The next step. What I learned running the Comrades marathon

In 2016, I completed the Comrades Marathon, a 90km ultramarathon in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. In my mind, I crossed the finish line at Kingsmead stadium in Durban resembling a triumphant Gladiator entering the arena. But according to eye-witness accounts, I more closely resembled a hobbling drunk geriatric, shattered after an entire day of running. Nonetheless, I finished, albeit minutes before the 12-hour cut-off mark. I haven’t attempted the Comrades since.

My natural athletic genes are non-existent. Before 2013 I would have considered running more than 10km a triumph, and a 90km run - utter lunacy. After a few years off, I’ve only recently started running again, and these days I max out at 10km. My mind-boggles at how, just the other day, I ran almost 10x this distance!

The lesson from my Comrades experience that stays with me the most is from a running coach that helped me at the time. “Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don’t stop, keep on moving”. This straightforward tip made the seemingly impossible, possible. I’ve found this advice equally useful in all aspects of life.

Statistically, a 1% improvement each day compounds to a 37x improvement over a year. Through consistency, my training progressed from 5km, to 10km, to 21km, to marathons, etc. Over time, small actions can add up to something spectacular. This is true for finance, sports, life, whatever. No wonder Albert Einstein called compound interest the 8th wonder of the world.

But on to a new challenge. I love learning, and I want to improve my writing skills. Each week I aim to share at least one timeless idea, fact or wisdom that I have researched and learned. I hope that these weekly morsels on history, science, psychology and nature serve as tiny bricks that improve the foundation of how I understand the world. 

I hope you enjoy reading it, and that it drives some positive outcome in your life as well.