Andy ran a marathon: What 4 lessons can we ALL learn

Ange
Yeah, exactly. I totally agree. And one of those lessons is that running a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint. Which brings me to the heart of our conversation today, Andy. You recently completed your first ever marathon.

Andy 
Hell yeah!

Ange
And if you guys out there are not familiar with a marathon, it’s literally a race that covers 42.2 kilometers, which is seriously a very long way. So Andy, what did you decide to commit to a marathon?

Andy 
Yeah, well that’s actually a funny one cause my body is definitely not built for running. But, uh, I, around about 18 months ago, we had a lovely lady of the name of Samantha Gas. She came to one of our Lifestyle Tradie events and she’s an endurance athlete and she’s one of the first woman to finish one of the world’s toughest ultramarathon events, and it was so inspiring. You know, she was telling us she’d run 150 or 200 kilometers across a desert and, and she was talking about getting outta your comfort zone. And, and I was sitting in the back of the room thinking, well, I get outta my comfort zone in business, but what am I actually doing personally anymore? I’m thinking maybe I should do a marathon. So at the end of her talk, I jumped up on stage in front of a couple of hundred trade business owners and I said, listen, I want to get outta outta my comfort zone. I want everyone here to get outta your comfort zone too. I’m gonna do a marathon. Who is gonna join me? And then I looked around the room and it was dead set like crickets. It was like one or two people. I’m like, are you kidding me?

Ange
Well, the question has to be asked, did you actually understand what you’d committed to by saying you’re doing a marathon?

Andy 
No, because probably 25, 30 years ago I went to a city to surf in Sydney, which is 15K. Um, that’s so, and I haven’t really run since, so I had no idea to be honest. And I approached a few of the runners in the group and I said, Hey, when I talked about doing this marathon, you know, like you do these park runs 10, 15K every weekend. Why don’t you wanna join me? And he turned to me and he said, are you mad? Do you know how far 42.2 kilometers is? And I went, uh, no, not really.

Ange
But you committed to it. So what did you do next?

Andy 
Well, at the time when I committed to it, I was pretty fat. I was overweight. I hadn’t worked on the tools for quite a long time and I was weak. And I thought in my head, you know, the Andy Spirit is always, I can do anything, you know? And I thought, no, well, I’ll just make it happen. And, and um, I went out there and I thought, well, what’s the best way to do a marathon? Is obviously getting fit and who’s gonna help me and hold me accountable? And, you know, I’m a strong believer in getting coaches and I thought, well, I’m gonna go out and get a running coach. So I got a running coach and, and we started doing a few sessions and my hammy was over tight. My cars were tight, you know, and it was all go, go, go. And then she turned to me after about two weeks and she said, Andy, I don’t think a marathon is for you. Maybe we should look at a half marathon or maybe even look at a a 10 or a 15K run. And I thought, are you kidding me? No, I am doing a marathon. I went home. I had a bit of a think about it and she was so right. My body was breaking down. I was not in a good place. Um, the thought of doing a marathon back then was ridiculous. So I got a personal trainer and for the last 18 months, I’ve been training three to four times a week to get fit and strong and fast forward to now and we got it done, baby.

Ange
Well, I don’t actually recall it being quite that easy, to be honest.

Andy 
No.

Ange
In fact, we were snowboarding in Japan over Christmas just recently. Literally eating and drinking whatever we liked.

Andy 
Oh yeah.

Ange
For like three and a half weeks or something ridiculous. And you actually left your preparation really late, and by memory you started only four weeks out. Is that true?

