What Sprinting Did for Me

July 9, 2010

I constantly get asked the question, “why, working in growth venture capital, do you still do competitive track and field?” It’s a pretty fair question. The training is brutal on my body and there is a degree of added stress with competition. As I am now one day away from what will be my 8th Club National Championships — and most likely final meet of my track career — I couldn’t help but reflect on the value the past 8 years of balancing competitive track and field with what expansion capital investing has brought me. I came up with the following:

  1. Sprint training takes a high degree of focus and it helped keep me focused in all aspects of my life, including at the office.
  2. Partaking in a physical activity helped me release stress during difficult times both at the office and at home. It was a way to release and reset.
  3. The discipline I needed to compete at an elite level helped me focus on maintaining the necessary discipline in the other areas of my life.
  4. The intense competition on the track and desire to compete at the highest level helped me strive to be the best at anything I spent my time on.
  5. Competition constantly reminded me that great results are only achieved through hard work. Always think your competition is working at least as hard (if not harder) than you. Failing to put in the time will result in you being left in the dust!
  6. Keeping in shape helped give me energy and stamina through long and difficult days at the office. I was going to work out anyway, so why not do it with a purpose!
  7. It helped provide balance in my life.

I encourage everyone to find what their equivalent of track and field is (with my last meet coming soon, I have to find mine). Though it is extremely unrelated to any direct activities at OpenView Venture Partners, I find it helped contribute greatly to my performance.

-KKF

General Partner

<strong>Kobie Fuller</strong> is a General Partner at <a href="https://upfront.com/">Upfront Ventures</a>. Previously he was the Principal at Accel Partners in San Francisco where he helped identify and work with entrepreneurs who were building category-defining companies. He has more than 10 years of experience in funding and building software companies.