A year ago I would have called anyone crazy who would have told me that I would run a marathon in 2008.

 

I had started to jog to get back in shape when my co-founder Jennifer signed us up for the Berlin marathon. Of course she knew that I am not the kind of guy to chicken out, so I had to step up my training and find the time in between running a start-up company and being a father and husband to go for long distance runs multiple times a week over the coming 7 months.

 

At the end of September we just finally did it. It was awesome. I was amazed that it wasn't the pain everyone had predicted it would be. Even "the wall" I was supposed to hit at the 30km mark didn't happen. It was just a great sunny day out that I enjoyed, thanks to all the proper preparation.

 

I just recognized how much that marathon has in common with my work: Building solutions for customers can sometimes be quite lengthy too. And being prepared is as important as is the capability to endure "the extra mile" when a project doesn't lift off right away. It is all about being able to follow through, especially when there is no shortcuts. And the bonus is the same too: there is no better feeling than when you go all the way, even when it's 42.195km.