26.2 Things I Learned About Life and Business Running a Marathon
Here's me and Di crossing the finish line. I'm the bigger blur of the two 
Twenty nine and half hours ago I crossed the fished line along with my wife (who actually had to DEcondition to keep up with me) at the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.
My time: 5 hours 41 minutes.
This was my first marathon and I only trained for six and a half weeks. (DO NOT EVER DO THAT – but I had a point to prove, and so I did).
My inner thighs are killing me. My hips feel like they were stretched apart.
Then there’s my butt…
When I go to sit in chair my left butt cheek cramps up on me and I go into instant clench mode. My hamstrings – a mess.
A few hours after eating my first carb meal (after four days of depleting).
My knees hurt – but my left knee the one that got reconstructed twice is in pain that exceeds the day I tore my ACL. And for some reason it’s currently boycotting me. That’s fine with me, because I refuse to give it ice. We’ll see who wins this one!
My ankles are stiff, sore, and rickety. I used to think that I’d lose a toe nail but now I realize I might actual lose a toe (or two).
My calves are balled up and in per-ma-cramp and my toes will randomly curl and lock up for no reason.
Then there’s my upper body… and I’m not even gonna bother telling you what’s sore, what’s cramped and what’s twitching uncontrollably.
I guess when you carry more muscle than the average marathon runner and weigh 220 lbs then you’re gonna have a little bit of pain.
But I’d do the whole thing all over again and wouldn’t change a thing about my training, the pain and the lessons learned prepping for and during these 26.2 miles.
I put together these lessons thinking they might help you too. But before you read them, here’s a little video we made documenting my run in case you want highlights of my run.
See, this was Di’s 7th marathon and since she had to run at a slower pace to keep up with me she had plenty of time to crack jokes and video tape my run.
26.2 Things I learned About Life and Business Running a Marathon
1. Preparation pays off. While I only had six and a half weeks to prep for my first marathon I knew that as long as I got a training plan from an expert, and stuck to it that I’d cross that finish line.
That expert was Jill Bruyere, marathon training expert, one of my top info marketing mastermind members and creator of http://BreakYourPR.com
2. The sound of your first name is the sweetest sound you’ll ever hear. This is a statement that Brian Tracy made in one of his sales books I read years ago. I happened to have my “I am Bedros” shirt on and it was so cool to hear people cheering me on by my first name.
3. Have good support around you. Support is everything. I had my wife cheering my along during the run. I had you all pumping me up on Facebook each time I’d add more mileage to my training runs and I had my bff and his beautiful wife there in San Diego to watch our kids. Have a support system.
4. Don’t make mountains out of molehills - if you build things up in your mind you’ll get psyched out. I think this is the number one reason people never achieve their goals. They give up way before they start. I had a goal… to run a marathon and I went out and did it. Didn’t think about it, analyze it, or wait for the perfect time. I just did it. Hum… “Just do it” – pretty catchy.
Here's Di before the race. She was pretty much happy like this throughout the entire race. I wasn't.
5. Acknowledge then destroy negative self talk. Guess what? You’re human, and you’re gonna have negative self talk when things get tough. I know I did from mile number 18 all the way to mile 25. The trick is to know that you’re having it, and then to tell yourself to shut up, and plow forward.
6. Trust people who are experts to teach you. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
7. Leverage every opportunity to deliver value and extract money. When we got to the marathon expo the day before they coral you though the merchandise section after you complete your registration. Are you leveraging every opportunity to deliver value and make money?
8. Strike when the iron is hot. People signed up for future marathons at the expo. See the desire to buy is not satisfied when you make a purchase, its actually agitated
9. Success is 1% information and 99% application.
10. In the process of challenging yourself to achieve something great there is personal growth that is greater.
11. When you break through your perceived capabilities then your set point for other achievements is broken too and the bar is automatically set higher.
12. Get out of your mental comfort zone-muscles expand when you give it resistance and you’re mind expands when you step out of your comfort zone.
