Leadership Lessons I've Learned from Running Marathons

I cover quite the mix of topics on this blog, all of which I’m personally involved and invested in. Believe it or not, these seemingly unrelated topics – endurance running and fitness, health and nutrition, entrepreneurship, and leadership – tie together in marvelous ways.

So many of the same principles and disciplines apply across the board – and I wanted to share some of them with you! Even if you’re not interested in running a marathon, these are some of the things that endurance running has taught me…and how I apply those lessons to my leadership roles!

5 Takeaways from Endurance Running, Applied to Leadership

Lesson #1 – Success isn’t about a single moment, but every moment leading up to it.

Endurance runners know the value of working towards a goal. It can be easy for us, in any industry, to fixate on the end results. We unfairly (and often unconsciously) assume that the road to success was short, or that it all came easily. We think it was a matter of luck or some other, unattainable reason.

The truth is success in anything is like training for a marathon. It takes months of consistent hard work, careful planning, and self-discipline. The moment you “cross the finish line” may be what people see and remember. But race day – your performance at the end – won’t measure up if you haven’t done the work. Just like you can’t expect to run a marathon without proper training, you can’t expect business success without consistent effort.

Lesson #2 – Rest isn’t optional.

In our workaholic world, we pressure employees to work overtime, be available at all hours, and choose their job over their family and relationships. We’ve all seen it. We might have even done it! This glorification of busyness is toxic for multiple reasons, but I want to focus on one.

When you’re a runner, you’ve got to rest. If you don’t make room for proper recovery, you risk an injury. And that injury will stop you from running altogether while you heal.

In the same way, we’ve got to rest from work. We need to take our vacations and, as much as possible, reserve weekends and evenings for being off-the-clock. When you burn yourself out, you’re ineffective, inefficient, and generally not at your best. Take care of yourself, physically, mentally, and emotionally – even in the office!

Lesson #3 – Your mindset impacts your performance.

In endurance running, there’s something we call “the wall.” It’s that moment at the last leg of a race (about 20 miles in) when you suddenly feel like there’s no way you can go on. Your tank is on empty. You slow down. You wonder if it’s even worth it to go on because you’re in pain and absolutely wiped out.

While there are ways to avoid the wall, overcoming it is a challenge in and of itself. The temptation is to lean into negative and dissociative thinking – focusing outwardly on distractions rather than what you can control. Practicing positive self-talk, even bargaining with yourself to go just a little more, can be the difference between finishing and giving up.

The same is true in business. How you think about yourself, your business, and your team will influence your success. It all starts in the mind. So, start on the right foot!

Lesson #4 – Patience makes all the difference in the world.

Endurance running demands patience. It takes time to build up your endurance and speed, not to mention perfecting your form! You can’t except to go from couch potato to marathon champ in a few days, or even weeks!

The same is true in leadership. When you’re guiding others, offering counsel, advice, or education, people aren’t going to get it right immediately. Developing new disciplines, systems, and habits takes time. Be patient with your team and yourself!

Lesson #5 – Be the man with a plan.

Finally, you’ve got to plan ahead. When you start running, you need to have goals in mind. These goals grow and change over time as your build up strength and endurance. The point is, it’s an intentional process. You have a big, overarching goal as well as smaller milestones to meet. You’ve established the metrics you’re going to track.

You know how to measure success.

Do this as a leader, too. Know exactly what you want to see at the end of it all. What does success look like? And how are you going to get there? These questions don’t just lead you along a path of focus and success, but they set the stage for your team to trust and follow the one with a real vision.