What if I told you that training for a marathon has many aspects in common with running a successful business or being a good student? If you look at what it takes to be great in a marathon, you may just find what it takes to be great in business or academics.

Marathon training happens over many months, which is called a training cycle or block. This training cycle for most runners ranges from four to eight months, or even longer. I have been on a five-month training cycle, which means I have been training for longer than a semester of college. Crazy to think about, right?! Through these five months of hard training, I have learned many lessons that apply to much more than just my running goals. The lessons I have been taught through this training cycle are:

1. Consistency and Discipline
2. Setting Goals and Milestones
3. Overcoming Obstacles
4. Patience and Endurance
5. Adaptability and Flexibility
6. Accountability
7. Mental Toughness

All of these lessons have been learned through the many miles and hours that I have put into my runs, however, I believe these are not lessons that only marathon runners can use. Two lessons that stand out to me as I was training are 1) Consistency and Discipline and 3) Overcoming Obstacles.

Being consistent and disciplined is one of the first lessons I learned as I was prepping for my marathon. Each day, I had to wake up at 6 AM to go on a long run. No matter if I was feeling 100% or sore from the previous day’s work out, I knew I had to lace on my running shoes and stick to the training plan I had made over the previous weekend. Running a successful business or being a good student requires consistency and discipline. Success in either of these ventures does not come overnight and is usually formed by putting in the hours of “grunt” work to eventually make a successful business or academic venture.

Unfortunately, I learned quickly that I would have to overcome some obstacles in my training cycle. I developed lots of pain in my knee and achilles. I tried to fix this pain, but it was not getting much better. I felt very discouraged that my body seemed to be betraying me, but I persisted through these challenges by finding ways to strengthen and rest my body. This allowed me to keep training.

There will always be challenges standing in the way of having a successful business or being a good student. For example, market downturns, competition, or losing a sale can all be an obstacle, but a successful entrepreneur can pivot and find other ways to survive and thrive in the future. A failed test, missing assignment, or managing stress can all lead to huge obstacles in the way of academic success, but you have to be willing to adjust your strategies and get the necessary help that you need to succeed. Ultimately, when you are able to get through these obstacles, you will be stronger for what comes next.

While running a marathon may not be in the cards for most people, you can learn a lot of life lessons by doing something that is hard and may even seem impossible. Being a student can sometimes feel impossible with the amount of juggling that happens with school, social life, jobs, family, and many more things. Running a business is also fraught with ups and downs. If you choose to start training for a marathon, or take on any hard challenge, pay attention to the personal growth that you experience. Be assured that this growth will help you be a better student or a better business owner. Hope to see you “on the road!”