13. Coming together with like-minded people is inspiring. Find the folks you want to be like and get together with them often.
14. The art of puffery. Thousands of people volunteered to cheers the runners on. It felt good to be puffed up throughout the entire race. When was the last time YOU puffed up your staff, partner, clients, friends, or family members?
15. The right equipment and resources equal great results. I could run in my chucks and basketball short but that would have been a mess. Instead I invested in the right shoes, shorts, and thanks to Jeff Sherman – Nip Guards (if you’re a guy and you run without these then you’re CRAZY. Unless the idea of bleeding nipples works for you.) The right resources are critical to success.
16. Don’t overwhelm yourself by looking too far ahead-size up the next thing and do it. When the race started I didn’t look for mile marker 26, I just looked for marker number 2, then 3, then, 4, ect. I do the same in business.
Guess which two toe nails are goona fall off soon?
17. Do things in order.
18. Be willing to work hard.
19. Celebrate your mini wins-it pushes you to accomplish more.
20. Be willing to do whatever it takes. For me it was having to run at midnight most of the time. But I was willing to do that because I wanted to spend time with my wife and kids and then train.
21. Lead by example-you tell your clients to get out of their comfort zones, so you do the same.
22. Embrace pain - it is an indication of progress. Only dead people feel no pain.
23. Ignore the haters. You’re always gonna have people who tell you that you can’t do it. Ignore the haters.
24. Put your head on the chopping block- stick to your commitment by telling everyone your goal and deadline.
25. Your mind and body are infinitely more resilient than you give it credit for.
26. Have target lock-on. It’s a game of metal toughness.
.2. Craig Ballantyne was right. Cut all your deadlines in half. I did and ran this marathon, and now I’m about to start my next “6 week get out of my comfort zone” program.
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Comments on 26.2 Things I Learned About Life and Business Running a Marathon »
ross aubrey @ 10:37 am
Awesome work, Bedros!
jill @ 10:37 am
Welcome to the 1% club (those who have finished a marathon).
Well done! Congrats. Great lessons learned and thanks for sharing.
Great work Bedros! A horrible amount of pain/discomfort but what a great lesson to remind yourself and us, that a committed mind can overcome anything.
Since you announced the marathon, I have been eagerly waiting for this post.
WAY TO GO BEDROS!!!!!
Take care of those toezies!!
Christian @ 10:55 am
Wow awesome list. Thanks for the motivation this week, I need it.
Awesome content. Congrats on the accomplishment. Thanks
Joshua Carter @ 11:10 am
Sure the 26 tips are cool, but you are rocking those abs brother! Nice!
JC
Congrats!! Now you can check that one off your bucket list!
P.s. Your abs look great!
Gotta love some one that walks the walk Bedros. Great post.
Alan @ 11:15 am
Congrats man thats awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Got me thinking! Never say never. I said i never would. I could use the mental challange. hummmmmmm???????
Emeka @ 11:20 am
Great job and well done…
Thanks all, honestly I just want YOU ALL to know that you CAN do whatever you put your mind to - and you can achieve it in less time than you think.
Rock on!
B
Bill Murphy @ 11:27 am
Quite possibly the best blog post you have ever done!!!!! 26 of the most important lessons in life. Congrats B!!!! What an accomplishment.
Murph
jin @ 11:28 am
Haha, Bedros! Awesome job man. I’m glad you learned something from it. Running sucks!
Congratulations! I ran one in Cleveland in 1998, the year I turned 50. Completely lost 7 toe nails. Could hardly walk the days of the long runs and the day of the marathon itself but, like you, would not give up the experience for anything.
Setting a goal and reaching it - nothing like it whether in business or in sports. Well done!
Shawn Horwood @ 11:35 am
Hey Bedros, congratulations!
I’m more of a sprinter than a marathon runner, but just today (about 10 minutes ago) I discovered how out of shape I am.
