Running the Job Search "Race"

When Jim related the response of his race partner to a network blast regarding the race they ran together during our staff meeting, everyone on the call (we all work virtual) agreed that having Jim as your running partner was no different than having Jim as your job search partner. The preparation, the expectation of working hard, having others around you pushing, pulling, cheering you on. It is what he does every day with our clients – and us on those Monday meetings. Typical of Jim, we asked and he said yes to posting it, and typical of those in our network, we asked Rick for permission and he said “whatever you need.” Here is Rick’s email:

I ran one of the best races of my life running with Jim. So let me add to Jim's list of things one can learn from a race:

1. Humans were made to run with one another, not against each other.
2. Competing with a friend, like everything else in life, drives you to do your best. Jim was in better shape and ran the faster race. He hung back to give me a chance to catch up. This drove me to do my best; run faster and compete better than I would have on my own. I finished in the top ten for my age group in the first half marathon I ever ran. I have always had a *Board" when making important life decisions. Jim was my "Board," my wingman during this difficult race. The race started at 6:00 am on a rainy day when the temperature never exceeded 37 degrees. I am not sure if I would have even started the race if it had not been for him.
3. Like Jim, I was very apprehensive about this race. When I agreed to run, I planned an extensive training program. All of this went off track when I was unexpectedly required to travel out of town every week since early March to a location that did not support my training program. What I learned from this experience was not to let unexpected obstacles stand between you and your goals. Running is nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other. Many challenges are nothing more than taking one step at a time and persevering.
4. This took more out of me than I would have expected. I thought I was doing well until it was over and I crashed. There is a time to run you race and time to rest and reconnect.