Interview with a Madeo project manager on running her first marathon

In this new series we interview insightful people from our community. We sat down with Ray Cochran, a Project Manager at Madeo, who just ran her first New York City Marathon. We were excited to learn from her experience, even if our next workout goal is not running the world’s largest marathon.

Q: Ray, for those who don’t know you, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Sure. I’m a Project Manager at Madeo, but I come from a design background. In my past design projects, I saw myself as more of an organizer and facilitator, which encouraged me to transition into joining Madeo within this role.

Q: What would you say makes someone a good project manager?
Two things. The first is definitely organization; the second is communication. And, we’re actually hiring more project managers at Madeo, which is exciting.

Q: You mentioned organization; are there any particular tools that you use to stay organized?
The entire Madeo team uses Trello as a project management tool. We also use InVision for better collaboration between design, development, and client teams. We use Slack for communication and project updates. And, I cannot live without Google docs.

Q: Great! Getting back to the marathon, what do you think it takes to successfully finish such a long race?
Well, training is very important. I’m a triathlete, and so I’ve spent the past year training for all sorts of events. My body is used to long-distance running, and I’ve built my endurance.

Q: What advice would you give to those thinking of running a marathon?
More than anything else, training for races takes time. You need to factor that into your lifestyle, which often translates into sacrificing part of your social life. In order to balance that, I combine the two. Saturday brunch with friends tastes that much better when you’ve just completed a long run.

Q: And how did it start for you? What got you to sign up to the New York City Marathon?
I actually signed up for the marathon back in 2013. It was part social. I wanted to become more involved in the NYC community, so I joined a running group. I secured my entry to the marathon by completing the 9+1 program, which requires you to run New York Road Runners’ races and volunteer at one. It was a great program, and I definitely recommend it.

Q: Some of us at Madeo made it to cheer from the sidelines, but what was your individual experience like running through New York in the marathon?
My most memorable moment is one that is likely shared by quite a few runners: entering Manhattan for the first time. The Queensboro Bridge was the only stretch of the race without spectators. When you turn the corner, you hit mile 16, hear the roar of the crowd, and for me, reach my home borough. That was an incredible feeling!

Q: We talk a lot about teamwork and collaboration at Madeo, but running is more of a solo sport. Aside from any support at work, has there been a team involved in helping you make it through the marathon?
My running club really helped me. I spend a lot of time going to workouts and organizing events with them. We typically meet twice a week to practice, plus occasional social events that ideally don’t involve running! 10 members from my group actually participated in the marathon, too.

Q: Now here comes the question that I am sure everyone asks: how long did it take you to finish?
I finished in about 4 hours and 40 something minutes, which wasn’t even close to my goal! *laughs* Typically, they say you shouldn’t set a goal for your first marathon, though, except to finish. But, I signed up for a marathon in Nashville, Tennessee at the end of April – it’s my hometown, and who knows, maybe that would get me to finish a little faster!

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Interview by Chris Lee and Ramy Nagy with Ray Cochran. To learn more about joining the Madeo team, visit the Madeo careers page and for updates on job openings make sure to follow Madeo on Instagram and Linkedin.