Why Runners Are Great

A while back, Tom on The Running Lounge had a post related to runners and Human Resources. If I recall it correctly, I remember the post referring to how, in a nutshell, runners make great employees.

As I embark into the scary world of Monsters, Headhunters, and CareerBuilders, I keep finding myself thinking back on that post and relating it to me. I have noticed many positive qualities that I believe make runners valuable employees (both ones that I may have made up and ones that others have confirmed). The trick is trying to decide if these qualities come from being a runner, or if we are runners because we possess these qualities.

As a runner, the first thing I tend to do when making a connection or good first impression is hope and pray the other person is a fellow runner, and find the first opportunity to sneak a clue in that only another fellow runner could pick up. I hate blatant facts, and I’m not one to walk in and say “Hi, I’m Maggie and I run obsessively.” Rather, I’ll wait and jump on the first chance to slide that in. I have had this opportunity at many tradeshows, events, and association meetings, and have experienced everything from the glorious, instant connection when the other person responds with “I run, too! How far do you run?” clear down to the polar opposite, where the other person glazes over and comments “Why someone would do that is beyond me” or “How fast do you run? Even I can run an 8:00/minute mile.”

Runners tend to be a determined folk. They understand the importance of goal setting, and reaching multiple mini-goals before the big final goal. They can appreciate the tenacity of pushing through a grueling task, and understand the need to do so. They know there is a place and a time to sit down and cry and doubt everything from the goal at hand to your sanity, and that’s okay, but after a few minutes they understand that you pick yourself back up and keep going. And they have experienced the intense thrill of the final big race day, and knowing all your hard work was worth it and they return a few days later, ready to do it all over again. And they are the first people to question why something isn’t possible…as Ted likes to say about me, “The best way to get Maggie to do something is tell her she can’t.”

At the risk of being extremely stereotypical in such a politically correct world, I’m going to say that I believe runners do make great employees. But I’m going to take it a step further. I believe runners make great civic servants. I believe runners make great committee volunteers. I believe runners make great youth leaders. I believe runners can improve the world and make great examples. And I’ve been keeping that in mind as I hunt for the next chapter in my life, hoping I can relate my running experience to a possible good fit in the career place.