There’s nothing like pounding out five miles on the treadmill. At 10pm. After being up for 16 hours. Following a full day of being a mom and a business owner and a mom again and a wife and a friend and a runner. All the hats. Or shoes, maybe.
Watching the mileage tick from 4.99 to 5.00. The shudder of the treadmill slowing to a halt. The thwip of shoelaces coming untied. An assemblage of senses that amount to a feeling of pride.
Tonight, there’s no pride for the pace. Or the distance. Or any metric that can be measured, charted, analyzed, or compared.
It’s pride for showing up.
Showing up when it was easy to not. Showing up when it felt hard. Showing up when tomorrow would’ve been just as good. Showing up when there was no immediate reward. Showing up for 5 miles when 3 would have checked the box.
I’m in an off season, which means not training for any races right now or working towards any specific running goals. I’m building base, which means consistency and quantity. A focus on easy running and proper recovery.
But by showing up to the After Hours Run Club (which I’ve aptly named my single-member club) on days like these, I’m improving more than my physical endurance. I’m training my mind.
Pro athletes talk about it all the time. The duality of physical training and mental fitness. But you can’t have either if you don’t show up. And showing up is a mental game.
It’s the same way for our brands too. The way you show up, when you show up, how you show up, and why you show up – they all matter.
They matter for your business.
They matter to your biggest fans.
And to your prospective customers.
Because when you show up day after day – especially when the stakes aren’t high – you’re communicating to your future self that they’re worth the miles tonight.
How or where are you showing up consistently?