In the past year, I have picked up jogging as an exercise and actually run a few 5K’s.  I call it ‘jogging’ because I would be embarrassing the sport of running if I called my Clydesdale pace  ’running’.  I HATE jogging…, but I LOVE having jogged!  There are a few reasons:

1) The fruit - For me, to maintain a healthy weight, I must exercise.  Since I started my jogging program almost a year ago, I have lost over 20 lb

2) The accomplishment – When I am through jogging, I feel like I have accomplished something positive and that is a good thing.

3) The goal – Whether I am shooting for a personal best time for 3.1 miles, or looking to shed a few extra calories due to the dessert the night before, it helps me to get to achieve my goals!

We all have things we hate do-”ing”, but love having “done” them.  My guess is that some of my ‘Lean’ friends I work with hate following their personal standard work, but the love having followed their personal standard work!  We love having done them for various reasons.  What reasons would you add?

Finish this sentence for me:  I hate __________________-ing, but I love having _____________-ed

Then, I got a call from a great friend whose wife was going in for surgery due to the onset of breast cancer.  Her life was changed forever due to this daggum ‘c’-word.  I wondered what I could do.  Certainly, I could pray…and I did.  Then, I was reminded of the upcoming race just days away…”Fired Up for a Cure”…a cure for breast cancer that is!  Suddenly, my cold didn’t seem so limiting anymore.

In the past 6 months, the ‘c’ word has popped up with no fewer than 4 close family friends. 

Each time I find myself complaining while training/exercising by running (which I hate!), I am reminded of the pain these friends are enduring in their race to beat cancer.  30 minutes of heavy breathing is NOTHING.  I should be honoring them. 

A personal best is not about me…it’s about me honoring those friends.  Thank you for being an inspiration to me.

So, what is that small item that you want to regularly complain about that, if you really think about, you could honor someone by completing that task with excellence?!

For this 5K, my lesson learned is that sometimes you have to “go slower to go faster”.  My ‘running coach’, Adam Ward,  said this to me one day when I was telling him about my training.  He said I was running too fast during my training runs and had to go slower so that I could go faster.  I was skeptical, but he is training for an Ironman, so who better to listen to.  Sure enough, I was able to reduce my time by nearly 7% in just a 5-week span by…you guessed it…running slower!

Often as leaders, we get impatient.  We want to get to the answer/solution FASTER, and we sometimes forget that the learning process of getting there is even more valuable.  When we go too fast, we often get somewhere fast, but find that we are unable to sustain the results we achieved. 

As leaders, we need to be aware of when this is happening and slow down…so that we can go faster…and, as a result, be more ‘fit’ as a leader.

Do you remember a time you went too fast to a solution…only to find out that your results were not sustainable?  Share it with me below.

If you can’t see the embedded video in your reader, click here.

Did you catch all 56 of the excuses?  In case you missed one:

I’m Too weak…Too slow…too big…ate too much for breakfast…I got a headache…It’s raining…My dog is sick…I can’t right now…I’m not inspired…It makes me smell bad…I’m allergic to stuff…I’m fat…I’m thin…It’s too hot…I’m not right…I’ve got shin splints…Headache…I’m distracted…I’m exerting myself too much…I’d love to really, but I can’t, I just can’t…my favorite show is on…I got a case of the Mondays…the Tuesdays…the Wednesday…I don’t want to do this…I want to do something else…After New Year’s…Next week…I might make a mistake…I got homework…I feel bloated…I’ve got gas…I’ve got a hot date…My coach hates me…Mom won’t let me…I bruise easily…It’s too dark…It’s too cold…My blister hurts…This is dangerous…Uhhhh…Sorry, I don’t have a bike…I didn’t get enough sleep…My tummy hurts…It’s not in my genes…I don’t want to look all tired out…I need a better coach…I don’t like getting tackled…I’m not the athletic type…I don’t want to get sweaty…I have better things to do…I don’t want to slow you down…Do I have to do this?…As soon as I get a promotion…I think I’ll sit this one out…and my feet hurt…

So, have you used a few of these excuses?  I know I have.  Maybe after seeing this video, you will reduce that usage significantly.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a runner.  For as long as I can remember, I would scoff at the idea of running any distance at all.  In fact, I found myself saying often, “I will never run a 5K.”  What’s the point?

Well, recently, I completed my first 5K and learned a lot about myself in the process.  Why did I decide to run a 5K?  Many reasons, including the following:

1)      I am overweight – My current exercise/nutrition was resulting in slow progress to achieving my desired target state

2)      I was not a good example to my kids with regards to their fitness – Do as I say…not as I do!

3)      I needed a ‘target’ – My workouts were not intentional.  I found myself going to the gym without a purpose, and, as a result, not seeing improvement.

4)      I needed a ‘process’ – There are many great resources out there and the one I found was www.c25k.com.  Many thanks to Dan Foster for this suggestion.  This gave me standard work to be ready for my first 5K in 9 weeks.

5)      I had people in my life inspiring me to do ‘more’ (I will write more about them in a future post.)

1. Adam Ward
2. Dan Foster
3. Stan Buck
4. My family – Chris, Brendan and Joseph ( my mom, too, who just had her knee replaced!)

I will write more about them in a future post.

Well, I completed my first (note I say first) 5K in 32:09.  Not fast, but the key word for me is “completed”.  What’s next?  Another 5K in late August.  Shooting for a 5% reduction in time.  After that?  Who knows?  I do spend a lot of time in Boston, now…

So, what do you NEED to do that you have said “I will NEVER do that.”?