times as there were no bathrooms in sight! One day our babysitter fell through and Ellie had to come with me. No big deal except she is 30lbs and the stroller we still had...it really didn’t advertise that it went up to 30lbs! After one run with that, we borrowed a much better one from a friend. That gave us the ability to go for family runs as well. 

In business, this comes into play when you’re starting out and may not have the biggest budget. We, of course, want to hire the best marketing agency or CPA, but we also have to mindful of numbers. Think outside the box and see where you may trade for different services. Maybe you can trade branding photos for social media management or website design for copywriting. Make sure it’s beneficial to both of you and you set boundaries, but it can be amazing what you can work out when it’s a win-win.

7. It’s about the journey, not the destination
There were days when I hated that I had to run. I just wanted it to be over. I had so many other things I could have been doing instead of running. Work, meal prepping, laundry, literally anything other than running. Once I got far enough down the road I would settle in and repeat - enjoy the process, enjoy the process. I said it enough times that I shut out the inner nag and did just that. Enjoyed the process. The long runs with Sean were definitely the ones that were most enjoyable. We were able to use that time to talk - with him traveling and usually always having Ellie, we don’t get that time very often. It made the runs go by so much faster!

Starting and building a business is a lengthy process. If you don't enjoy the things that are done day in and day out, it’s going to be a very long journey. Everything that you go through will get you to your end goal - but is there an actual end goal? Business is full of twists, turns, pivots, and yield signs that should help redirect you to where you want to be going. The end goal is to serve your customers the best you can and that process should be the fun part!

8. Find your tribe
I felt like part of a super-secret club when we started running. Maybe it was because the people who ran past us on the trails were feeling the same pain we were. When I got started I reached out to a couple of friends who run half marathons like they are 5K’s. What do I eat, why do I have this pain, what stretches do I do so I can move on Thursday? They were so helpful! Sean was a massive part of this. I found my runs were so much better when I had him with me. It helped keep my negative thoughts at bay and run a little faster than I would have pushed myself.

In business, you have to find those who are on a similar journey and who have already been on that same journey as they know what you’re going through. These people can offer advice and encouragement when you can’t seem to find it yourself. These people help you chase away those crappy conversations you can start to have with yourself and point you in a positive direction. Find these people and lean on them!

9. Finish on your own terms

There were plenty of times when I thought, this is dumb and I don’t want to do this anymore. Those times typically came one week a month (yes, I’m talking about my period) when my body didn’t want to do anything or when I let my work to-do list override my mind. I reminded myself that nobody was making me do this. If I wanted to stop, I could. The only person I would be giving up on is myself.  

During the race, my only goal was not to walk. Did I want to win first place - yes. Did I think that was actually going to happen - absolutely not. I kept to our normal pace and took it mile by mile and I didn’t compare myself to the other runners or even Sean. I ran my race and finished on my own terms.

Sometimes businesses don’t make it. Whether it’s because of bad decisions, a crazy world health pandemics, or you’re just fulfilled with what it has done for you. It’s up to you to decide the longevity of your business. You’re the one who has to live with the decisions, not someone else. Do it for you and do it for you alone. 

10. Document and photograph for proof :)

13.1 for the first and maybe last time!