I start my workday at 9PM with our daily standup. After the standup, I go into a flurry of meetings, get countless messages from colleagues, and work on multiple projects. My mind gradually fills itself with heaps of information, and all the context-switching makes it increasingly hard to focus on anything. But then, at 12PM, my calendar notifies me it’s time to run.

I lock my laptop and change into my sports clothes. I step outside and start stretching. While stretching, I re-iterate my intent: running 5k with a speed of 15kmph or more. Setting the goal, the thoughts of work gradually flow away. Right now, my professional goals are not important. All that is important is to keep a good pace and run as fast as possible.

I put on some upbeat music, activate my sports watch, and take off running. At first, it feels incredible. I run with ease. After hours of digital work, my hazy state of mind fades, and the feeling is liberating.

About 1k into the run, I notice that I started off too quickly. Breathing becomes harder. Discomfort arises as my brain tells me to slow down. I press on. My intent was to go all-in, so that’s what I do. I focus on the music, on the rhythm of my step, and anything else that takes my mind away from the discomfort.

Another kilometer down, it gets easier again. My mind is still trying to tell me to stop, but it is a silent voice where once it was a shout. I start to notice my surroundings again. A road worker laying some pavement. A cyclist trying to fight the fierce wind. Two men in business suits on their lunch walk. Even though I run the same route every day, these subtle changes keep the exercise interesting.

Over the next two kilometers, the discomfort increases steadily. Set on running a good time, I press on with each signal my brain sends me to slow down. Reaching the 4k mark, I check my sports watch for the first time since starting to see my average speed of 14.8kmph. Just 0.2kmph short of my goal.

I round the final corner into a long street that leads to my office. The end is in sight: now it’s all or nothing. Even though I’m already running at an uncomfortable speed, I force my pace to go even faster. I try to drown out the pain as I press onwards for the final few steps. I keep an eye on my watch, which now shows an average speed of 14.9. I press onward for the last half kilometer. With only 0.25 kilometers to go, my watch shows my average speed bumped to 15.0kmph.

I do not slow down. Just one more minute of extreme discomfort to improve my new personal record. My run will be eternalized in digital numbers. As I near the end, my average speed bumps to 15.1kmph. As I pass the 5k point, I slow my pace, frantically catching my breath. I walk the final few meters to the office and let my heartbeat turn back to normal as I take a shower.

After I leave the shower, I feel good. I set a new personal record, I have the nice clean feeling of a freshly showered body, and all haziness has been brushed off my mind. I take some lunch and afterward go back to work. The way I work has changed completely. Instead of the prior chaos, I work on my tasks with surprising clarity. In meetings, I am sharp. It’s easy to follow along with the discussions, and I contribute actively. My workday flies by.

Tomorrow I’ll do it again, with a new personal record to beat.

–

Scheduling thirty minutes during my afternoon break for a run has changed my life for the better. Going all-out, I drown out my thoughts of work. Usually, my productivity decreases towards the end of my workday. Now I get energized in the middle of it. And by blocking off some time in my calendar, it’s easy for me to work it into my busy schedule.

So what are you waiting for? Open that calendar and put the daily run in there! Embrace the pain. And be rewarded you will!