I recently ticked another thing off my 40 in 40 List completing my first half marathon. It was awesome. I loved it. (Well… I loved 120 of the 126 minutes of running. There was a solid kilometre in there around the 18km mark where I wondered why the hell I was torturing myself.) Anyway, during the 2+ hours of running I had plenty of thinking time and found myself composing this newsletter in my head.

I wanted to share 3 things that this half marathon taught me—that have absolutely nothing to do with running. 

1. Metrics can’t measure joy

In my training for this race I was ALL about the metrics. My Apple Watch would announce my average pace through my AirPods after every kilometre, and I’d use that information to know how much harder to push myself, estimate my finish time and so on. Come race day, I turned all of this off. Sure, I started the “record run” feature on my watch as I crossed the start line, but for the entire 21kms I didn’t receive a single metric. No kilometre count. No heart rate. No average pace. Nothing. I just RAN. 

I’ve previously shared that the only criteria for being on my 40 in 40 list was that accomplishing the item had to bring me JOY. With comparison being the thief of joy, I knew I’d be robbed of the experience of enjoying this race if I constantly compared every kilometre to how I thought I should be performing. On this occasion, the only metric that mattered was whether or not I crossed the finish line. 

How often in business are you robbing yourself of joy by being too granular on the metrics you’re tracking? 

You might need those initial detailed metrics to help you gain traction and momentum, but there comes a point in any process where you need to acknowledge you’ve done everything possible. All that’s left to do is step back and appreciate how far you’ve come and all that you’ve achieved. Don’t rob yourself of this joy. You deserve to celebrate your hard work. 

2. A goal without a “why” will rarely be accomplished

“Run a half marathon” had been on my bucket list for YEARS but every year I’d end up running a 10km race and not quite make it to the half. “Too busy.” “Not enough training.” All the excuses. When I realised I was contemplating putting the half marathon on my 40 in 40 List, it forced some self reflection. Why did this matter to me so much? Was my desire to accomplish this feat big enough to have it included on the list in the first place? 

The answer was YES. I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to show my children that hard work pays off—and we can do hard things. Most of all, I wanted to prove to myself that perfection wasn’t the goal. Accomplishment was. Ooof. That one hit hard. 

I realised the reason I hadn’t committed to the half marathon in any years previously was because the perfectionist in me thought I wouldn’t run a time fast enough “to be proud of”. But suddenly I had a whole new “WHY” for my reason behind doing this race. And the motivation came thick and fast after that. 

When you set goals in your business, do you know WHY you’re trying to achieve them? Is there a deep desire from within you that makes this worthwhile? Is this something that’s going to fulfil you or move the needle in your business? Or is it just a goal you “think you need to achieve because you should…”? Chances are you’ll struggle to find the motivation to accomplish a goal if you don’t truly believe it matters and is worthy of your energy.

3. Accountability partners and cheerleaders are essential 

Acknowledging the why behind my half marathon, choosing the race I was going to enter and paying the registration fee gave me a concrete goal to work towards. But if I was going to have to plod along the pavement training for hours every week, I needed more than intrinsic motivation! I needed an accountability buddy. Enter: My training partner. I recruited a friend to run with me every weekend. I’d do solo runs during the week, knowing that every weekend we’d be doing a long run together. The kilometre count increased every weekend, so I needed to do my weekday runs in order to keep up on the weekend! 

That accountability helped me get through the training… but then there was race day. I needed cheerleaders! Enter: Friends and family. Lydia wrote me a book called “Fastest Mum in the World” (ADORABLE) and the kids and Jono had signs to hold up to cheer me on. A girlfriend came out with her family and my Mum and Dad were there, too. As the kilometres started to wear me down, passing their smiling, cheering faces gave me such a boost every lap. They reminded me of my why. 

Who holds you accountable to your goals in your business? Who reminds you to stop and celebrate your achievements, or gives you the added encouragement you need when you’re feeling worn down? 

If accountability is something you feel is lacking in your business, I’d love to invite you to check out my marketing accountability group coaching program, Marketing Matters. 

[ i need marketing accountability ] 

I enjoy facilitating this program SO DAMN MUCH and I want everyone to have the opportunity to experience the kind of growth that other members of this program have achieved. 

Here’s what the program will give you: 

→ A group of fellow business owners to learn from, bounce thoughts off of and hold you  accountable to executing on your ideas. 

→ Routine and consistency on the road to reaching your marketing goals. 
Inquire now to learn about the next intake.