London April 2017

On 23 April 2017 I ran the London marathon in 4 hours and 2 minutes covering 26.32 miles.  It was a very memorable day and one I will never forget.  I raised just under £4,000 for charity and I was able to finish just above halfway in terms of the average time taken to complete it.  These two points make me feel especially proud.

I was thinking this Sunday after reading some of the headlines of the London marathon this year and thought how similar it is to financial planning and investing for your future.

How did I train?

Much like investing gradually into your financial planning, I built up my mileage over time.  Every other day committing to longer and longer runs to build up both conditioning in the legs and oxygen capacity in my lungs.  Financial planning is the same.  If you gradually increase your time and effort into one, it will improve the eventual results.

How did it feel?

At first the marathon felt awful!  I began and my belt carrying my energy gels (race food) and I felt like I was going to fail.  This feels much like it does when you place and investment and the value falls almost instantly.  Bad timing can be very frustrating and can easily lead you to quit.  But much like me in the marathon, you will be able to turn things back in your favour by remembering your training and sticking to the plan.  One mile at a time, one contribution at a time.  The next time you place an investment it is very likely it will immediately increase in value.

After I have gotten over the annoyance of losing my belt I got into my rhythm and began enjoying the race.  Over Tower Bridge in the sunshine was a definite highlight.

Then came the awkwardness of running around Canary Wharf where there were simply too many runners crammed together, you were kicking heels in front of you and being kicked from behind too.  Again, similar to financial planning when the tax rules are changed around you.  The tactic is one and the same, I’m in this now and I’m just simply going to keep up with the pace but slightly change how it run.

Mile 20 was when I hit the wall.  I could not lift my feet off the floor high enough to run over the empty water bottles.  I was simply kicking them out of the way.  Similar to a sudden financial market collapse, or a global conflict which gradually drops the value of your portfolio over time.  Painful steps to get through the process.

Then back down the last few miles into Bird Cage Walk, around Buckingham Palace and across the finish line.  Euphoria!  Much like being able to retire early because of all those hard years of financial planning.

Summary

Financial planning and investing are much similar to long distance running. At times it can feel everything is against you and it is simply too painful to carry on.  If you do carry on though and are able to cross that finish line in good fashion, the pride you will always take when you look back on your achievements will be immeasurable!

Enjoy the journey!