Andy 
Yeah, it is. I’d done a couple of 5K runs and I’d also done a 10K run before Christmas, but I hadn’t done anything over that. And we went to Japan and, as you said, we lived like kings and queens and it was a fantastic time. And I came back and it was about mid-January I was doing this marathon with a, with a mate. He rang me and pulled out because he had an injury and I’m thinking, God, what am I gonna do? So I, um, was chatting with my personal trainer and he said, go out and do a 15k run and tell us what it feels like, you know? And I went, okay. So I got up at 3:00 AM in the morning to prepare myself. To leave at 4:00 AM and do these 15K runs because you know, I still had all my family sports commitments with, you know, as well. So I did that and I went out and it was hard. It was tough, there’s no doubt about it, but it got me thinking. And I went back to the trainer, I said, you know what? Do you honestly think I can do a marathon, 42.2K? And he said, you know what Andy? I honestly think, no, you can’t. And I’m like, for fuck’s sake, thanks for the Enthusiasm, but he said no. He said, listen, I think you can get through to 30K. And then he goes, I think you’re strong enough in the mine to make it work. He mentioned that his wife was a Hawaiian iron woman and I should have a chat with her. So I did have a chat with her and she said to me, I tell you what, if you can go out this Saturday and run 25K, then I’ll sit down with you and make a plan. If you can’t run 25K, then you can’t do a marathon.

Ange
So what was she trying to do? Break you?

Andy 
Yeah, I honestly think she did to try, and break me. She gave me a bit of a game plan and said, go out and follow this to the T. And I said, yep, no worries. That’s what I’ll do. And as I said, I got up again at 3:00 AM, got prepared, 4:00 AM, and I went and I felt really good this day, so I felt like I should go out a little bit stronger. So I did. So I went out stronger. And the interesting thing was I didn’t listen to her plan. I didn’t, I just thought I knew better. Um,

Ange
That’s interesting.

Andy 
Well, it is interesting, isn’t it? Anyway, the moral, the story is, I got about 16K in and I was absolutely cooked. There was this demountable toilet building and um, I had a shower in there and a toilet, and I went to go to the bathroom and I was just cooked. I just jumped under the shower, fully clothed and stood there for about 15 minutes. And it was a real lesson learnt. I didn’t have any gels. I wasn’t prepared the right way. I’d filled my shoes up with water. I was, you know, it was a disaster. Um, the moral of the story was I got through the 25K. There’s quite a bit of walking in that as well, but I got through the 25K and I just thought to myself, there is no way I can do a marathon.

Ange
So the short of that is you didn’t stick to your coach’s game plan?

Andy 
No, I didn’t. And, um, at the end of it, she was really pissed off and she told me so, and she said, well, if you’re not gonna stick to the plan, there’s no way you can do a marathon. She said, um, you haven’t even, you’ve done the 25K, but you haven’t done what I’ve asked you. So she went through all my stats through Strava. And she said, listen, I still think there’s a chance if you really want it. And I said, well, I’ve done over 21K now. I’ve never done a half marathon in my life. I thought, well, that’s as good as one. I still want this marathon because that’s what I stood up on stage and told everyone I was gonna do. And she said, okay, well I need you to run 120 kilometers in the next 10 days.

Ange
Wow.

Andy 
And I was like, Are you freaking kidding me? Like 120 kilometers in 10 days. I was like, man, this is tough.

Ange
But that’s what you did.

Andy 
It is. I was lucky enough, I suppose, injury-wise. She said to me, she said, listen, in these next 10 days, you are probably gonna break. And she said, if you break, well that’s probably the end of the marathon, but if you can get through these next 10 days, I believe we can get you through to the end of the marathon. So I did the 120K and I was a bit battered and bruised and I’ve had a couple of knee recon and my knees are really, really sore. But you know what? I got it done and we’re only a week out from the marathon now, and she said, listen, I think Andy, you can pull through and you can get this done.

Ange
Well, there’s certainly one thing about you, Andy, when you say you’re going to do something, you are a hundred percent committed and you get it done. So to me, to be honest, this was no different. You were so dedicated and a true inspiration.

