Want to know how The Coca-Cola Company create a new drink? Let me take you behind the scenes from my time on the inside. 

It all started with an idea. Ideas could come from anywhere—marketing, sales, R&D, you name it. But before anything moved forward, the idea had to clear the all-important, Corporate America hurdle: management. Then a team of R&D scientists translated the idea it into a beverage—a formula made from a mixture of ingredients.

Then came the fun part—taste testing.

The team would gather in a conference room overlooking the Atlanta skyline. R&D would arrive with identical plastic bottles, each labeled with a black Sharpie number. They’d pour small samples into Dixie-sized cups, and we’d sip, taste, and vote on our favorite.

But here’s the trick that great formulators know: just because something tastes good doesn’t mean it drinks good.

A flavor that shines in a sip might fall apart across 12 ounces. Some get too strong. Others feel flat or syrupy. The best beverage developers would sometimes skip the top-voted sample and choose the second or third—because those were the ones that held up over time.

There’s a running lesson in that.

Plenty in running “tastes good” in small doses—like a flashy new plan, a hard track workout, or a shiny new pair of shoes. But true endurance comes from what lasts.

The best runners don’t chase flavor-of-the-week excitement. They build steady habits and sustainable routines—the kind that go down smooth, day after day.

– George