By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

A good friend of mine shared a post in LinkedIn, last week, where 10 tips for CEO success were listed. The further I read, the more I felt this advice could perfectly translate into our running lives. After all, everybody should the CEO of their own running.

Obstacles are inevitable whether in business or in running. You better be prepared to face them (Photo: Ann-H, Pexels)

It is important to note that my friend specified he could not find the source of these tips, so neither him nor I are claiming ownership of them.

Below, I am duplicating the tips for CEOs as I got them (though translated from Spanish) and then sharing how they apply to taking charge of your running life. Let’s get started.

1 – Focus on the important issues – There are way too many diversions fighting for your attention. Too many goals, too many races, too many social media platforms competing for your likes, etc. If you are to take charge of your running life, you need to pick your direction and your goals, so you know what you are working towards. Setting up PRs in all the distances, every race, every season, is unfeasible. So, choose where you’re going and start focusing on it, now!

2 – Make quick decisions and apply them as soon as possible – Just as in running a company, there are multiple options to choose from, but you must stop procrastinating and pick the one you’ll pursue. You can’t wait for the stars to align before you define if you are changing your season goal to a marathon when you’ve been training for a 5K PR.

3 – Use few rules, as too many rules prevent flexibility, change and innovation – A training plan must be dynamic and everchanging. Don’t overthink every single aspect of your training to the point that you’d rather get injured than adjust. Focus on the main parameters, not on the minutiae. Be openminded enough to realize when your plan needs adjustment.

4 – Learn to say No – When you decide to go for a running goal, you are to be 100% focused. So, to continue your progress you may have to skip certain parties, happy hours or comfort foods for a while. Nobody expects you to miss your best friend’s wedding because you have a long run, but you should not get drunk out of your mind at the party if your goal marathon is in two weeks. Focus now, party later!

5 – Keep a goal in mind, even if it is difficult to achieve. Have a long-term vision –Running is a journey, not a quick weekend road trip. Your goal may take more than a race or a season to achieve. Some runners have worked 10+ years towards their BQ. Accept that there will be bumps along the road, learn from them, and keep running towards that goal.

Your goal may take more than one race and more than one season, but if you keep focused, you may achieve it (Photo: Iconcom, Pexels)

6 – You should be willing to spend many hours at work – Hard work require long hours. It is that simple. There are no shortcuts, simply hard work.

7 – Study, learn, update your knowledge – You won’t be able to improve if you keep doing the same thing over and over. There’s new science being published every month, there are books, articles, podcasts and magazines to guide you through your journey. And, if you don’t feel like doing this part of the job, hire a coach who will do it for you.

8 – Be courageous when facing adversity because you will find obstacles – It won’t be easy. Face it and accept it. It will require sweat, pain, funds and sacrifice. Sometimes, even injury. Be ready to work through it because these obstacles are coming fast at you, so you better be ready to confront them.

9 – Put passion into your work – You can’t run a marathon or train year-round just to please someone else. You must enjoy it and be willing to invest the time and sweat this requires. If you are not passionate about it, do yourself a favor and find another hobby.

10 – Develop communicational skills – Even though ours is not a team sport, running in a group or a team can ad so much to your running life. Sharing your journey with friends, or through social media groups specifically created for this purpose, can boost your confidence, knowledge and experience. Don’t go solo in your running life, especially in the 21st Century.

Take charge of your running in the same fashion as you would take charge of your own business. If you visualize it, focus and work hard towards your goals, there is a good chance you will achieve them. Nobody will do it on your behalf.

Any thoughts?