Andy 
It did take me 18 months later, but I constantly had my members in my ear and sending me messages saying, marathon man, what’s going on? You know? So I felt like I had to and um, thanks for that Ange. It is a lovely thing to say, but it was really, really hard. Like I’m talking unbelievably hard to get there in the end. And for those of you that aren’t runners, you’re probably listening thinking that’s hard. For those of you, you that are runners are probably going, well, 40K, what is that? You know, because you know, there’s some people that can smash a 40K quite easily, but my body is not really built for running, and I absolutely struggled. There’s no doubt about it. And, and it wasn’t, it wasn’t a very fast time. I just wanna point that out. But yes, I got over the line. I finished the race, which was what I really had set out to do, but there’s a whole lot to unpack really, because it’s really important to talk about it in context of what we all can learn from the lessons of sport.

Ange
Yeah. Perfect. So what we’re gonna do is go through some of the key lessons that you’ve learned and chat about your marathon experience to highlight some of the lessons. So what do you reckon about that? Sounds like a plan?

Andy 
Yeah. Sounds good. Sounds good. I mean, probably, the biggest lesson I took away from this whole marathon experience was if you wanna learn something fast, get out there and get a coach, someone that’s been out there and done it before you, someone who has walked the path that you wanna walk. I definitely think that was a huge benefit to,

Ange
Well in this case run, right?

Andy 
Exactly run. You know, preparation and planning are everything. Can my coach help me develop that? There were definitely days when I asked myself, why am I doing this? Does it even matter? And who am I trying to prove a point? Am I proving a point to me? Am I trying to prove a point to my members? This is bloody torture, you know? But you know what? I had an overarching training plan to prepare me for this race, and it broke down this enormous marathon challenge into bite size steps, which I definitely needed. I just needed to focus a bit more on the next session, knowing it was all part of the plan and ticking off each session as we go. It really motivated me to start to go, well, hang on. I’m on track and just trust the process and get it done and don’t look too far forward because that was actually really scary at the time.

Ange
Well, the beauty was you knew that there was actually an end date, right? Like you knew what you were training for and it literally had, you know, 5th of March. Written all over it.

Andy 
Yeah. There was an end date and I mentally prepared myself. I was like, you know what? I’m gonna give this marathon everything I’ve got and, and the only way I’m not gonna finish is if I’m gonna be taken off in an ambulance. Like, I, I seriously was like, I’ve promised everyone it’s gotta be done. I’ve just gotta do it. And I, what I’d realized, I had trained pretty hard for those four weeks and I think my mindset, I was ready. You know, I, I felt like the training I had done wasn’t a lot, but I wasn’t trying to break any records. I was just trying to get to the finish line.

Ange
Well, it’s interesting in sport that almost 90% of the time is actually spent getting ready to do the job of competing, don’t you think?

Andy 
Yeah.

Ange
This is like the preparation and planning part.

Andy 
Yeah, and that’s exactly right, Ange, for trade business owners as well, there’s definitely a sense of being crazy busy wearing lots of hats, you know, fighting lots of fires every single day, and perhaps not enough time is spent thinking about the planning. You know, we all know that as a trade business owner, if you want to get from A to B. What is your plan and how are you gonna get there and who is holding you accountable?

Ange
Yeah, I absolutely agree.

Andy 
So what I had for the marathon, I worked with a coach who planned my program, you know, and, and that made a massive benefit to me. And, and that’s actually what we do in Lifestyle Tradie as well. We have this six week cycle, which is a set of tools designed to help our members regularly review, assess, and plan improvements for their business. I mean, They absolutely love it because it identifies just the one thing, not the many hundreds of things you’ve gotta be working on at this present point in time. And it’s a part of the bigger plan to where you want to go. And it is fewer distractions when you’re just working on that one thing and ticking that box.

Ange
Totally.

Andy 
Because, you know, if I’d started the marathon without proper instructions on training loads, recovery specific sessions, I need to do every week into the buildup, I would’ve dead set. Ended up on the scrap heap and there is no way my body would’ve got through it.

Ange
Well, you were close a few times, let’s be honest, but you got there in the end.