A year and half ago I was able to run a 4 minute mile. That was back when I was playing soccer.
But I moved to go to university (which I failed out of) and the city I live in doesn’t have a men’s soccer league (just the university team) so I’ve been getting a lot less running in.
So today I ran a mile and I timed myself…it took me 9 minutes (on the second). That’s over double what I was able to do just a year and a half ago.
So now I’ve set my goal to be able to run a 4 minute mile by my 20th birthday, which is August 17, 2010.
That gives me 70 days to cut 300 seconds off my time, which is 4.28 seconds/day.
It seems like a lot of time to deduct per day, but I’m going to make it happen. I’m going to run a 4 minute mile on my birthday if I have to run so hard I pass out and can’t walk for the rest of the week.
I’m going to make it happen, and I’m going to use it to boost my fitness business.
Shawn
Ryan @ 11:39 am
I am inspired bedros!
The negative talk is what got me. I ran the RnR as well and mile 18, I was actually telling myself to fake a knee injury and drop out! It is nuts what your mind goes through. But you are right, Bedros, Shut it up, and push forward. Congrats again! It was a fun (and hot) one.
Awesome…awesome story.
I am sorry, but as a marathon coach I am really bothered that you brag that you did something that may have ended in injury…well certainly DID end in injury. An intelligent person trains for a marathon over a period of months, not weeks. If you’re a decent personal trainer, and you say you are, why would you do something and brag about that would hurt others?
If you don’t have a stress fracture, I’ll be amazed.
You also obviously didn’t look around you, for there is no such thing as “average marathoner.” You’ll find a LOT of gym rats. You’ll find overweight men and women. You’ll find all shapes, sizes, and ages. You weren’t injured because you’re full of muscle. You were injured because you were foolish and didn’t prepare your body in an intelligent manner.
I won’t say great job because it wasn’t. It was foolish, and it’s even MORE foolhardy to brag and say you wouldn’t change a thing, because you may very well have learned 26.2 things on the marathon about marketing, but you sure didn’t learn JACK about training safely for a marathon!
Temecula Personal Trainer @ 12:06 pm
Great job Bedros. Quite an accomplishment. And you weren’t even having trouble talking durning the run!
Congrats Bedros!!!
@TK, look… I appreciate your comment and I’m sure you’re right that if I trained longer I’d have less pain and discomfort. But honestly, I think you’re missing the greater point in all this.
Never the less, thanks for your comment. As for me… it’s all about Ready, Shoot, Aim =)
B
John Thompson @ 12:16 pm
Nice ab shot B… you look sexy ; ) Your post was okay too.
J
Great post, you’re looking like the Armenian version of Brad Pitt in Fight Club
Spencer Cuckney @ 12:24 pm
Hey Bedros
Amazing run and awesome post mate
absolutely loving the Fit Pro mag!!
one of my trainers is doing an iron man in Austria in a couple of weeks, aiming for a nine and a half hour time….crazy dude!
Ps who the fuck is TK?
Personally trained hundreds of people for marathons and you ideally need 12 weeks, well you were half way there with the training
Way to go, the real question I have is will you ever run one again? Or was this a check it off the list thing to do? I have about 30 lbs on you and I have always thought about running a marathon, but since I only run when there is a good reason I have yet to get around to it, and tearing my ACL this year I am encouraged to hear your ACL survived….though it sounds like your knees are killing you…..if they actually hurt worse than when you tore it I can relate to that…..your knees must really be hurting!
Great job and also great inspiration and advice,thanks
awesome post dude! Ran my first half marathon last summer and it was a life changing experience. Nice work, and nice abs!
J
Way to go Bedros and Di… CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I used to be a distance runner, and I feel your pain. I no longer run like I did six years ago. Take care of yourself and get some R&R.
Awesome video - Ready Shoot Aim for sure.
This is your world!
Brett Riesenhuber @ 2:10 pm
Awesome job in the event and this was an awesome post! Great job brother!
