Lessons from the Lewa Marathon

Last year like now, I wrote part one of this article. If you didn’t get to read it, or if you want to re-read it, you can find it on nation.co.ke or on my website. It was the first time I had run the Safaricom Lewa Marathon. I did not train consistently but as I wrote in my previous article, “Life doesn’t need you to be ready, it just needs you to start.”

The other lesson at that time was “focus on the step you are on today rather than how far you still have left to go.”  My article read: “My feet were burning and ankles aching. I had a long way to go and I kept thinking about the distance that was still ahead of me. I then realised that was not going to help me. I turned my attention to the present. I focused on my current motion, my breathing, my pace and my current step.

I even kept my head down so that I wouldn’t see how long the road ahead was. I forced my mind to focus on the now and not the finish line.” I ended that piece with the declaration: “So do I want to go back next year? Absolutely!” So here I am now, having gone back again. Having run again. And in my usual fashion I have turned my experiences into lessons and my messes into a message. So what did the second time round teach me?

First and foremost, don’t take things for granted just because you have done them before. Despite having run this race before, I still required the same physical and mental tenacity just like the last time I ran. I had definitely trained more and was fitter, but it was still hard. How many things in our every day life do we start taking for granted because we have become accustomed to them?

Maybe you take your job for granted and live under the illusion that you are indispensable or that nobody can do what you do. Maybe as an employer you take your team for granted, thinking that they will always be there. Maybe you don’t prepare for things as much as you used to. Maybe you take your money for granted because you think there will always be the cushion of a salary. I thought the marathon would be easier because I had done it before, but it didn’t quite pan out the way I expected.

The second lesson I learnt is that you have to train yourself in the right environment. I trained to run the distance. I even trained to run uphill. I had run 20 kilometres about two times before this marathon. I had been consistent. However, I did not train to run in the heat. I was always running in cool Nairobi weather. In hindsight, I should have trained during hot weather because Lewa is hot and there is absolutely no cloud cover or trees to provide some shade.

RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

What are your goals and are you training yourself in the right environment? I have talked to so many people who want to create wealth or advance in their businesses or careers, but are doing nothing about it or are keeping themselves in the wrong environment. If you want to create wealth, your environment cannot consist of people who keep talking about why things can’t be done. The training must be somewhere where you are stretched and pulled out of your comfort zone.

The third lesson came when I fell and injured my leg. For about a kilometre, I allowed myself to have a pity party, then I snapped back and got back in the race. I was much slower, but I finished the race. This taught me that you can prepare to the best of your ability, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t stumble and fall.  You cannot control everything.

You may have the best-laid plans, but things might still go awry. I learnt that even though I prepare, there are some things that are beyond my control.  Who would have known that there would be a rock at a certain point that I just wouldn’t see? 

At first I beat myself up saying I should have been more careful, but I realised there was nothing I could have done about it, and I felt at peace. I told myself that my best is simply going to be good enough. Do you need to tell yourself that? You started something and it didn’t work out. Dust yourself off, feel sorry for a few minutes, and get back on track. I actually think the short pity parties are good to release emotions, but don’t let them become a way of life. Whatever happens, your best is good enough.

The fourth lesson I learnt is that success is more about the process than the destination. Goals are good and they helped me wake up at least thrice a week to train. I had a time under which I wanted to complete this half-marathon. But we have to have a healthy relationship with goals. Define success more by the process rather than the destination.

Success is the story, not just what you have to show for it. The process has made me fitter than I have ever been even though I did not have the photo finish I wanted. You lost money or your business failed, but what did you learn or who did you become in the process? You got fired. Who did you become when you had that job? Use that to package yourself for the next one.

The fifth and last lesson, is to avoid being a victim. When you fall, it’s easy to get into the victim mentality. Because I was wearing a white shirt, which was now very dirty and slightly bloody because my hand got cut (see picture), many people were pausing to ask me if I was OK and if I needed help. The ambulance stopped and offered to carry me. I was tempted to succumb and be a victim.

I had the perfect reason to be ferried to the finish line. I could have used that and gotten away with it. People would have understood, right? How many times in our lives do we pull and leverage the victim card? I don’t have money, time, networks, opportunities, etc. I am too old, young, broke, overwhelmed, busy, etc.

If I had wallowed in victimhood and chosen the path of victims, I would have missed out on the true reward of this marathon and indeed life. The reward is running your own race. Setting your objectives. Growing in the process. Striving not to be as good as someone else, though you may take inspiration from them, but to be the best you can be. God willing, next year, I’ll be back with part three.