Andy 
Very close, very close.

Ange
So I’d say the next lesson you learned big time was to prioritize consistency, so, the thing about sport is frequent quality training sessions balanced with really good recovery is your best friend.

Andy 
Absolutely.

Ange
Not the occasional hero workout. Say so, I definitely think you prioritize consistency in your training, not that you had a choice might I add?

Andy 
Yeah, definitely. Um, you have to do that and anyone that is a runner would understand that you need a lot of running in your legs to do these marathons and these long events. And, and that was one thing that I know about now, but I didn’t know about then. And, and, um, you’ve gotta make sure that you’ve got that and it’s all about striving for consistency and not perfection. I, I can honestly tell you, I had days that I was dead set, dragging my jaw on the gravel as I was running down the road. Like I was a broken man, but I just never stopped. And I think going from never doing a marathon and not coming from a background of running consistency in my training really helped my body to adapt and form good habits. You know, I prioritize my training over a lot of things. I got up really early in the morning at 3:00 AM and left the door by four. So I just made sure I didn’t wanna miss a session and I wanted to make sure it didn’t impact my life and our life as well. Um, and just keeping that consistency was really good. And going back to trade business owners, there are so many benefits to prioritizing consistency everyone should be doing that as well.

Ange
Yeah, I agree. So consistency keeps your customers happy and demonstrates professionalism in my mind. And secondly, when people see a leader who has a consistent demeanor and a really good record of getting things done, they’ll be more willing to trust the leader. So if you are a bit haphazard and maybe unpredictable in the way you behave, it’ll have a huge impact on the morale and even the performance of your team without a doubt. So do you think this is your experience, Andy?

Andy 
Yeah. Relating this back to business. Let’s face it, everyone has got shit going on all over the place in our lives, but to be a really good leader, it’s helpful to try and be consistent in the way you show up. You know, your team don’t wanna see you wobble, don’t wanna see you having bad days, but if you happen to do that, you gotta make sure you get back on track as fast as you can. You know, the one thing I’ll have to say that I could have embraced a little bit better is when I was doing the marathon training, trying to celebrate those small wins.

Ange
Yeah, that’s a really good point actually, about celebrating the small wins. I remember when you came home really early in your runs, and you’d done this like a five kilometer run without stopping. Uh, and you played it down, but to be honest, it was actually a really huge milestone because it really was the beginning, we probably should have celebrated your small wins more.

Andy 
Yeah, you’re right. We, we definitely should. You know, those small steps were a really big, pivotal point that got me through to the ends, you know? And though, to be honest, that first period was some of the hardest runs because my body just was not used to running. And I’d come back and my legs and everything, my knees, everything was so sore, but the body did start to get used to it. But just before we go on, I just wanna stop here and give you a huge shout out, Ange, you know, I can be hard to deal with just sometimes. And to be honest, the marathon training made me feel quite tired. And when Andy gets tired, he gets a little bit cranky a lot of the time. But you are an absolute superstar and supported me so much along the way and you are always super supportive. You know how much I love you and a big thank you.

Ange
That’s really sweet.

Andy 
So coming back to the small win, can I just say most of us don’t do it enough in business, you know, we have our big, hairy, scary goals that just don’t happen overnight. It takes many, many small steps along the way to reach that milestone. So you’ve gotta make sure you are celebrating these small wins because this triggers a feeling of pride and happiness and mostly it motivates you, not just you. You and your team keep going and moving forward to hit those big goals.

Sorry to quickly interrupt today’s episode guys, but as you know, we are coming up to the end of the financial year, and guess what? We have a deal for you. Book a strategy call with me before June 30th for your chance to get $1,200 off your yearly Lifestyle Tradie membership. It’s a hundred percent tax deductible, but be quick. Offer ends June 30, and memberships are limited, terms and conditions apply.

Ange
It’s really great to celebrate the small wins. But let me ask you this, Andy, how do we handle setbacks?