Brett
Congrats!!! That is an outstanding accomplishment. I’m sure you
are proud of yourself.
Tod Esquivel @ 2:31 pm
Great Job Bedros!
Some folks just gotta hate…
Bedros - BIG Congrats on getting it done bro - you didn’t have to wait for the “perfect” time
Seen a bloke one time who was BLIND…. as in CANNOT SEE… run a marathon - i figure if a guy who is BLIND… as in CANNOT SEE… can run a marathon, a guy who’s had only 6 weeks training can pull it off - and waddya know… you just did!!
AT
P.S. The guy was BLIND…. as in CANNOT SEE… out of BOTH eyes
Whoda thunk it?
P.S.S. Not to mention that Hoyt fella too - what i remember he Readied - Shot - Aimed…
P.S.S.S.. BLIND!!
Nathan Cragg @ 2:58 pm
Hahaha the video froze up right as this family of obese people were watching the race, I find that amusing some how
Good job dude! You just re-affirmed my hatred for running. Unfortuneately it’s part of my career testing, so I can’t completely get away from it
Desiree Ellis @ 3:16 pm
Congratulations Bedros, that’s a great accomplishment.
Chris Rossomando @ 3:19 pm
Great success tips Bedros… and great job with the marathon. 26.2 is a bitch no matter what, so time doesn’t matter… What’s important is recognizing the lessons of the process and being in the moment of each. If you ever want to run NY… my family and I would love to have you on our team. Check it out: http://nicks911collegefund.org/
Chris Rossomando @ 3:37 pm
Everybody approaches these things differently… If someone doesn’t desire to train all out for a marathon, it doesn’t mean that he/she shouldn’t be able to be a part of it. Personally I think people that take this kind of thing too seriously and are only concerned with PR’s and outdoing everyone else, are participating for the wrong reasons… i am not a true runner by any means (5,8″ 190lbs.)… I’ve had marathon times ranging from 4:31 - 5:45 and everywhere in between… the 4:31 I trained for, and the 5:45, didn’t train a lick. All after reconstructive ACL surgery and my knee has never felt better. Your blowing up about something that is actually a joke… ANYBODY, and I mean ANYBODY can do a marathon, but from experiencing both ends of it, I would recommend training for it. The true spirit of the marathon is being a part of something that transcends conventional thinking… the process leading up to it… ending with race day. So I would NEVER applaud PR’s and marathon snobbery… but I will always applaud individuals that offer themselves to the process of the journey and experience. With that being said, I’m probably going to kick myself for writing this because I don’t usually like to criticize but it’s just a thought.
Chris Rossomando @ 3:40 pm
the previous post is in response to the marathon coach above. (didn’t realize that when i hit “reply”, it wouldn’t be directly under his/hers)
Awesome Bedros! Thanks for sharing this journey with us! It’s an incredible feat that you pulled this off in such a short time period, but it definitely goes to show what mental toughness and total commitment to something can do!
Thanks for all of your AMAZING content and all of the incredible work you do for all of us as trainers! You Rock!
Now the question is…When is your next marathon? haha!
Congrats on the huge physical and mental victory Bedros!
We all need to try things out of our comfort zone and feel some pain to really enjoy the success.
Way to “walk the talk” or should I say run;-)
Inspiring
Jake @ 4:41 pm
Amazing stuff Bedros. You totally rock! Keep up the great posts.
Thanks Brandon! Next Marathon? Not in the books anytime soon. But maybe a 30K foot HALO jump
Gotta get out of that comfort zone and live a little…
B
sheila @ 5:21 pm
Yup, you inspire me. I’m ready to run a marathon…..Thank you!
