Our CTO, Andy Glover, went for a run last night. That might not seem like a big deal. He’s an avid runner, logging double-digits every week. What’s worth noting, however, is that it’s his first run since finishing the Ironman Triathlon in Panama City, Florida this past weekend, which he did in under 12 hours.
Those of you who know what an Ironman entails are, like me, incredibly impressed. For those who don’t know, imagine running a marathon, 26.2 miles, after you first complete a 2.4 mile swim in rough ocean, and then a 112-mile bike ride. There’s determination, and then there’s all-consuming commitment that is close to impossible to comprehend. Andy’s been walking around the office as living proof of the latter.
The start of an Ironman is an impressive spectacle. (Here’s a great video Andy shared with us). And while he was full of energy and optimism at the start, I needed to know what the experience was really like start-to-finish. The whoops and cheers at the beginning belie a personal battle that every participant fights the entire time.
“For a few elite, pro athletes,” Andy told me, “the Ironman is a race. They’re competing against each other. For the rest of us? It’s a war with ourselves — with that voice in our heads that keeps saying, ‘Go home. Get back in bed. Go have a beer.’”
Andy refused to listen to that voice (actually, twice now as this is his second Ironman) and his focus speaks for itself. As CEO of App47, I’m privileged to have someone on our team who embodies that kind of tenacity. It’s a go-forward mindset that has kept us in the midst of defining enterprise mobility and championing Mobile Application Management (MAM) even when it was being brushed aside by skeptics. And we said as recently as last week, MAM is not just in the race, it’s breaking out of the pack.
Andy shared some amazing stories from his Ironman experience, from running toward the finish through a throng of supportive Floridians to the near-constant blaring of Van Halen’s 1984 classic Panama throughout the race (and seriously, you gotta take David Lee over Sammy).
Perhaps my favorite, though, was the sign he passed during the marathon. He described his legs as being essentially in a state of numbness. Not just joint pain, but a deep muscle soreness that consumed every thought. Then he saw a fan holding a message reading: “The reason your feet hurt is because you are kicking so much ass.” Just the boost he needed.
The personal victory was worth the discomfort. Congrats, Andy. That’s an attitude we all want to emulate. Maybe I’ll join you for tomorrow’s run. Maybe.
