Long-Distance Running and COVID-19
In college, following a recommendation from my track coach, I switched from short distance track races to cross country and it was then that I found my love for long-distance running. Since finishing college, where this passion became engrained in my body and mind, I have completed multiple half marathons (21km), full marathons (42km), 60km races and ultra-marathons (100+km).
Training and participating in long-distance races requires a unique mindset, a plan, dedication and a special set of skills; more mental than physical. Living through and dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as a manager in a high tech company and a business owner, has made me think about the parallels between the lessons I learned as a long-distance runner and how I am continuing to handle the current crisis.
Below I am sharing my top five long-distance running insights and how they correspond with being a manager through the current business climate:
Long-distance running is all about consistency over time — if you start a race too fast, or increase your pace early on, you’ll end up sabotaging your end result.
When leading a team through the current business climate it is crucial to stay consistent with the same goals and values that your organization is founded on (the very same ones you shared before this current situation started). Find ways to reiterate, communicate and strengthen those goals even through the fluctuating climate. A team with strong core values and continued awareness of its goals is a team that is significantly more equipped to deal with anything that is thrown at them.
“I ran. I ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid. Then I ran some more” — Fight Club.
Long-distance running requires a high pain threshold over a relatively long period of time.
In a crisis as volatile as this one — only the strong will survive, many organizations and teams need to make difficult decisions during this time The cohesiveness of your team and the ability to withstand the “pain” will determine whether or not they will emerge on the other side of this calamity victorious. Hopefully, you have already focused on building a team that is impossible to defeat prior to the crisis, but this is not the time to give up. There is no better time than ever before to work on continuing to strengthen your team and coach them through the short term pain with a focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.
To be successful in long-distance running, you need to have “miles on your feet”.
This crisis puts to test the cumulative experience and skill set of a team and its managers. This is not the moment to rest on your laurels, but instead, a time to dig deep into your past experiences; professional or personal — and put to use skills, knowledge or experiences that maybe you have not touched upon for a long time. Be ready to shift, pivot and transform on a daily basis as a reaction to the change that is happening out of you and your teams’ control.
Long-distance running is a lonely sport — you need to be at peace with yourself.
For many companies or individuals, this can be a very lonely period. Perhaps your product is less relevant for this current crisis, the traffic, engagement and press that you previously received will come to a slow but just because you are standing alone does not mean you are doing something wrong. This could be a tell-tale sign that you are the only one left in the race.
On a more personal side — remote work and isolation aren’t easy for everyone, maybe you thrive on your own but your colleagues or team members don’t. Never undervalue these three words: “How are you?”. But when you ask — make sure you mean it.
There is a well-known term in the marathon community called “the wall”. This is the mental barrier that most runners hit at around 35km (7km left in the race) the moment where your mind starts to tell you that you need to give up. A focused mindset and a plan are what gets a runner to break through the wall and reach the finish line.
While it is easy to feel as though nothing is in your control, you must step up and proactively manage the crisis, don’t let the crisis manage you. You need a short term plan, a long term plan, and an exit strategy. Determine where your focus should be and how you want your team to look at every stage in the process. Know how to start the race, carry yourself through the wall and be prepared to come out stronger than ever on “the day after”.
Although I am unable to step outside for a long-distance run during this isolation period I find myself continuing to refer back to the lessons I learned during the many hours I spent on my feet training and racing. I am using these lessons to build myself, my teams and my business stronger through this tough but ever-teaching experience.
“Running isn’t a sport for pretty boys…It’s about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. Its the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It’s about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It’s about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It’s about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there’s not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you’ve finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that’s all that you can ask for.”
— Paul Maurer, The Gift:A runner’s story.
