Capacity is built over time - and can be retrieved when relevant, in several arenas

On Saturday I took part in the Marakez Pyramids Half Marathon in Cairo, Egypt.
10,000 runners from 122 countries at the starting line - I was 18th in my class.

Despite increased and targeted specific race training beforehand, it was not enough to extract full potential this time. At the same time, I am convinced that my performance and capacity are largely connected to what I have invested in over many years earlier in my life.

I am genuinely pleased with the result. Not just as a number, but as a personal victory and a confirmation of just this.

Performance is rarely about short-term effort, but about basic training – physically and mentally – built over time. Experience and capacity from cross-country skiing, running, tennis, strength and other training still remains. Today, I train variedly and particularly enjoy tennis, both training and competitions. It provides both strength, robustness and the inner drive – the motivation that makes you train when no one is watching.

The same applies in working life.
Education, professional development and experience from previous roles and companies provide capacity that you can call upon when it is relevant.

At a recent professional seminar, age discrimination in working life was discussed. A representative from NAV pointed out that many people already experience this from the age of 50. I'm not there yet, but the reflection is important: the solution is to continue investing in competence, development and learning.

This race was a clear "Big Hairy Goal" – something to train for and look forward to – a goal that provided direction, energy and boosted motivation. The social community made the experience even stronger. Being part of an environment means a lot, professionally and socially. We performed as a team, supported each other before, right up to, and after the race. There was a lot of reflection, training theory and development - and not least: it was fun.

Through roles as tennis coach and manager, I have experienced how rewarding it is to contribute to the development of others - and to succeed together as a group. Fellow players, the public, supporters, colleagues, family and friends who cheer, lift the performance even further.

Now we enter the winter - with more focus on other types of training, new sessions on snow and arenas that continue to build capacity. What about investments on the skills side? I consciously choose what builds value – for example, playing more with AI, as today's picture illustrates. Made at the airport on the way home to Norway.

Fun facts:
The Pyramid of Cheops was built over 5,000 years ago - approx. 2.5 million stone blocks, 2.5–5 tons each. Stone on stone. Of people. We still don't quite know how.
A reminder of what long-term effort, hard work, perseverance and management can create - whether it's about buildings, performance, competence or people.