Lessons from Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2019

As most accomplished and revered runners say, in races you get what you put in training; sometimes even lesser. 

I ran my 5th Delhi Marathon on Sunday (my 21st Half Marathon overall, to go with 8 Full Marathon’s I have managed to convince myself to put in since 2014). 

While returns this year were lesser than what I anticipated they’d be, there were no dearth of lessons.

As a startup founder the learning you get from a race can actually be brought into the business as well and there are so many of them.

For starts, I was sure of finishing under 110 minutes this year. The training was good and the times were getting better.

A 1:49:59 did not happen; a 1:56:55 did.

There was an old injury flare up and the planned negative splits never happened. The choice was between finishing and a DNF, and I chose the former.

So the lessons?

It’s ok to go into a race for the fun of it but having a goal isn't a bad thing. And if there’s a clear goal, there’s got to be a clear enough strategy to achieve the goal too.

Put in the training, put in the hard yards in the business, but NEVER take anything for granted. 

Maintain the right pace right through and stay on pace (negative splits are even better). But don't go too fast too soon. You must have the fuel in the tank when you need it much like that cash in bank when its really needed.

Running is extremely demanding (especially when you aim to run at a pace 5:30 min/km and less) much as being in startup mode is too. But if your goal is what drives you, NEVER GIVE UP. There is bound to be that flare up, something that won't go to plan.

There will be a need to go slow or to stop. You cannot and should not let an odd discomfort make you give up on your passion. The passion that defines you as a person and a professional.

Course corrections are necessary. Cop the blip on the chin and move on.

It’s time to hit training mode for Tata Mumbai Marathon now. 

More updates on the running in January then.

#LessonsFromLongDistanceRunning #Startups #Entrepreneurship #ADHM2019