What’s Your O.2 Task at the End of a Marathon Day?

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 2/24/20.

Running is on my mind.

The weather was AMAZING in Chicago this weekend. Clear sunny skies in February usually means single digit temps. But not this weekend. We got the sun AND some temperate weather. Thank you Mother Nature for reminding us what’s to come in a few months!

Wanting to take full advantage of this reprieve from winter, I logged a total of 8 miles over the weekend. While pounding the pavement of the beautiful lakefront trail, I found myself thinking about how much I’ve come to enjoy running (which is shocking considering how much I dreaded running a mile for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test as a kid). For me, running this weekend was how I expressed gratitude for the wonderful weather.     

Running was also on my mind because one of my best friend’s mom ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon yesterday – so inspiring! 

It got me thinking about how a half marathon is 13.1 miles for obvious reasons (it’s half of a full marathon). But why is a marathon 26.2 miles? Why the 0.2 added at the end? 

According to Runner’s World, 385 yards was added to the marathon route in the 1908 London Olympics because the royal family wanted runners to finish directly in front of their viewing box. And then in 1921, 26.2 became the official marathon distance for “no recorded reason.” 

Thinking about this reminded me of something I heard months ago at a live taping of Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast. The audience was sharing “happiness hacks” and one really stuck with me.

Inspired by the Chicago marathon (which was the same day as this event), one person said that she always thinks about her “0.2” at the end of her day/workday. What’s one last little thing she can accomplish? What’s her sprint to the finish line in her marathon of a day? 

I loved this! We usually don’t have time for one more thing from our to-do list when we are ready to leave the office or jump into bed. But we can likely make time for a task that will take a minute or less to complete. 

I liked the idea of ending the day with a final push to do one small thing that sets us up for a happier tomorrow. 

For example, at work your 0.2 could be:

• Making a to-do list for tomorrow.
• Cleaning off your desk. 
• Sorting through your email inbox. 
• Sending a meeting invite. 

And in life, the 0.2 could be:

• Wiping down counters.
• Unloading the dishwasher. 
• Laying out your outfit for tomorrow.
• Setting the coffee machine. 

So, at the end of your marathon day today when the finish line is in sight, think about your sprint to the finish. Your 0.2. What’s a small task you can do to set yourself up for success tomorrow? 

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