KIGALI PEACE MARATHON is here. Kigalians and all people of goodwill join with those ‘super humans’ called marathoners to run for 42, 21 or 5 kilometres or just stand on the sidelines to mark what is and should be an auspicious occasion.

You have probably heard a thousand exposes why physical exercise is good for your health and its associated quality and longetivity. Many a  medical argument to that effect have been advanced that to use those oft repeated lines risks being cliché and we know what happens to all clichés; nobody follows their own advice. We will not go there.

But the fact that a serious institution; the Government of Rwanda, no less gives its employees a Friday afternoon ‘sports leave of absence’ underscores the gravity of the fitness endeavour. 

I will use points of view and examples borne of personal experience.

The trouble with our modern living is that it is sedentary. You sit before a computer all day in the office. You leave for lunch and sit through the meal. In the evening you drive or are driven seated to your favourite ‘watering hole’ and sit through a ‘bottle or two’ with your friends. 

You go home where you continue your sitting and sleeping. So much sitting! This is a problem because our bodies are designed for the opposite – walking and light running.

My preferred mode of exercise is running, be it jogging or cross country running. 

Perhaps it has something to do with genetics plus environment. Running has some very interesting comparisons with business or working world;

Preparation: The hardest part of jogging is waking up changing and setting out to go for a run. Likewise, the most difficult part of running a business is moving from the idea to the practice. This is why there are thousands of wonderful business ideas out there that will never see the light of day.

To wake up early is essential for a morning run. That calls for not only discipline but also preparation from the night before; you will soon discover that sleeping late just won’t do. 

That means staying out late has to be a calculated event. This is the beginning of discipline and focus that are also essential ingredients of business and the working world.

Targets and terrain: Running is a mental sport. It looks physical and could be presumed so but it is as mental as it gets. Effective jogging requires one to set targets and achieve them. A ten kilometre cross country has to be mentally broken down based on the terrain and pace so as to be effective. 

Each time you watch athletes cross the finishing line, you will notice them go for their stop watches which they use to time themselves. 

The business or work environment is no different. You have to set your targets and know your terrain. Indeed, the preset targets are measured against the terrain where ‘the rubber meets the road’. They will most likely be revised based on the experience on the ground.

Endurance/ resilience: Nobody said that running is easy. It as easy as your mind will allow. Put simply if your mind says you can and should keep going, you will keep running. If it says you cannot, you will stop, even if you are as fit as a fiddle. Stamina is crucial in running, but more important than physical stamina is the mental stamina. The ‘never say die’ that keeps you going in business even when things seem hopeless is best typified in athletics.

The Shaping up and the ‘can do’ spirit: The more you jog the better you get at it. Just like in business. You correct mistakes, avoid burning out and basically improve. This is true of business too. 

The confidence you gain from meeting your target literally puts a spring in your steps. It is an emotional high comparable to closing a business deal, only better.

And yes, running (read exercise) is good for your body and health and all that. Most importantly, it improves your thinking and beats fatigue.

There must be more than meets the eye in the phrase ‘running a business’. See you at the marathon.

Sam Kebongo is an entrepreneurship development consultant based in Kigali