Char @ 6:07 pm
Way to go B!!! Very proud. I remember training for my first half, and in the end had to settle for 15km due to a very painful IT, from which I have never recovered, but in the end was really happy just to finish a race…I ran four 10km races that year. And found that it really is true, “that it is about the journey, not the destination”. In everything in life, including our passion called fitness, it is about all that we experience as we go on that journey, thru every stage of life. Our careers, our relationships, everything!! We learn so much thru the journey. BUT mostly we learn about ourselves, who we are, what we want, don’t want, need, don’t need, but mostly if we are very lucky we found the power of the human spirit, our own and those we encounter. So the moral of the story is, stop listening to the -ve self-talk; look up, look out, u never know who will be calling ur name and supporting u; keep breathing & keep moving, one step at a time; And a lesson I learned this week from Lisa Nicolls (from The Secret); Get out of the way!! Cause sometimes we get in the way of our own greatness.
YES!!! YES!!!!!! Baboo!!!
PS: I heard a rumor of a trip…:-) Hope so…
Char
Steve Hochman @ 7:09 pm
Bro… That video was badass!!! So proud of my BFF
)))
Steve Hochman @ 7:13 pm
Oh and your abs look ripped like an African Lion…
sorry but i AGREE with TK. Your an idiot and I’m not impressed. you completeda marathon in 5 hours and 41 minutes. Congrats, you only lost to Oprah by an hour and a half. I don’t care how little time you had, you did it and you did a shit job of it. I’m gonna cut all my deadlines in half so I can get everything done in a shitty fashion.
Marathoning is a cleansing of the soul…love it..so addicting! Congratulations, you earned your finishers medal! Oh and, wow on the abs:)
@ Dave, Yeah but I can out squat, deadlift, and bench Oprah.
Dude… Do me a favor click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of my next email… It’s the best
marketing tip I can give you.
B
Elizabeth Pongo @ 9:13 pm
Nice Job! Marathon running is so bad ass. You and Di rock the house. Awesome partnership, truly inspirational. (I ran the NYC marathon, back in the ’90′s - and YES, the support of the crowd is sooo amazing.)
Nice 1 B!
You achieved YOUR goal. That’s what counts. No-one deserves knockin for that.
Awesome effort I reckon mate!
Take it easy
Corey House @ 3:47 am
My favorite part of the video … “Hey, I have something to share with you … I’m in a WORLD OF PAIN right now” … lol. Bedros, congratulations boss! This first marathon is the hardest. Great video, great tips.
Keep on rocking, love it!
That’s cool Bedros. Love the tips. Congrats
Lindsay Vastola @ 4:36 am
Bedros & Di- congrats…how awesome that you did that together. And thanks for your sharing your lessons learned…inspiring to us all.
-Lindsay
Yuri Elkaim @ 9:13 am
Nice job buddy. Who cares what your time was. The fact that you finished the race is awesome!
One of your tips was about haters, looks like their are a couple of em already pronouncing their feelings. Everyone is entitled to how they feel, however, you shouldn’t judge anyone for anything,ever! So what if Bedros didn’t train to the exact science of a marathon runner, you ever watch the BL? So what if it wasn’t perfect, are you? I appreciate you Bedros, letting us all be a part of your experience and by not being perfect makes us all know we can implement anything and get it done. The two guys are missing the boat…maybe they need to get out of the boat!!!
Thanks again Bedros and congrats to you and your wife! JOB WELL DONE!
God Bless and have some great R&R!
Hey Bedros,
Congratulations on completing the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon! To finish a marathon at all is quite an accomplishment! My wife and I ran the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon this weekend. My wife is turning 40 this month and it was her way of saying, “I am 40 years young, not 40 years old”. I liked your 26.2 tips of wisdom. Having been a former Special Forces Green Beret and study of human nature, I agree with the things you wrote. My wife had umbilical hernia surgery 6 weeks before the race so she could not train at all but she did it anyway.
Although I did not register, I ran the entire race for her. Unfortunately I twisted my ankle on mile 3 (stepped on someone’s water bottle) and finish the race anyway to support my wife. She stopped 8 times for various reasons and still completed it in a very respectable 2 hrs and 49 minutes!! I was very proud of her! Two other testimonies that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it!
