Running Back Into My Brand: How a Half Marathon Taught Me About Business

Ten years ago, I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon—and my now-husband dropped to one knee and proposed. Fast-forward a decade, and I decided it was time to do it again. Same distance…but a whole new season of life.

This spring I started training with the goal to beat my time from that first race and to see my family cheering at the finish line. That was my motivator on the days I didn’t want to show up; when I was balancing mom life, client projects, and training miles. I did the damn thing—trained, ran through a calf injury, & made it to race day… and yes, I was still cheering for the Bobcats until 10pm the night before, only to wake up and get on the bus at 6:30am for an 8:00am start.

The Parallels Between Running and Business

As I clocked my miles, I couldn’t help but notice how much this journey mirrors building a business:

• Discipline Over Motivation
  Motivation fades—discipline doesn’t. Training runs in the rain? Client work when you’re tired? It’s all the same muscle.
• The Long Game
  Half marathon training isn’t about one run—it’s about weeks of showing up. Business works the same way. One post, one email, one launch won’t build your empire. Consistency will.
• Finding Your Own Truth
  Mid-race, I ran alongside someone who told me they’re doing a half marathon in every single state. For a second I thought, wow, that’s a cool goal—should I do that? But almost immediately, I laughed. Running 13.1 miles in all 50 states? That’s not my truth. My truth was THIS race, THIS moment, and THIS finish line. And in business, it’s the same. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, but the real magic happens when you own your vision and expertise instead of chasing someone else’s.
• Endurance is Mental (and Emotional)
  Your body can go farther than your brain tells you. Same with entrepreneurship. You have to build resilience, believe in your finish line, and keep moving forward even when it feels impossible.

What This Means for Small Business Owners

Here’s the takeaway: the way you show up in your personal life feeds your business. Running this half wasn’t just about logging miles; it was about proving to myself that discipline, clarity, and commitment create results. The same is true in business.

You don’t need to run 13.1 miles to get there, but you do need to find your version of a “half marathon.” Maybe it’s finally launching your website, building a new offer, or committing to consistent content. Whatever it is—commit, train, and run your race, not someone else’s.