Run Your Own Race

The Long Run Mindset - For a Life Worth Living #9

When I first stepped onto that treadmill after my surgery, a 46-minute 5K nearly levelled me. If I had looked at the person next to me — or worse, scrolled through a leader board of “elite” runners — I would have quit right then. By their standards, I was failing. By the world’s ruler, I was irrelevant.

But I wasn’t running against them. I was running against the version of me that lay in a resus ward thinking it was all over.

In the world of business and fitness, we are constantly told to look at the “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAGs). While I believe in aiming high, there is a trap: Comparison is the killer of pride. If you measure your progress using someone else’s ruler, you will always feel short.

The Trap of the Other Man’s Ruler

I’ve run 75 marathons and ultramarathons. I have covered 113 miles in a single go. But let’s be honest:

• I will never run a sub-3-hour marathon.

• I will never clock a sub-20-minute 5K.

• I am not the fastest, the strongest, or the most “natural” athlete.

If I made those times my metric for success, my 75 finishes would feel like 75 failures. But they aren’t. They are victories of resilience, evidence of a body that was once failing and is now thriving.

In that famous book Who Moved My Cheese?, the characters who survived were the ones who stopped complaining about the old “cheese” and started moving into the maze on their own terms. They stopped waiting for the world to be fair and started navigating their own path.

If this resonates with you, there’s more every Tuesday in The Long Run Mindset — stories from 75+ marathons, ultras, a resuscitation ward, and 1,564 days of running without a single day off. Free to subscribe. One email a week.

Why “Completing” Beats “Competing”

When you compete, you are at the mercy of someone else’s talent. When you complete, you are only answering to your own potential.

• The Corporate Trap: In my 20s, I lied on my CV and chased titles because I thought I had to keep up. I was miserable.

• The Business Pivot: When we were insolvent in 2013, the “experts” told us to quit. By their ruler, we were broken. By our ruler, we were just getting started.

• The Health Journey: My “race” wasn’t about the podium; it was about being able to eat an apple and run along a canal without a hospital bed waiting for me at the end.

Your Long Run

You might be starting today with a “5K” that feels like a mountain. You might be looking at a business idea and feeling small because you aren’t a tech giant yet.

Stop. Put away their ruler. Your progress isn’t defined by how much faster you are than the neighbour; it’s defined by whether you are a step further than you were yesterday.

The Long Run Mindset isn’t about being the best in the world. It’s about being the best version of you over the duration of your life.

Run your own race. Finish your own journey. That is where the real pride lives.

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I publish every Week — stories from 75+ marathons, ultras, business failures, and a resuscitation ward. All exploring one question: What does endurance teach us about life and business? Subscribe free below — one email a week, lessons from the long run. 👇