Marathons and business

I’ve always liked a challenge.

A few years ago, a couple of family members completed the London Marathon. Their finishing times weren’t particularly fast, but that wasn’t really the point. They had completed the full 26 miles, which is an achievement in itself. The reality is you can’t simply turn up on the day and hope to get around a marathon. It requires months of preparation, consistency and commitment.

When I mentioned that I thought I could probably run a marathon myself, my son gave me a fairly blunt response. They had the medal to prove they’d done it, whereas me simply saying I could do it didn’t count for much. His point was simple enough, if I believed I could do it, then I should probably do something about it.

That comment stayed with me. Running a marathon had been one of those things sitting quietly on my mental 'one day' list for a while. The only real obstacle, of course, is that you actually have to run 26 miles.

Fast forward to February this year. I was in Leeds and decided that if I was ever going to do it, I might as well commit properly. The question then became which marathon to choose. My son soon came up with what seemed like the perfect option: Turin, in Italy, with the race taking place in November. That gave me plenty of time to train properly, and the thought of running towards the Alps in the closing miles felt far more appealing than circling somewhere closer to home.

Once the date was released, I booked my place. I then booked the flights and an Airbnb. In many ways it felt similar to committing to a large project in business – once the key decisions are made and the investment is there, the only real option left is to get on with it. To add a small extra push, I also bought a new pair of Adidas running trainers. A simple bit of motivation, but sometimes that’s all it takes to get you out of the door.

In my head I initially wanted to complete the marathon in under four hours. However, aiming directly at four hours felt a little risky. If I finished a few minutes over that mark, I knew I’d probably feel disappointed. When I looked at typical finishing times for novice runners of my age, the average first marathon time appeared to be around 4:50. That didn’t particularly appeal, so instead I decided to aim somewhere between 3:30 – 3:45. My thinking was that by aiming comfortably below four hours, I would leave a bit of room for the unexpected on the day.

That approach isn’t too different from how goals often work in business. If your targets leave absolutely no margin for error, then any small setback can feel like failure. A well-considered goal should stretch you, but also allow enough room to deal with the realities along the way.

Whether you’re running a marathon or building a business, the result rarely comes from one big effort. It comes from having a plan and consistently showing up to follow it.

To make sure I approached the training properly, I enlisted a slightly unusual running coach: ChatGPT. After explaining the goal, the time available and the pace required, it produced a structured programme based around three runs per week. For the first few months the sessions are deliberately slow, designed to build the aerobic base before adding faster running later in the year.

It isn’t particularly glamorous training, but it is the right type of training (I have researched that, just to make sure ChatGPT wasn't messing with me). Much like building a business, the early stages can feel steady and uneventful, yet they form the foundation that everything else relies on.

Just over a month into the programme, the early signs are encouraging. My heart rate is dropping and my pace is improving, and according to the data I appear to be moving in the right direction. There are still many months of training ahead, and the distances will inevitably become more challenging as the race approaches.

But the principle remains the same. With a clear goal, a sensible plan and enough consistency, progress starts to take care of itself.

By November, somewhere on the streets of Turin with the Alps in the distance, we’ll find out whether the plan worked. And if everything goes well, I’m hoping to cross the line well under four hours.

Running a marathon might seem a long way from graphic design, but the underlying principles are similar. Whether it’s training for a race or building a strong brand, the outcome rarely happens by accident. It takes clear goals, a solid foundtions, a plan and the discipline to keep moving forward consistently.

If you’re working on a project that needs the same level of planning and clarity, whether that’s a brochure, website or brand identity – feel free to get in touch.