63 Magazine - Issue 4

Start slowly.
You’re an organizer, so now might not be the
best time for you to train for a marathon.
(But, hey, if anyone could work 16 hours a
day and also train for a marathon, it would
be an organizer.) You don’t need to go crazy
with running to benefit from it.
Just take the first step and start running.
Each time you go will get easier and more
fun and eventually you’ll be so addicted to
what it does to your body and your mind,
you’ll be able to challenge yourself in new
ways.
Find a regular time that works for
you and put it in your calendar.
“I would run from 5PM- 6PM, rinse
quickly, and go back to work for another
three or four hours depending on the
day. It actually made me more energized
for the remainder of the day because I
got my blood flowing and it helped my
mental sharpness as well. For me that time
worked; for some people maybe it’s noon,
maybe it’s 7AM, maybe it’s 11PM at night.
Finding your time, setting it aside, and
being really intentional about keeping it is
really important.”
By scheduling in time, Buffy was able to find
time to run—time committed to her health
that helped her be better at her job. Like all
things on a campaign, if you don’t schedule
running in, it won’t happen.
Experiment to find out what time works
best for you. It might work best to run right
when you wake up or in that late morning
time before voter contact really begins and
after you’ve dealt with the morning crises.
Whenever the time is, lock it in, put it on
your calendar, and commit to spending the
time improving yourself.
“Make running a habit. Make running
a way for you to be good to yourself.
You don’t need to run a marathon (but
if so, that’s great), but set a goal, make a
plan, and stick with it. Before I started
running, I could think of every excuse
not to run. It’s easy to grab a drink or
sleep in, but once I started, running
became my special obligation to
myself. Running gives me order from
the hours of 6AM-7:30AM. Running
gives me new ways of spending time
with people I care about, people I
wanted to spend time with, and friends
I wouldn’t see often. Running gives
me a sense of routine. Running’s also
helped me meet a ton of interesting,
new people—an organizer’s dream!”
—Chris Choi, head of global digital
strategy at 100 Resilient Cities
Download an app that
tracks your distance and time.
You’re a metrics-driven person!
Organizers love metrics, so take advantage
of the built-in metrics of running. Set goals
for yourself (probably small ones if you’re
working nonstop) and track how you’re
doing.