Don’t waste your training

The Dallas Marathon was scheduled for December of last year. I had not run a full marathon in awhile so I decided to enter the event. I began training in August. Yes, August, during the middle of the Texas heat. Over 16 weeks of speed work, hill training and long runs.

Morning after morning I dragged my legs out of bed and laced up my shoes. Whether I was on the road or at home, I ran. Think, “Run, Forrest, Run.”

So what happened the weekend of the big event? The worst ice storm in decades hit the Dallas-Fort Worth region. No marathon. No redo, no rescheduling, no refunds. No marathon.

I was dejected, depressed and despondent. Had I just wasted those 20-mile long runs, the hill workout repeats and the laps around the track? The reality is I had a choice: I could wallow in self-pity (which I did for a week) or I could register for another marathon in the coming months (which I did as well).

In other words, I could waste my training or readjust my training.

Just like marathon training and racing, sometimes the employee training in your financial institution doesn’t go like you imagined. Like a disappointing race, sometimes your employees deliver disappointing results.

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