Go Big or Go Home

Ultramarathon Unvieled Start-up Lessons

I completed my first 50 mile ultra marathon at the Madison, Northface Challenge a few weeks ago.  I ran the race with my brother who had completed one prior.  I asked him, so what is our strategy in completing one of these things and he said, easy....we will not be overly aggressive for the first 25 miles and we will just keep moving forward at all cost. 

This is the same advice I have given start-up companies over the last year and a half as they have struggled to make it through the recession.  It is critical for start-ups to know the right time to kick it into another gear.  I have seen many companies fail because they try and scale before they fully understand their business model and how it works.  Start-ups often think they need to run with the competition even though it may not be their time.  At the beginning of the race many guys passed us who I knew we could beat.  My tendency was to pick up the pace when they ran by, but Gus held me back assuring me we would see them again later in the race.  Sure enough, we passed everyone that passed us in the first 10 miles of the race in the last 10 miles.  We knew the right time to pick up the pace. 

Second, is that as a start-up you need to push through your darkest hours, or as we say in the running world is pushing through the wall - it is always better on the other side.  Resiliency is an extremely important start-up characteristic.  Live to fight another day we always say.  You can't compete if you are not in the game.

The Ironman Experience

I checked off another box on the things to get done in life list by completing the Lake Placid Ironman Triathlon last weekend in 13 hours.  As my first 140.3 triathlon race, I believe I had the full Ironman experience.  The swim start was how I imagined, like salmon swimming up stream.  I had my goggle knocked off.  I was kicked, swam over and whacked.  It was survival as much as it was swimming.  The first loop of the bike was serene and combined thrilling downhills where speeds topped 40 miles per hour and challenging, grinding climbs.  Gusting winds were introduced to the second loop which put twist into my plans.  After battling the winds my legs felt like they were not mine.  I entered my comfort zone, the run, in an uncomfortable situation.  It took 12 miles to shake uncontrollable cramps which returned at mile 23.  I finished strong with my kids at my side and after one special day, my long 7 month journey had ended, just like that. Like many goals in life I realized that the journey was more important than the end.  In the process I made some great new friends.  The Ironman club is a bonding experience between friends like no other.  I also learned a lot about myself and the type of person I want to be.  Completing a race like this is an inspiration to want to become a better person. I was also reminded how fragile life really is and how you need to enjoy every moment for what it is. I watched racers go from being fine one minute to being carted off the course the next.  I was also reminded that life never goes as planned, so make the most it, thank God, and keep going.  Welcome unexpected obstacles as they keep life exciting.  Live life to the fullest.  Its not the years in the life, but the life in the years that matter.

Click here to read My Lake Placid Race Report

   

The Ironman Experience

       

The Ironman Experience

   

   

• Ironman triathlon