Each week we are sharing the lessons we learned about how to run and how this translates into running a business. When we first took on the challenge of running the Bath Half Marathon at the end of last year, we had 14 weeks of training in front of us. Now we are about halfway through, it’s the perfect time to reflect on where we have been and where we are going.
I’m not talking about planning our running routes, however, that does help for the long runs! No, I mean what lessons did we learn in the early days and how can we take this into our upcoming runs.
Each week we will be sharing a lesson that we have learnt in our running journey that can be translated into the lessons we can teach to running a business.
Consistency is key – change your habits.
This is a phrase that we are all used to and have heard time and time again, however, it’s an important one to remember. We use the Nike training app to guide us on our runs, and it’s recommended that we run at least 3 out of the 5 runs a week.
At the beginning of our journey, we were managing to run 3 runs a week and believed this to be sufficient, however, the more we weren’t running the easier it became to… not run. At the beginning of 2022, we decided to step it up and are now running 4-5 runs a week.
The change from 3 to 5 runs a week was a shock at first, however, funnily enough, our runs became easier and part of our weekly routines. Now there is no question of should we go for a run, it’s now when do we go on our run?
Recently, we took a bit of a break to join in some celebrations at the weekend, and the idea of going for a run was not one we were ready for. However, a quick 15-minute jog around the houses and the healthy habit has returned. We have learnt to show up for ourselves and the cause.
Now, how can this relate to our working lives? Well, how often do you turn up to work and think, ‘I just don’t want to today’ and the productivity fails? Or, if you work for yourself, the temptation of a lie in or a day off can be just a little too real? The problem is, as soon as you start a bad habit, it’s difficult to shake.
Setting that alarm to 6am and getting up each morning, especially in January, is a challenge. But life is full of challenges! And, what have we said already? Focus on the challenges in life that you can control. We’ve had enough of facing those challenges we can’t control.
Plan your days. Plan your routes… I mean routines. You have set your alarm for 6am, so get up, drink water, stretch, treat yourself, celebrate because you are doing it! And show up for yourself again tomorrow and the next day. Change your habits to ones that are productive and achievable.
This week, we are again stepping things up and running our longest distance to date. Last week we ran 8 miles, around 13K and this week we shall be running 15K. If you had asked us to run 15K 6 months ago, it never would have happened, but each week we have been running further and further, and we’ve managed this with consistency.
Selby Landscapes is running the Bath Half and raising money for the Autistic Girls Network, a great charity raising awareness of autism in girls and giving support to all families who are navigating their way through this world with autism. Many girls with autism go through life being misdiagnosed, diagnosed late in life or missed entirely as we are not aware of the signs, as these are different to boys with autism. Each person who reads up and understands is another person that can help the young girls today, showing support and understanding.
Please donate via our Crowdfunding page to help us raise money for our chosen charity so they can continue to help support families and young girls.
Dulcie & Sam Selby