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The similarities between running ultramarathons and business.
Scroll to the bottom to listen to this weeks podcast episode on Unbeatable You with High Performance coach, Brett Robbo.
Both require an insane amount of focus and dedication.
Having your own business is not just financially demanding, it also takes a toll physically. The same goes for running an ultra marathon, which is normally in excess of 5 hours, plus all the weekly training leading up to the event. Race fees, travel, accomodation, food, it all adds up.
One of the reason I decided to put myself into the world of ultra endurance was because I saw many of the athletes who started these events were actually business owners. So, naturally doing life + business that was outside the “normal” has always been something I have lived by and this is/was very appealing and worth exploring.
Having stumbled across the ultra trail running community has certainly changed my outlooks on life. Whilst business is important to me, so is experience life along the way. Let’s face it, I don’t want to start living life when I retire, because it’s far too late.
When I found out that the awesome runners in these ultra endurance events had their own companies, I started to ask myself questions like “why do they do it?” and “how do they fit in their training and commitments amongst their business?” I was looking to seek answers and have a better understanding of what was involved and this has lead to a world of opportunities and knowledge that I wouldn’t have gained unless experiencing these people and talking to them in real life.
It’s no doubt that to be “successful” in business, you need to play the long game. This is the same approach for ultra endurance events and whilst ultra marathons have a finish line, the journey of running for the mental and physical benefits does not, this goes for business too.
As the old saying goes “it doesn’t matter how to start, it’s how you finish”
The similarities for biz + running any distance are actually wild, because when you own your business you need to wear many hats that includes leadership, and if you can’t lead, then you won’t be able to guide your organisation. The same applies to running, because there will be times in a big race where you need to lead and problem solve your way through the ebbs and flows of sometimes up to 48 hours!
Leadership + Problem solving are two common traits that need to be address daily in business, ultramarathons and more importantly life.
Also, knowing when to rest and recover is one of the best ways to ensure that you don’t overtrain for a race and you are prepared for the daily battles in business. This requires discipline as your to-do list will never get any smaller unless you put some boundaries in place. It’s ok to have a nap or switch off your phone, if you need. It’s good for your mental health.
The next similar trait is being able to control your thoughts. To be honest, I struggled with this for years, and whilst I still battle, I’m a lot better from my experiences.
Deep into an ultra endurance race, you find your mind wondering into some dark places, and whilst this isn’t actually a bad thing, if you don’t know how to deal with what’s going on between in your ears, you will certainly find yourself in trouble.
Having learnt how to stay calm amongst the chaos has been one of the great lessons that I have had the pleasure of understanding through experience. It has not been easy and you must go through it to learn, however, to be honest, this is one of the best ways to help you grow and become better.
When you look at the best business leaders who are not just good at business, but life, their health, relationships and wealth, they keep a sense of calmness whilst everything around them crumbles.
One of my biggest inspirations in life is my father and to this day we still do business together, whilst riding the waves of emotion daily. To some people this would be weird, however this works for us. I’ve been in the privileged position to be able to watch him through a number of chaos moments over my adult life and whilst it’s stressful, he keeps a cool and collected approach and most importantly, never takes anything personally.
Something that you must do if you want to succeed in enterprise and entrepreneurship. So naturally, having him in my crew during a big endurance race is something that works really well, especially when things get a little “out of control” sometimes.
Deciding to commit to business, health and lifetime of learning in my early adult life has been something that has allowed the up’s and down’s of any challenge to just be a normal part of life. So, without struggles there is no opportunity. And without opportunity there is no growth. It’s important in life (and business!) to constantly chase growth whilst celebrating the discipline.
To conclude, business and ultramarathons are different in so many ways, however, the similarities in the main aspects of each are so important to use from one to the other.
This weeks podcast with Brett Robbo - mindset and performance coach, wellbeing educator, popular podcaster and optimistic lover of life.
Yours in Health, Wealth and Happiness,
JC