Over and out.

There is a lot that I want to say, considering this is my last blog post. My goal of finishing a half marathon is now complete - I finished the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in about 2 hours and 45 minutes, and am extremely proud, relieved, and of course - ridiculously sore (and the worst pain hasn't even hit me yet).

I set out on this marathon with two goals - to complete it, and to take in my surroundings. I accomplished both the goals fully, so huzzah! I had my phone and my headphones, but I never used my headphones because there were bands upon bands and people upon people cheering you and rooting for you. Why would I listen to recorded music when there was live music playing? (An intriguing video about the loneliness that comes with technology: http://blog.petflow.com/this-is-a-video-everyone-needs-to-see-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-im-speechless/) It was an incredible feeling to have so many strangers out there egging you on to finish, just because. The amount of support you could feel in the air was incomparable to anything I've experienced before. Kids, dogs, families, individuals - everyone out early on a Sunday morning, some outside their house, others far away - yelling their hearts out telling the 32,000 people to keep going. I felt lucky to be one of the people being cheered on. They didn't know me, and yet they believed in me.

My two good friends that ran with me, and stayed with me the entire way even though they could've gone ahead, way ahead, were the sole reason I finished in the time that I did. I had to keep going for them. It was simple - they didn't attempt their personal best to give me company and I just couldn't give up.

As for the running and what went through my head - the first two miles were warmup pains, the next four miles was just coasting through and taking in the beautiful scenery and the amazing people around, and laughing at all the incredible (and hilarious) signs that people made ("You better run fast - I just farted!", "Keep running - Ryan Gosling is waiting for you at the end of the line.", "Run like you just stole something!") and feeling awesome! Two ladies had this message at the back of their shirts: "Slow runners make fast runners look good. You are welcome!" and I really wanted that shirt. There were people of all ages and builds and paces (well I only really saw people that were running at a comparable pace to mine) - when you see a 70+ year old man limping along faster than you, there is automatic motivation. Miles 7-9 was pushing myself a little bit - that was officially farther than my longest training run.

The last 4 miles were the worst of the lot (duh!). Pittsburgh course has a few hills but they hit you with an incline at the tail end which really pushes your mental strength. There was a point when I was in enough pain that I couldn't walk, but I was tired enough that I couldn't run - so deciding what to do was a dilemma. I dedicated each mile to a person I loved (after I saw a sign in Mile 1 that asked me to do so) and this was especially inspiring in my last few miles when my legs turned into jelly and the pain was radiating everywhere. A close friend of mine came to the water station to cheer us on and just seeing her there gave me a world of encouragement. I had passed by thousands of people holding signs for their loved ones, and I secretly wished there was someone rooting for me in the crowd - and seeing her there just made me feel oh-so-special.

Reaching the finish line was anti-climactic in some way - I expected exhilaration and I felt relief, and pain. I enjoyed the journey a lot more. I was definitely happy and proud (and the feeling kept growing through the day - I still can't believe I ran 13 miles at almost my regular pace), but came away from this experience humbled. Humbled by the unconditional support from the people of Pittsburgh, from my classmates, friends and family, and humbled by the grit and strength of the thousands of runners out there that ran faster than me.

To close out, this was reminiscent of my MBA time at Tepper - support is key. Always. Always. I can only hope that I can give out as much support as I have received through Tepper - educationally, emotionally, and socially. I have come out a different person - maybe not the smartest Tepper grad (there are way too many smart people here), but definitely among the happiest.

Bottom Line: Enjoy the journey to any destination and you will get there somehow.

The MBA Marathon

I was part of a webinar series here at Tepper where our wonderful admissions office organizes a webinar with a few second year students to give a sneak peek into a Tepper MBA student's second year life. Although this was not the first webinar, it was the last day of official class for me and it finally hit me that this whole journey has been a marathon of sorts. There have been good times and there have been times when I have doubted if I could get through the craziness. It is funny that my race is timed to right before graduation - such similar journeys coming to an end at the same time.

I compare the process of searching for and applying to business schools as training for a race in some way - I tried various ways to keep myself motivated (oh the long essays!, kept researching, kept trying to run more (better GMAT score anyone?) and farther, and eventually committed by registering for the half marathon (yay Tepper - it was a classmate and a very good friend of mine that made me commit by having me agree to pay him $500 if I don't run). I have no idea how the race is going to be like but all I know is that I will get through it and I will have a blast doing it. I am nervous, I am excited - all at the same time. Again, emotions that mirror how I felt when I first walked up the stairs toward Posner Hall to get my CMU ID.

Looking back on the two years, it has been a marathon well worth the pain - the friends I've made, the experiences that I've  had here, and the wealth of knowledge and love that I am taking with me, has made this the best two years of my life.

Bottom Line: MBA degree is a two year marathon - painful, fun, but well worth the effort!

Almost there

Three more days until the race and I am starting to get nervous. My pace is still pretty slow and my 3 mile run today was ridiculously painful (even though it was uphill), and it didn't boost my confidence that much. However, it was nice running with classmates. Tepper's Endurance Club has been organizing biweekly runs and stair climbs and swims and other activities, and my schedule hadn't allowed me to join them (also I was a little apprehensive about running with a group and being the last one holding the group back). I finally did today, and it definitely keeps the energy going for longer.

Being nervous is not too bad though - a little nervous energy always makes for a better performance (or that's how its been throughout all my dancing and public speaking opportunities). No matter how many times you go out on stage, you still want to run right before the curtains go up. The difference is that you choose to fight and not fly away.