Here is a saying I coined, maybe you will appreciate it, “Not Taking action eliminates all possibility of success. Taking action increases the possibility of success by 100%”.
Wish I had gotten to meet you and the wife. It would have been a pleasure! Heal up so you can run another day!
Bill congrats to you and your wife… That is awesome!
Rock on!
B
Well Done! It really is all about the journey and you discover what you are really made of. It is an achievement that no one can take away from you. It empowers you, so that when you encounter challenging times you persevere, and the finish line is just the start of another journey!
I messed my toes in my last half marathon (Nashville, TN Country Music Half). But your toes look much worse than mine did. I hope your toes recover!!
Ha! Love it! Bedros is the man!!!
Great list! #25. Your mind and body are infinitely more resilient than you give it credit for. I don’t know if you coined this phrase but I’m giving you credit on twitter haha!
Ben
Dave Lambert @ 7:49 pm
Doesnt it amaze you that these haters obviously follow your blog and everything you do but cant wait to criticise? Well done for telling them to shove it and unsubscribe.
Man, I’m a Trainer, I weigh 80 kg,I run regularly and I used to think that sort of achievement was way beyond me. I recently did the Relay for Life and ran 70 km (split into 3 sections). I was ready to quit countless times but you do tell yourself to shut up and get on with it. I thought I was in a world of pain. Then I found out one guy ran 125km!
Bedros must weigh 3 of me (all muscle by the look of the pics) so for him to complete the marathon is amazing.
Seriously, TK and Dave you must be average coaches/trainers if thats the sort of encouragement you give to people.
Who cares if Bedros did NO training at all? He finished it.
In Australia we call people like this “mentally tough”. Bedros is mentally tough for finishing it. To be mentally tough you are ususally pretty positive in mindset and most things you do. Maybe thats a skill you could work on…
You obviously follow this blog, therefore you would have received TONS of FREE useful information on how to improve your business. All that good stuff and all you can say is some negative shit like that? Couldn’t you find anything positive to say? Maybe you missed all the info on PTPower about how to improve yourself.
Take Bedros’ other free tip. Unsubscribe.
In Australia, we call these people “wankers”
Nice work Bedros. Next stop: Ironman.
I love the yeah but I can bench more that Oprah…..
You may be onto something bigger than you think there…..
I am sure if you were looking for a way to get on Oprah you will figure it out!
Sako Yakinian @ 2:51 pm
Good stuff Bedros!! I actually took some of your key points and kept them for myself to always look over as a reminder. Thanks!
Taryn @ 2:28 pm
You’re my hero Bedros!
craig @ 6:42 pm
You should tell people you ran 42.195 kilometers. Way more impressive, and TK and Dave will be even more pissed.
NICE! 30K foot HALO jump would be sick! Have you gone skydiving before? That’s definitely a comfort zone challenge! I’m going this summer for sure! It’s funny how the rush of something potentially life threatening is so similar to the rush of getting out of the comfort zone in business as well. Have to learn to love the RUSH! Make it a great weekend! BTW…I’m really enjoying the videos from FBS! Keep ‘em comin.
Alex McMillan @ 3:32 pm
At FBS you said it was going to happen and I thought “You gotta be kidding me about the half the deadline 6 week thing!”
I’m a believer bro and what you just taught me was well worth all of your pain!
Thanks and with much love
Alex
PS Di, you are amazing!
Dale @ 4:45 am
Nice post. Those are some nasty feet:)
Blake @ 1:17 pm
That was way bad ass Bedros!! It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who gets in a comfort zone. As for negative self talk,
MY MOM TOLD ME WHEN SHE HAS NEGATIVE SELF TALK, SHE SAYS THIS TO HER BRAIN, “THANK YOU FOR SHARING.” It sounds a lot better when you say out loud to yourself. Thanks for the great post Bedros, very inspiring indeed.