How the Marathoner Mentality Can Be Your Business Advantage

Running a marathon is a lot like running a business. Both require vision, discipline, and the ability to adapt when things don’t go exactly as planned.

After finishing the Berlin Marathon (my 13th!) last week, I walked away with more than just a new personal record (PR). I also came home with reminders of lessons every business owner needs to hear.

1. Trust the plan

When you train for a marathon, you don’t just wake up one morning and decide to run 26.2 miles. I mean you could but it’s going to hurt a lot.

Instead, you get a training plan (ideally from a certified coach 🙋🏻‍♀️), commit to it, show up to the workouts, and trust the process. Every long run, interval workout, and rest day builds your fitness toward being prepared for a great race day.

The same approach goes for business. You need a clear strategy, not random sprints of activity then distraction if you want to truly reach your goals.

Trusting your plan means resisting the urge to chase every shiny new “tips and tricks” article you read or “hack” and instead sticking to the strategy that you (or your baller agency partner) created to get you to your long term goals.

By sticking to the plan you know will build results over time. Remember:

➞ Rome wasn’t built in a day,

➞ marathoners who can walk normally the day after a race, rather than like a duck, and

➞ business owners who see real results long-term ALL stuck with the plan.

2. Results don’t happen overnight

Marathon training is a 16–20 week process. Building your fitness in a healthy way so you don’t hurt yourself is taking consistent steps over time.

The same is true in marketing. I see business owners expect to see big results in 30 days or less when, realistically, it takes consistent effort over months to generate momentum.

Can you see progress in 30 days? Absolutely.

Will you hit all of your goals? Less likely.

Let me give you an example from a recent client:

Month 1: Website traffic showed a slight uptick in time on page, meaning the refreshed designs and copy had more interest for the users to stick around. #win  This is what increases the likelihood of conversations.

Month 4: Sticking to the content marketing strategy for three solid months led to 2.5 times the revenue compared to the same period a year before.

So much of business, like marathon training, is about planting and sowing the seeds now that will bear fruit later. Stick with it and the fruit always comes.

(More on that farming vs. hunting marketing analogy here.)

Even during the race in Berlin, it took me seven miles before I finally found my groove. SEVEN!

Translation: progress takes time. Stick with it.

3. Push through the mental blocks

Around mile 18 of a marathon, the real mental work kicked into overdrive. When discomfort hits, I lean hard on my mantras:

👉🏻 “Just get to the next mile marker.”

This is employed when despite how far I’ve come, the mileage I have left seems SO far and my desire to walk, which would only make covering those miles take even longer, increases. Tapping into this mantra, gives a clear and manageable goal as well as the permission to walk, take a break once I get there if I really need to.

Oftentimes our insecurity, fear or exhaustion gets in the way of our progress. If I can focus solely on getting to the next mile marker, then the miles left aren’t as intimidating.

Plus, I often find that by the time I reach that marker I am doing ok and redeploy the mantra again to the next mile.

In a business environment, this is how you take a big project, goal or content plan and break it down into manageable chunks.

This will also serve you well if you find yourself overanalyzing a blog, email campaign or social media post to the point that you don’t publish at all.

Get out of your head by focusing on “done > perfect” and as your confidence builds with publishing then you can perfect over time.

👉🏻 “Hang on.”

You’ll hit roadblocks, self-doubt, or challenges that make you want to quit. Instead “just hang on.”

Coaching yourself through those moments, or having someone else to coach or assist, can keep you moving toward the bigger goal. To that end…

4. Keep moving forward, even when it’s hard

Life gets in the way. Budgets shift. Priorities change. The key is to keep doing something that moves you forward.

In Berlin, the heat pushed my heart rate into a zone I wasn’t comfortable sustaining for another 60+ minutes given my heart health history. (Reminder: 2x heart attack survivor over here 🙋🏻‍♀️)

By Mile 18, I shifted from my A goal to my B goal. That meant taking walk breaks at every water station to let my heart slow down and protect my longterm health vs. chasing an arbitrary finish time that would have a bigger impact post-race.

I didn’t stop. I adjusted.

In business, success often comes from knowing when to pivot a tactic while keeping your eyes on the finish line.

5. Stop trying to be a hero & hire professionals to help

Running may seem like a solo endeavor, but no one trains for a marathon alone. I may have built my own training plan using my run coaching certification experience, but I also had a strength training coach, dietitian consultant, running partners and supportive friends to help me through the ups and downs of the training cycle.

I sought the help from professionals who would help me get to my goals without burning out, or getting injured, along the way. That support system made the difference between surviving and truly thriving in this experience.

I do the same business. As cool as it would be to be an expert in all things marketing, PR and business, that is simply not the case. That’s why there is the team behind me, known as the DCM Krewe, who bring their expertise to table so clients get the BEST, not simply Channing’s ability level, on all things.

If non-elite athletes will hire help to reach their goals, why wouldn’t you as a business owner?

This is literally your livelihood so stop trying to be a hero by doing everything yourself and hire help where you need it.

That could be a business coach, marketing & PR agency, content creation team, bookkeeper, joining an association of industry pros, or all of the above!

The point is: don’t go it alone. Having experts by your side gives you perspective, accountability, and the right strategy to hit your version of a PR.

The TLDR of For Business Owners

Running a marathon is hard. Running a business is also hard. The latter can be less frustrating and more successful long term if you can adopt the marathoner’s mentality of:

➞ Trusting your strategy
➞ Following the plan, even when it’s hard
➞ Consistently showing up to do the work
➞ Letting go of what you cannot control and focusing on where you can make the most difference
➞ Hiring pros to help you where needed

In Berlin, this approach translated to me hitting my B goal: a nearly six-minute PR and proof that all of the above PAYS OFF.

Your business deserves the same. If you’re ready for a team of coaches to help you set a strategy, stick to it, and adapt when needed — let’s talk.

👉🏻 Book a discovery call here