OMB Chief's Last Run

Peter Orszag may be gone from OMB as of Friday, but I can't resist linking to this Q&A with him in Runner's World, since it sheds a lot of light on his approach (and it seems likely that government hasn't seen the last of him).

Among the choice tidbits: Orszag says he often ran home from work at OMB at 9 or 10 p.m.; he always runs with music (his favorite: Toby Keith); and he does his best thinking while running. (Asked to describe a time when he worked through a problem on a run, Orszag says: "Two examples come to mind, neither of which I can tell you about.")

Most revealing question and answer:

Do you see any parallels between running a marathon like overseeing the nation's budget?

Yes. In fact, I use a lot of running analogies. I think being in a job like this is very similar to running a marathon. If you focused on how far you have to go, it would be so stultifying and demoralizing, you would never actually do it. A trick a lot of us play when running is just making it to the next mile marker, then the next one, then the next one. That's very apt and similar to the work I do. The question is: Are we at mile 10, or mile 19?

People often say, "Are you having fun in this job?" My response is similar to the response you'd get if you went up to someone in the middle of a marathon and asked if they were having fun. They'd look at you like you were nuts, but after they cross the finish line, they'll think it was the best thing they ever did.