This past Saturday, I had to run 14 miles. I was also scheduled to run a 10K race, so I woke up two hours early and ran eight miles to the starting line. All in the pouring rain.

Before I continue, you should know that I am not a runner. I have never run 14 miles in my life.

Finding the Purpose

Let me back up. Last fall, I signed up for the Chicago Marathon with a small group of friends. All of us are first-timers, and we are raising money for Camp One Step, an organization that creates camps and community for children with cancer. At first, I thought I was running for my dad, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2016. Then, just this past May, my mom was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and the race took on a greater meaning.

Setting Up the Conditions

I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. So I set up the conditions to make sure I get through this. I found a good running program, got the right gear, set a schedule alongside other runners, and created checkpoints along the way.

The training has been harder, stranger, and more educational than I expected. I have learned about stride, running gait, sleep, hydration, diet, strength training, injury prevention, and physical therapy for a hip issue I somehow just learned I was born with.

I have also learned that the body is a very direct teacher. It does not care that you had a busy week. It does not accept a good explanation in place of sleep. It does not let you move the deadline because you forgot to drink enough water. It just gives you the result.

Noticing the Growth

That may be part of why I have enjoyed this so much. Most of my work happens on a screen and is made up of conversations, decisions, ideas, plans, and problems that rarely have clear outcomes. Running is different. You either ran the miles or you did not. You slept, ate well, stretched, and recovered, or you felt the cost later. The feedback is immediate and sometimes rude. Other times it’s beautiful. Feeling the elements to your bones. Exerting every last ounce of energy. Working through bad days by running harder. Being so tired and so sore that you get the best sleep you’ve had in years.

Reflection on these types of experiences and moments is part of how I operate. And this one specifically has been chock full of lessons. It has reminded me of the best kinds of learning experiences. There is something real to do, a reason to care, a group of people beside you, a clear end date for focus and accountability, repeated practice, and honest feedback. Most importantly, the work belongs to you. No one can run the miles for me.

Last Saturday, it poured almost the entire time. By the time I reached the race, my shoes were soaked, my hip was talking to me, and I had already run a distance that was fairly new to me.

Then the race started.

Fourteen miles still sounds like a long way to me. But soon, that’ll be “just past halfway.” My body will have a new set of muscles, memories, and abilities. All because I set up the conditions to do so.

How about you?

What do you need to achieve your next level of growth and learning? What do you think your team needs? Your company?

It’s not going to be easy. Find the purpose. Set up the conditions. Notice the growth. And if Experience Institute can help, let us know.

And soon, what was once hard and new, might just become the warm up.