Train to finish strong - and reap the rewards

There is a saying in the marathon community that “the race begins at mile 20”.  When you are in competition, or competing for a goal time, mile 20 is a place that represents a start point of a final battle – often where the race is won or lost.  Like a lot of things in running, this is a lesson that can be transferred into everyday life.  As Mike Tyson once eloquently put it, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”.  Whether running, boxing, or in the office, game-day adjustments are critical to achieving your goals.  The notion that high achievers are strongest and most effective in the final – and toughest - stages of any process is almost always the rule, rather than the exception.

It has taken me several marathons to truly appreciate the value of feeling good at mile 20.  Consider all the factors that are at play in a race.  There are the internal considerations – your training, your fueling/hydration, your mindset – and the external considerations – temperature, wind, terrain, and your competition.  Having the ideal combination of these factors working for you at mile 20 is a gift that provides you the best chance to run your best race.  With a foundation of solid training and preparation, good strategic choices along the way, and having the strength, determination, and momentum to finish strong will often make the difference between good and great.

The same can be said in everyday life.  Everyone at the starting line has put in the training to go the distance.  That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s also the price of entry.  Those who achieve stretch goals have something special to help push them through the last few miles.  As a sales professional, I think back on some of the big sales deals I’ve won in my career.  Deals typically are not won at the start of the process, but rather after an often relentless battle, learning about the competitive landscape, overcoming customer objections, and out maneuvering my competition.  The early part of the process can set the tone, but a price and proposal is simply the price of entry.  The winner usually outlasts the field because they have executed a better plan, they understand the customer and competition, and they have delivered more value in the end.  Perhaps most important – they have time their strategy in such a way where it is most meaningful to the client. Being mentally and physically tough, especially in the last stages of the deal, often separates the best from the rest.

I have learned that the path to success is not a straight line, and it is often a very different journey than what we expect at the onset.  Every marathon is 26.2 miles, but that’s the end of the similarities. I’ve never known one to look and feel like another.  I think of “mile 20” often, and not just in the context of running.  I remind myself that in business and life – most things are process, not an event, and I am prepared to take my game up a gear when the time is right.  Whether you are facing mile 20, getting punched in the mouth, or fine-tuning a final proposal, success is often determined by the final push.  If you prepare to expect and execute that final push, you will dramatically increase your opportunities to find yourself on the right side of success.

 

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