MBA: Major – Contemporary Marketing Management | Minor – Running

No, that’s not an actual course (how I wish, though).

This year, I took up an MBA in Contemporary Marketing Management, but I’m not quite sure if it was in just that.

11 months into the program, I’m a lot more knowledgeable when it comes to marketing – from the 7Ps to the 5Cs. I’m super excited and stoked for my first full-fledged marketing role at Beverly Hills Polo Club, and, honestly, I have running to thank for making this happen.

I joined SP Jain School of Global Management in January, injured, with bright red and yellow KT tapes all over my left knee. “It’s okay, I’ll be so busy studying, I’ll barely run this year,” I thought. Funny how that turned out!

I’ve run 650 km this year; participated in 15 marathons; played two football tournaments. I don’t think there’s any hour of the day this year when I didn’t run, and it has helped me gain the maximum from this MBA.

How you keep taking baby steps to reach your goals.

How certain days are more difficult than others, but you’ve still got to pull through.

While some days are just like a walk in the park.

In Singapore, during an all-nighter, my project mate and I went for a run at 1.30 AM, only to come back and be so much more effective in completing a presentation. In Sydney, my first long run was with Prof Nicolas Hamelin (Associate Professor of Marketing and Neuroscience Lab Director, SP Jain), who was coincidentally instrumental in my final project’s data analysis. In Dubai, amidst the anxiety of finding the right job and right company during the placement season, I participated in my first vertical marathon, climbing 54 floors of the Jumeirah Towers.

This isn’t my first year of running, but it is my first year of realising how running impacts the other aspects of my life. It’s taught me patience, perseverance, having a goal and following through with it, having a game plan for every scenario, and so much more! I incorporated these learnings in my SBRs (Student Boardrooms), assignments, projects, exams, interviews and more! A 30-minute run also benefits your mental health and helps keep up with the challenges of a one-year MBA.

Time to lace up now.