Reading a post by Rustin Banks on the parallels between Entrepeneurship & Tennis got me thinking. Just like Tennis, there sure are a lot of parallels between Running and Entrepeneurship. That must be why so many startup folks I”ve met over the past year are runners too! And, by running, I mean distance running. 5 miles and over.

Come to think of it, many of my favorite folks from Techstars last summer were runners. Krista Paul, Brad Feld, & Vikas Reddy to name a few.

Distance Running is all about not giving up. So is starting a startup. Here are some other parallels I see between being a good entrepreneur and being a good runner:

– You”ve got to take it one foot at a time.

– You might now know where exactly you”re going when you set out, but you have to have faith in your ability to get there.

– Though the lifestyle is a lot of work, the payoff is worth it.

– Intellectual honesty is key. Know your abilities, and learn to tell the different between when you”re getting burnt out, and when you can push yourself harder.

– Both are excellent exercises in learning to marginalize your self doubt.