Lessons Learned From running a marathon

by Mark Broady on Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Episode 22

I completed my first marathon on Sunday. It took me 5 hours, 16 minutes, and 33 seconds. 

 

I'm excited to share this story because I think my experience has taught me some valuable lessons that apply to many aspects of life. 

 

If you'd told me two years ago that I'd be running a marathon, I probably wouldn't have believed it. Back then, I was so far away from where I am today - not only in terms of my physical abilities... but my entire mindset as well.

 

In order to complete a marathon - you must first BELIEVE that you can. This is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome for most people. It certainly was for me!

 

My journey began last year in March of 2019.

 

I had reached a point in my life where I felt stagnant.  I felt like things had sort of "leveled off"... and that I was no longer challenging myself or pushing myself to my full potential.  I had become complacent, and so I decided to slowly and gradually implement some changes into my daily routines.  I read a few books that helped me change my mindset ever so slightly.  I began to adopt some new habits, and I intentionally got rid of some old ones that I knew were no longer serving me.

 

I initially set some modest goals for myself that I knew were achievable, yet challenging enough to keep me moving forward.

Day after day, little by little… those small, modest goals began to accumulate. Those 1% gains I was making began to compound on each other, slowly transforming into exponential growth.


By January of this year, I felt confident enough to sign up for the Ottawa Marathon - scheduled for May 24, 2020.

I started the long-distance training mid winter - when there was still a foot of snow on the ground. I remember having to wear my ski googles during some of my runs when the snow was blowing and the winds were howling!

And then... COVID.

Races all over the world were cancelled. But it didn’t matter. I had signed up. I had committed to the race. And now, there was NO WAY I was going to allow myself to use COVID as an excuse.

So on Sunday morning, I got up. I had a coffee. I ate a bowl of oatmeal and drank a smoothie. I stretched for a good 30 minutes. And then I just opened my front door and started running.


It wasn't quite what I imagined when I decided to sign up for my first marathon.  I never could have anticipated the cancellation of all major sporting events around the world, and I never would have guessed that I'd be running this race alone. But that's how I'll always remember it. 

All I had was one of my kid’s camel-back hydration packs with 1.5 L of water in it, and about 4 “salt sticks” which are electrolyte replenishments.

 

I did alright for the first 25 kilometres or so... but by the 28th kilometre I was done. I wanted to quit.

 

But I didn’t.

 

I was running out of water by that time, but luckily I had my phone in the little water backpack, so I called up my wife and asked her to bring me more water!

 

She drove out to where I was and brought me water refills, a banana, and some trail mix to refuel me a little. My energy level was so low at that point - already about 3.5 hours in. The snacks did the trick and I found my groove again (slightly)... but it didn’t last long. By kilometre 35, I was ready to quit again. But guess what...

 

I didn’t.

 

When I finally finished the official distance... there was no ribbon at the finish line. There were no crowds.  No announcers. No event sponsors and vendors. No merchandise. No numbered race bibs or electronic timers. No water stations. No photographers. No cheering supporters.  

It was just me and the silence of my thoughts as I realized that I was finally done. 

 

I was so utterly drained at that point that the emotions just came flooding over me. I don’t know if they were tears of joy from the sense of accomplishment, or if I was just crying because I’d never pushed myself that far before. Whatever it was, it was a powerful feeling and one that I'm sure I’ll never forget.

 

My wife came out and brought me a glass of water, gave me a hug, and then said to me... "Aouai Champion... (with her Quebecoise accent) give us a thumbs-up for the camera!"  I was still half-crying from all the emotions, but she made me laugh and I managed to sit up far enough to raise both thumbs. 

I guess that’s now my official finish-line photo!

 

Now that I’ve had a few days to recover from the run and process the experience physically, psychologically, and emotionally… I’ve come to realize how valuable a lesson this has been.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this story – my BELIEFS were the greatest obstacles to overcome.  Once I discovered how to re-program my mind to eliminate those limiting beliefs, it was like a door that had been opened and I was finally able to “run” right through it.

Which leads me into a topic that Catherine and I have been discussing in great detail over the past few months, which is that of REAL ESTATE INVESTING.

This pandemic has been a great disrupter to the world as we know it.

Seeing the value of my retirement funds drop by 20% practically overnight was not a comforting feeling.

Many things we’ve taken for granted our entire lives have now been changed forever, which forces us to think of new ways to operate.

Some of you reading this might already be quite experienced when it comes to investing in real estate. We know that many of our clients have been vetting deals and buying up properties for decades. Those that have will likely tell you that it’s proven to be a great strategy for them.

But so many of us fail to capitalize on the opportunities that lay at our feet. I’m guilty of this myself!

 

I’ve been a real estate broker for over ten years and yet the only real estate I’m invested in is my own principle residence.  Why is that?  What’s my excuse? Or better yet… what BELIEFS am I holding on to that are preventing me from opening that door – and running through it.

Fortunately, my sister Catherine has been through that door for quite some time now, and has gained considerable experience in real estate investing.  And once again, if you were to ask her what her experience has been like – she’ll tell you that she has no regrets about it, and will continue to invest in real estate for many years to come.

In next week’s Captain’s Log, I’m going to be sharing an interview I did with Catherine all about her real estate investment journey, and we’ll get to hear her story about how she got started, what challenges she’s faced, and what systems she uses for finding the best deals to invest in.


I’m going to be taking notes of course… we hope you will too.

Be sure to join us next week!

 

Singing off…



Capt’n Mark