Faking the marathon

There are certain things in life you can fake.

Things you can get by at without intentional planning or training.

Say your friend invited you to join them in a 5K charity race next weekend.

If you are an adult in average health with a modestly active lifestyle, you could tell your friend “Sure, why not?”
When the 5K run/walk event comes around a few days later, you might be able to run some of the way. You might have to walk all the way.

It might take you 45 minutes or an hour. You won’t win. You might feel a bit sore the next day. But you could do it with minimal advanced thought or planning.

A 5K is at the “you can wing it” level of planning.

But, if your friend texts you and says “I’m running the marathon next week, want to join me?”
The only correct answer is…

Not​
​A​
​Chance

Because while I could run, jog, or walk my way through a 5K on a week’s notice, my chances of completing a marathon with zero training on a week's notice are 0%. I’d never make the time cut off. I’d slog through a few miles, watch as the crowds of runners (who trained) pass me by, and wake up the next morning with a deep soreness in every leg muscle.

Your data team is used data requests like “join me for a 5K” this weekend.

You can whip it together without too much prep, and be happy with the results. It wasn’t a first-place finish, but hey, it got the job done.

Then your CEO announces aggressive growth goals. The headcount doubles in 12 months. You acquire a competitor in your market. LLMs are here and your data quality is abysmal.

All of a sudden the requests are closer to “Can you run this marathon with me next weekend?” You try to pretend it’s like a 5K and hope you can just wing it.

But you can’t. The data team hasn’t trained for this. Your change control process is scattered. The infrastructure has duct tape in more than a few places.

The best time to start training was 9 months ago. The second best time is right now.

It was good to see you today,

Sawyer

from The Data Shop