Andy 
Yeah, it’s an interesting thing when you talk about setbacks and how everyone out there handles setbacks. You know, I know some people that when something goes wrong, they carry out like an absolute pork chop and it’s the end of the world and they tell everyone and scream the house down. And then I’ve got other people that just go, yep. I had a setback. What am I gonna do? What’s the next plan? And let’s keep moving forward. And I believe that is definitely the right way to go. But I did have a bit of a story. We talked earlier about that 25K run. And as I mentioned earlier, at that 16K mark, I was absolutely cooked. I jumped under that shower, I stood there for like 10, 15 minutes, filled my shoes up with water and I was like, Oh my God, I can’t get this done. But in the back of my mind, I still had that plan. The coach said to me, you don’t have to do a fast time. You just gotta get it done. So with that 16K mark, I’m thinking 9K, that’s still a bloody long way when you’re so cooked. But I just reset. I had a plan. She said to me, it is gonna hurt. There is no person that runs over 20K and doesn’t hurt. Just tough it out. Push through the pain and just don’t stop. So having that plan was a really good way to make sure I got back on track.

Ange
Yeah, so for trade business owners, navigating a setback is difficult too. It could be anything from, I don’t know, losing a major customer or challenges with team dynamics. Maybe you hired the wrong people, or your business reputation taken a bit of a hit. The fact is setbacks are inevitable. We all experience them, and believe it or not, I’m not gonna tell you that it takes resilience to bounce back. Research suggests that there are other factors that can help us recover and thrive, which are all about showing up and having really good habits.

Andy 
But I also think we need resilience, but it has to be healthy resilience. You know, resilience to me is the ability to brush up disappointment and reframe setbacks, as you know, an opportunity for growth. The thing about resilience is it can encourage us to sometimes just blame ourselves if we find we are failing to grow stronger through adversity or through setbacks. You know, the thing is we’re human. We’re not made of rubber. We’re not designed to bounce back on demand. And in business, the best thing you can do when you have a setback is just show up. Your team is relying on you and even if you explain to them that you are working through a setback, but you are here for them, they really appreciate that and you can just focus on what you can control at the time and what seems absolutely terrible. One day, I guarantee you the next day, it’s nowhere near as bad.

Ange
Yeah, I agree. It kind of loops back to the point about consistency, because recovering from a setback also involves good habits. So take a physical injury, for example, which could have occurred perhaps in sport or when you’re on the tools and having good habits in your recovery is gonna get you back faster and stronger. So things like making sure you ice your injured knee or complete your physio exercises are like really good habits that will help you bounce back from that setback.

Andy 
Let me just say something there. I’ve had two knee reconstructions. The left knee. When I did it, I trained the house down with my recovery and within six months I was back on the soccer field playing soccer. The second knee I did, I was lazy and didn’t do the rehab. And 18 months later I still was having challenges. It’s just so interesting, isn’t it?

Ange
Yes, totally. So linking this back to trade to, as a leader in a trade business, you need to actually recognize that a setback is usually like a minor blip in your unfolding greater plan. So get into the habit of putting things into perspective. Have you ever tried that technique where you literally visualize zooming out from a setback or the problem to get perspective of its importance? I actually quite like it.

Andy 
Yeah, I think it can be helpful at times as well, but you know, there are times where you just have to accept responsibility when something doesn’t go to plan. You know, sometimes you do have to say, I knew I had a niggle in my knee, or I should have taken a rest day instead of pushing through a training schedule, or I’ve gone to the physio to get this sorted before tipping it over the edge to getting a full blown injury. You know, in business it’s the same. Remember, we are not robots, we are human. We’re gonna have setbacks and sometimes you’ve gotta make sure you step back and look from the outside in and go and get help and get it fixed because at the end of the day, you’ve gotta accept the responsibility. You are the business owner. You need to weigh it all up and make the right decision for you to make sure you keep showing up day after day.

