Somedays . . . you need a do-over

For long-time readers of my blog (realize that I have been blogging for over three years, but most of that was a private site until this past March), know that I am a runner. Running can get boring so I have a game that I play, when I past someone, I get a point, if someone passing me, I lose a point. In past postings, I mentioned that the earlier in the morning that I run, the less points I get (usually negative points), but the later I run, the more points I get . . . so you can assume that for some strange reason, the faster runners run earlier in the morning (everyone is usually amazed by my deductive reasoning). For the last few weeks, I have been running very early in the morning, and sure enough I was getting runs of -5, -3,-6,-2,-3,-4 . . . well, today, I decided to run a little later, I needed to build up my confidence again, well, woohoo, I scored a +3 (I would have got a +5, but two track stars zoomed by me in the end).

Anyway, I posted a question before about this phenomenon, would you rather be a small fish in a big pond (run with the faster runners) or a big fish in a small pond (run with the slower community). I said over and over again, that it is good to push yourself because that is how you get better, so I would rather run early (small fish in a big pond). However, some days, you just need a good "win", and it is okay to be a big fish in a small pond! It was a do-over day for me and felt good.

Tomorrow is a new day and return to being a small fish in a big pond.

Why I Run

As many of the readers of this blog know, I am a runner. I run at least five times a week. I am an average runner and run between 20 and 25 miles a week (unless training for a marathon). While finishing four marathons (Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Prague, and Copenhagen), I still enjoy running.

I get asked why run? Is this for health, weight control?

When I think about I run for many reasons, but all of them for me . . . running is a great sport because you run against yourself.

1. It provides patience. When a crisis or major decision needs to be made, I try to go for a run, at is settles the mind and helps think through the best approach to take, i.e., It prevents me from making hasty and unnecessary mistakes.

2. It is something that I do for me . . . so often as a leader, your role is to help others succeed . . . I find running is something that I can do for myself and it is my time (no cell, blackberry, PC, office)

3. Running provides me humility, i.e., I dont take myself to serious. There will always be a faster runner, someone who can go longer, someone in better shape, etc. Also, when I have a bad day running, it resets my clock. Running teaches me that, even after I stumble, you can get back up and start running again.


I definitely have my good days and bad days running but either way, I know tomorrow is another day. For those saying, I could never be a runner or finish a marathon, well, that is what I said . . . I remember leaving the hosptial after surgery in 2003, I could barely walk 100 steps. I had never ran more than 3 miles at a time. My first "run" was a walk of 100 steps . . . starting slow but began to go longer distances . . . until I ran a mile, then two, then three, then five, etc. until I finished a marathon (six months after major surgery), and I have not stopped since . . . if you would like to run, the biggest hurdle is that first step, the rest is "all downhill". Enjoy Life, live it to the fullest!

Facing Obstacles

Sundays are usually my longer run days. Yesterday, I planned to do a 7 mile run (12K). I also need to get up early to this run because of our standing Sunday commitment. However, when I woke up, it was pouring rain. I laid in bed thinking, "oh, maybe I can take the day off or run later in the day". After many minutes of debate, I came to the following conclusions:

1. Life is too short
2. When the going gets tough, the tough get going (a little reference to Animal House)
3. Taking the easy road does not make you a better person

So, I got up and drove down to the lake, and it was raining let me tell you! Austin is a runner's town, it seems the entire city runs. Usually, there are hundreds of people running, when I show up at my normal parking place, there is only one other car (normally at least 30 at this time).

During my run, it became more enjoyable than my usually sunny run. I was able to get use to the rain. More importantly, there were interesting obstacles that I had not faced before, including: small puddles, large puddles, mud, wet creek beds that are usually dry and no one else running (i.e., no one passing me on the trail). I had to jump over the puddles or use inventive techniques to minimum the wetness that my shoes would get. It was one of my most enjoyable runs in a few months.

What has this got to do with leadership or business? Well, I would say everything as it epitomizes what leaders go through many times a day, a week, a month, a year. Many times, you are faced with a fork in the road, do you take on the tough challenge or do you shy away (read Scott Peck's The Road less traveled), sometimes you dont have a choice but you can deny it as its staring you in the face. Take on that challenge, you will face obstacles that you wont normally run into and might even enjoy the change and in the end, feel positive about yourself and your team! You can do anything you put your mind to . . . so get dressed, take on the challenge head-on . . . as Vince Lombardi once said "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up"!

So, take on that challenge, you will be happy by facing it head on . . . whether it is a difficult client, software that is behind schedule, personal relationship that has been souring, a possible promotion, a surprising communication that you had no idea about . . . face it, you will be better off and might even enjoy it!