Having these things to focus on takes some attention away from other final week activities. It is the beginning of the end and soon we will be saying goodbye. However, a good friend said that goodbyes aren't forever - it is essentially saying I'll miss you until I see you again.

Bottom Line: Use the nervous energy - go, go, go!

The hills - up or down

Today was my last long run, and while I didn't run as long as I wanted to, I ran on a track that was very hilly compared to my usual runs. I realized I hate steep hills (I mean, really, who doesn't?!) and I kinda loved downhill running (surprise surprise!). I did discover, however, that steep inclines are so much better than gradual inclines. I like pain in phases - not continual pain. I was extremely winded for most of this run, but in the end it felt good. While feeling good or bad was one thing, the effect on the body was another. Uphill climbs are supposed to be good for you and downhill runs mess up your knees. The feel-good things are worse for you and the pain is better - go figure.

I couldn't help but wonder about which one I'd prefer. If you think of hills as challenges that you face in life, would you rather be facing one painfully head on or run with an easy solution? Well, we all know what the "right" answer is but we never really do what is "right". It is a matter of convenience, ego, and pride most of the time. Often we forget that the uphill climb leads to a better view, a stronger body, and a run worth the pain and that a easy downhill run could provide instant gratification of speed and accomplishment, but it doesn't last too long.

Similar to choosing schools for your MBA or choosing classes within your MBA program - the pain now will pay off in the future. Tepper is a challenging program and the first year hits most students painfully, but at the end of the day the pain is well worth it. I was hesitant when I was evaluating programs and debating (I didn't debate for long) whether to come to Tepper, but now the view from the top has just been gorgeous making me look forward to my next uphill climb.

Bottom Line: Run up the hills (even if you are short of breath 99.9% of the time)

Fear of Missing Out

Ever since I've started running (seriously), I've had to make some tough calls on all the socializing that MBA student life entails. I can barely stay up past midnight, and I avoid coffee, alcohol, or anything that dehydrates me. And I need a good night's sleep. That rules out quite a few outings, and it is especially difficult when it is the last few days of your time with all your classmates and friends and you are hobbling around after a long 7 mile run. It has been a true test of my will power because I always have this fear of missing out (also a syndrome that Facebook encourages and also something that almost every MBA student goes through). Then again, other outings that do fit into the schedule and fit the no drinking, no late night requirements become more important. My goal of finishing this half marathon is fueled by some influential people in my life, and in-person or not, they somehow keep me accountable.

Business school means that there is way too much going on all the time and so how do you pick and choose what you want to do and what you don't want to do? While I believe that you always should do what you want to do, there are times when you should go to at least one outing that you wouldn't normally go to. I have to remind myself time and again, however, to focus on the "now", the "present" that I am in and not what I am missing out on elsewhere. It is especially difficult to not miss out on something when your family is away - birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, last days - and as sucky as that is, I've made my peace by resolving to give my all to the reason that I am missing out on something else. If I am skipping a class to sleep, then I sleep well, if I am foregoing a trip for a case competition, then I'll make the case competition fun. I'm only here today once. Tomorrow is tomorrow.

Bottom Line: Now matters most, tomorrow matters a good amount, yesterday is just gone and matters more to our journal than to us.

Hidden Energy

Potential - something we hear recruiters talk about all the time. I remember back in the day when I first learned about Kinetic and Potential energy (yes - big deal - everyone knows the two!), but I hadn't thought how long I would be using it, or a part of it. I ran, well a little more than I did last time, and towards the end of my run, I somehow burst into a sprint a couple times. I was absolutely exhausted by then and somehow managed to pull that off. I figure we all have that in us, but it is hidden.

It just made so much sense to me - all the "tap into your potential" or the "you have it in you" encouragement that you read about/ hear about - it may be literally true? Then again, I won't completely truly believe this until I can beat all those others that just blow past me like they put no effort into their runs. (Didn't I JUST write about running at your own pace in my last post? Running does make you competitive)

Bottom Line: There is a reserve of energy in you somewhere - just a matter of figuring out how and when to tap into it.

Slow and steady

Made some progress in getting closer to my pre-race 10 mile goal yesterday, although getting there is looking like it might not happen considering my ankle is acting up. I might have to rest longer in order to make the race (and not break my foot in the process).  I was thinking about how difficult it is to maintain your pace, especially in the company of others who are running at different paces. This is something I'll have to face on race day. Listening to music has helped me maintain my own rhythm recently, and I'm glad my playlist is slowly developing.

Business school, classes, projects, work have very many similarities when you think about pace. We all have our own pace of understanding, of learning, of performing, and it is important to identify that and try to improve it, but not get caught up in trying to catch up with others. My first year back at business school was rough because I was always playing catch up - until I decided not to. It takes away a lot of the stress and just makes you comfortable with where you are. It was quite the same at work - I can kill myself day in and day out trying to outpace others (and maybe myself), but is it really sustainable?

As people are going into their internships with high hopes of a full time offer and trying to prove to the company that they are indeed a good hire, I'd implore them to stay at their normal pace. That is the expectation you want to set to your future employer - that you can fit in doing your best at your pace, not at theirs. I've heard of a lot of interns killing themselves during their internships to make a good impression, but what happens when you get a full time job? Can you keep killing yourself for years to come? Food for thought.

Bottom Line: Continuous improvement is a must, but know your pace and improve at your pace; not at that of others.