Change the Route, Not the Clock.
What training for a half marathon with newborn twins taught a working mom about the muscles high-performing teams use when there's no extra time.
After I had my twins, I wanted to get back in shape and feel like myself again. So I signed up for a half marathon. 13.1 miles.
At the time, I was a three-to-five-mile runner. On a good day.
My goal wasn't a fast time. It was simple: cross the finish line without walking.
I knew where I was starting. I knew where I wanted to finish. What I didn't have was the plan in between, or the time to follow one. I was a working mom with two babies at home. There were no extra hours in my day.
The run home
Every workday, I commuted home from Midtown to the Upper East Side. One day it hit me: that trip was already in my schedule. So I stopped taking the subway and started running home through Central Park.
I couldn't make more time. But I could use the time I had differently.
Then came race day. Mile 12 is where everything hurts and walking starts to sound reasonable. That's exactly where my kids were, cheering on the side. I didn't walk. I finished.
Looking back, it wasn't willpower that got me there. It was the same handful of muscles we measure in teams, showing up one run at a time. Here's how they played out.
The muscles behind the finish line
Adaptability: Changing the route, not the clock
The standard advice assumes you can carve out long training blocks. I couldn't. Instead of waiting for a lighter season, I changed how I used time I already had. The subway ride became the training run. Nothing was added to my calendar. One habit was swapped for another.
Goals & Rewards: A goal that fit where I was
I didn't set out to qualify for anything or beat a time. My goal was to finish without walking. It was specific, I could measure it, and it fit my starting point and my life. A goal borrowed from an elite runner would have set me up to fail by week three.
Accountability: Showing up for the plan
A plan only works if you follow it on the days you don't feel like it. The commute made that easier because the run was built into something I had to do anyway. I didn't have to find motivation to get out the door. I just had to get home.
Growth Mindset: From five miles to 13.1
I started as a three-to-five-mile runner and aimed for more than double that. That only works if you believe the gap can close with steady effort, and you accept that some runs will feel worse than others. Progress came one run home at a time.
Recognition: Mile 12
Seeing my kids at mile 12 changed the race. Being seen at the hardest moment gave me what I needed to keep going. Teams are no different. Recognition at the right moment is often what turns "almost" into "done."
What this means for your team
Most teams know their finish line: grow revenue, keep good people, scale without chaos. What they usually wait for is time. A slower quarter. A new hire. A free month to work on how the team operates. That month rarely comes, and the profit leak keeps running.
Start with an honest starting line
Every good training plan begins with a baseline. For teams, that baseline is often off. Leaders tend to see the team at mile 10 while the team knows it's closer to mile 3. That perception gap is the blind spot, and it's where profit quietly slips away. SKOR measures the 7 Muscles across leaders and teams, shows where those gaps are, and puts a dollar figure on what they cost.
Find the right coach
Knowing where you stand is only half of it. Like any race, you need a plan built for your team's readiness, not a bigger company's plan copied over. That's why we work with great partners, like Wowledge, who help teams build a plan that matches their readiness and where they want to go.
Use the time you already have
The best plans don't add more meetings. They change what happens in the ones you already hold: the weekly check-in, the one-on-one, the project kickoff, the way a win gets recognized. Same hours, different plan.
Change the route, not the clock
I didn't get to the finish line because I found more time. I got there because I knew my starting point, set a goal that fit, and used the time I had differently.
Your team can do the same. You don't need more time. You need to know where you're starting, and a plan that fits the time you have.
.Find your team's starting line: Get your Profit Leak Number.
