In the crisp night air, joined by over 15,000 people, members of our marketing team laced up their running shoes, donned highlighter yellow shirts and partook in Nike’s Annual Night Run in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 1, 2011 (11/1/11).
Running 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to most can seem like a very daunting undertaking, but with proper training, pumping adrenaline, and the support of a running team and crowds of spirited supporters, our running team succeeded in completing their first 10K Nike Run, completing the run in an average of 61.27 minutes.
As we’re sure you have guessed, we are very proud of our marketing team’s participation and achievements. In speaking to our team of runners about completing the race, we learned a lot about the forethought, endurance and discipline it takes to train for a race. In fact, from what we learned from out running team, training for a race is a lot like starting a business.
Prior to signing up for the race, we started regular evening night jogs to “test” our endurance. How far could they run? At what speed? Listening to what music? and so on.
Once our runners established that they could comfortably run 5K, they decided to sign up for the race and commit to crossing the finish line together!
Likewise, when you set out to start your own enterprise, it’s crucial to assess your current state of affairs. Do you have the skills, experience and access to tools you need in order to create your own business venture?
Once you meet the bare minimum of required elements, you then start training, or preparing for the unveiling of your new business.
For our runners, the training process included mapping out a running schedule that would enable runners to slowly build endurance and speed without straining their bodies. For most of our runners, this meant running three to four times a week, adding about 1.6 Kilometers (1 mile) to the run every week. Also, in order to make sure that they would adhere to the training schedule, they established a running club, joining other runners as a support group and a source of motivation and structure.
Our team runners discovered that with the encouragement of others, anything is possible, including finishing a 10K in just about 1 hour!
In addition to creating a supportive running club to help our runners meet their goals, our runners also turned running into an opportunity to explore new things, such as new music, new podcasts and lectures that can be downloaded. Among our runners’ favorite ipod playlists were: Bruno Mars’ The Lazy Song, for jogging, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and Jessie J’s Price Tag, to set a decent running pace, and just about any song by Michael Buble for cooling down.
Just as our runners learned how to motivate themselves with good music and the support of a team, it is important to ensure that you can rely on a solid support system as you work through the beginning stages of establishing your new business.
Whether its family, friends, business partners or employees, being able to share the trials, troubles, frustrations, successes and setbacks of new ventures with other people is paramount in your quest for success.
Likewise, you need to pace yourself. Our runners were careful to slowly increase the distance of their runs, not wanting to risk injury to run too much. Similarly, you have to be realistic about your goals. You can’t expect to have instant success or wealth. First aim to have a small group of returning customers in one niche, for example. Then try to expand to other niches or neighborhoods. You don’t want to overextend yourself, your finances or resources.
Also, just as our runners chose music to keep their feet moving, give yourself something to look forward to as a means of encouraging yourself to keep working toward your goals. Working on something consistently and tirelessly gets awfully weary. If you want the metaphorical medal at the end of your race, you have to commit to your goal, your timeline and keep persevering.
If our team runners have taught us anything, its that motivation, determination and sweat can make anything possible, including success at the Nike Night Run.
We wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Whether you’re hoping to run your first race or you are racing to turn one of your goals into a reality, we hope that you enjoy the process of achieving your goal. With the right support system, schedule and soundtrack, hitting the pavement is actually very enjoyable!
Congratulations to our racers and the best of luck to our family of commiters in all of your future endeavors.
Until next time!
Success Team