Fotyen Tesfay just ran 2:15:55 at 4:59 pace—the second-fastest women's marathon in history. As someone who's chased my own marathon goals for a few years now, watching elite performances like this always gets me thinking about the parallels between endurance running and leading SE teams. I've actually used my marathon experience as a good analogy to how I'm wired in the professional world.
The wild thing about these marathon world records isn't just the speed—it's the relentless consistency. Elite marathoners don't run one 5:00 mile; they run 26.2 of them back-to-back. That's the same discipline I've had to learn as a leader.
Early in my career, I'd sprint through problems. Long customer call? Push through exhaustion. Team conflict? Force a quick resolution. SE struggling with a demo? Jump in and fix it myself. I was running like it was a 5K when I needed marathon pacing.
The breakthrough came during my first Marathon training plan. Garmin Coach, my handy digital coach, told me something that changed how I think about leadership: 'The race isn't won in the first mile—it's lost there.'
Now I approach team challenges with marathon discipline. When one of my SEs is struggling, I don't rush to solve it. I set a sustainable pace: regular check-ins, consistent feedback, gradual skill building. When we're facing a difficult customer situation, I focus on steady progress rather than heroic efforts that leave everyone burned out.
The best part? My teams start adopting this mindset too. They thinking strategically about deal cycles, pacing their energy through long sales processes, and building sustainable habits instead of relying on late-night demo prep marathons.
What's your version of "marathon pacing" in your leadership? Where are you sprinting when you should be settling into a sustainable rhythm?