Stress management. Better sleep. Heart health, optimal blood pressure, and strong muscles.
Of all the positive outcomes that comes with running, there’s another slew that I rarely talk about but benefit from nearly every day. Perhaps because these benefits show up in a place that isn’t as obvious: at work. Yes, I’m talking about how running can help your career.
Running for career success
When thinking about people who are successful at work, I don’t know that many people would instantly picture a runner. I feel like most minds jump to visions of the people who grind, dominate conversations, pull all-nighters, talk loudly in the weekly team meeting, and wear their “busyness” as a badge of honor.
But, I believe there’s another type of successful person in the workplace. The person who’s mindful before they speak, who’s intentional about their approach, and who can ruthlessly prioritize rather than call a fire drill on every project. There are solid workplace skills that can be built and reaped through the planning, discipline, and work ethic of running, particularly, marathon training.
Earlier this year, while in the thick of marathon training, I was thinking about the parallels of marathon training and my professional job. I shared a quick post on LinkedIn and it resonated really well, so I wanted to share on the blog.
Adapting to the unexpected is a hallmark of workplace success – and you’ll get plenty of that while marathon training.
Here are 5 ways that, for me, marathon training offers reminders that boost career success. Maybe these skills and reminders can help you, too.
1. Strategy
Training for a marathon means setting sights on a goal, working backwards to create a plan, then dialing in what’s needed every day to meet that goal.
It reminds me to approach work projects the same way, with the goal in mind first, rather than jumping in on tactics or a shiny new object.
2. Flexibility
While marathon training requires discipline and sticking to a schedule, it also requires flexibility. It may mean moving a run day, adjusting mileage last-minute, or skipping a run altogether.
It reminds me to keep this sort of contingency planning (dare I say, crisis management) mindset at work; even the most perfectly well-thought out plan likely will require a pivot at some point. Side note, this has been an important skill to draw on in my parenting life, too.
3. Details
Running is about more than the miles. It’s about fueling well, good sleep, hydration, scraping, chafe prevention, taping, and about a hundred other things.
It reminds me details matter. Missing one small thing once isn’t a big deal but lots of small misses can add up.
4. Post-work
Recovery after a run is crucial to health and the success of the next run.
It reminds me of times I’ve completed a project, then immediately moved onto the next – but that pause for reflection is just as important as any other part of the project and can set up success for the next one.
5. Focus on what you can control
After nearly 20 years of distance running, this one is still tough. As a runner, there’s so much out of your control. You can eat well but your stomach or energy level is just off. You can plan a 20-miler when weather looks good, then Mother Nature decides to throw out a storm. But we still keep running.
It reminds me that in work – and in life – even though there’s a lot out of our control, we can focus on what matters and still keep going.
That’s enough for now. Until next time,
Lindsay