For years my wife nagged me to come running with her. I never did, mainly due to my
ego. I didn’t want to be shown up by a girl!
But eventually, I reconsidered as I could see the joy the running brought her. I used to cycle a lot and enjoyed the physical exercise and the opportunity it gave me to ‘zone out.’
To begin, I needed a plan. The last time I ran was many years ago…
I looked up a 10-week training plan and applied it to my situation. The plan stated that I
should walk for a week and then slowly extend my walking distance until I progressed to running 100 metres. You get the idea.
But no-one tells you how stiff and sore you’ll be after the first week. I passed out on the couch in a not-so-graceful heap. My mischievous wife took pictures and posted them on Facebook. So much for my ego.
During the next 9 weeks, my feet hurt; my legs hurt. I looked like a drowned rat after
every run. I hated getting up and going for a run. I must admit my wife was extremely
patient as I got stronger and fitter, giving advice and tips along the way. I went through
it all – wrong shoes, injuries and an improper diet – but I pushed on. I ended up losing 8.5kg and my health app says I have an excellent VO2 max for my age.
I can now run a full 5km without feeling like I want to die. So, what’s the moral here?
Starting something like running at age 55 requires an objective and a plan to get there. The plan needed to be tailored to my circumstances and I needed a coach (don’t tell my wife – my ego again).
This same principle applies to business. Knowing what you want to achieve requires research and a plan to get there. This plan requires setting short- and long-term goals (much like the 10-week running plan). No-one tells you how difficult it is to start up a business. Some days are great and many are not so great. The secret is committing to seeing it through (much like getting out of bed to run). Having a coach is critical. You need someone who has been there before (hopefully several times over) to push you and help you over the obstacles and challenges.
This is the main reason I started RLActive. I saw so many SMEs that were tired, exhausted, carrying injuries and without a focused strategic plan. So, I built an online strategic planning platform for SMEs to tailor their strategic plans, while providing mentoring (coaching) services to help SMEs overcome obstacles and challenges. RLActive has helped many, many SMEs and will gladly help you.
Happy running!