Ange
So Andy, just one final lesson for the listeners. When you think about your marathon, is there one thing that stands out for you that you could share?

Andy 
Yeah, it definitely does and, and I believe this is a massive one. You know, when I was a young up and coming tradie plumber running my business, you know, a 20 year old dying into a 30 year old. I truly believe there was nothing I couldn’t do and I just had this real gun-ho hustle. Just that attitude of never stop and just work the house down and just go so hard. And I, I think over the years of not having to work in Dr. Drip for the last 10 years and, and starting Lifestyle Tradie and working in an office and not being out on the tools with the boys, I actually started going soft. And I think what this marathon did was got me to harden the fuck up again because I honestly do think I was going soft. You know, I’m, I’m not far off the 50, I’m 49 and I just think I lost my edge. I didn’t have that testosterone. I didn’t have that drive. I didn’t have to take anything on and I’m gonna win. And I think back to this PT, the last 18 months of lifting weights and being strong and training and then getting into this marathon. It changed my mindset because anyone that’s run these long distances, it’s a real head ****. It, it, it really is. And you’ve got this devil on your shoulder and in that marathon, you know, within the first two or 3K I was like, oh, my knees are sore, oh my cars are sore, oh, I don’t know if I can do this 42K. And then I’ll be like, be positive, Andy. Be positive, and I’d flick the devil off my shoulder and then I’d keep running. I feel good. I’m, I’m feeling quite good. I’m on my toes. The, and then all of a sudden, oh, I feel shit. I’ve got a bit of a headache. This is happening. And anyone that’s run these long distances, it’s a mind game. And your mind is constantly trying to play with you. It’s like, I don’t think you can do this. You are hurting. Why are you doing this? You haven’t done enough training. Like all those negative thoughts in the back of your head. And when I was running, I was like, no, no, nothing’s gonna stop me. You have to take me in a body bag. I am gonna just keep going. And I think the one lesson that that marathon taught me was it got my mojo back. It got me fired up again. I don’t feel soft anymore and I know I can take on the world. And if you are sitting there listening now and, and you relate to my story and you are feeling a little soft and you’re not feeling at your best, what are you gonna do to really step outta that comfort zone? It could be a half marathon. It could be a marathon. It could be surfing in big surf, dirt bike riding, but whatever it is to get your mojo back. I just think as business owners sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day and our heads are spinning that we lose that passion and that drive and we get stale. You know, reignite it, bring it back. Make sure you are at your very, very best.

Ange
Yeah, a hundred percent agree. You personally, as a human, need to be at your best every single day so that you bring your best to the business because the two are completely connected. So in wrapping up our conversation today about lessons in sport that we can apply to business, here’s what we covered.

Andy 
Yeah. Number one definitely is, get a coach. There’s no way I could have done what I did without being guided from someone that had been there and done that. So, a real big shout out to my trainers, Jason, and to my run Coach Mill. You guys are absolute legends and thank you so much for getting me through this marathon.

Ange
Two, it was all around prioritizing consistency. Three, setbacks are inevitable.

Andy 
And number four, really guys, is search for experiences that are gonna get that fire in your belly again. Wake the sleeping giant up, fire up and get back to your best. Remember, when you’re in your twenties, remember when you’re in your thirties, you can run through brick walls. If you don’t feel like that now, what are you gonna do to fix it?

Ange
Well, I absolutely loved this episode about the marathon. There are so many lessons that relate from sport back into business and just in our lives in general. You have truly been an inspiration. Watching you train for this marathon has been next level. And to be honest, I did have my doubts at times.

Andy 
I had my doubts too.

Ange
And you have got a little bit fired up. So crew, what are you gonna do differently so that you bring your best at all times?

Andy 
Yeah, thanks everyone, and I really appreciate all the support and you know, I hope everyone enjoyed this show. And as Ange said, get outta your comfort zone. I’m looking forward to chatting with everyone again very soon. Hell yeah!

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