Optimal Training

Unparalleled Focus

There may be some debate as to who the greatest male distance runner of all time is, as both Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele have pretty impressive (and in my mind, equivalent) resumes.  But one thing is certain, Haile Gebrselassie has done much more outside of running than his countryman.

As this article illustrates, Haile Gebrselassie is far from just a distance runner these days.  He is also the head of a construction company that builds "cinemas, convention centres, petrol stations, schools, sports stores, cafes and fitness centres" as well as the Chairman of the Great Ethiopian Run, an event with over 32,000 participants.  He's also a father of three.  (You can also see some videos of Haile's daily life at the link in his name above.)

I more or less knew that, though.  Two new things struck me from this article.  First, Haile's efforts on behalf of women in Ethiopia should be praised more publicly.  I have read extensively about Haile, but didn't know about this aspect of his business.  My admiration for Haile the person continues to grow.

Second, think of the focus that Haile must apply to his daily activities in order to achieve the level of success that he's reached.  It's one thing to run a great marathon, and quite another to do so while holding down a full-time job.  I have no doubt that Haile's built a great team around him at his company.  But to be able to continually excel at his running despite the myriad distractions that inevitably arise when running a business is extraordinary.

I have long been of the opinion that the best athletes are able to excel not because of physical talent or how hard they work, but because of how focused they are when they are working hard.  Haile is a man whom one can easily see falling into the "Multi-Tasking" or "Over-Extended" categories of The Engagement Scale.  But you can tell from his performances that he never does.

He manages to stay firmly "Committed" to his running, if not "All-Consumed".  With everything else in his life, that can only be accomplished through unparalleled focus.  When he trains, he uses his time and energy as effectively and efficiently as possible.  And when he isn't training, he obviously approaches his other commitments with an equal focus.

It's Not Too Late

I just got off the phone with my wife, and I was more than a little peeved.  She has an assessment for a possible promotion today, and she hasn't been studying enough for it. 

There's no one reason why.  She's been busy with other things.  She's been lazy.  She lost her study materials when her baggage was lost by Alaska Airlines.  Etcetera etcetera.  I also think she secretly doesn't want to be promoted, because the job will take her away from dealing with passengers (something she loves) and put her in a position where she won't deal with passengers.

All of these reasons have contributed to her not being as ready as she should be for this assessment.  But what peeved me was that, despite still having four hours and study materials available to her online, she felt it was "too late."  My response: Chigaimasu.  (Translation: Uh, no.)

Whether she doesn't want the promotion or she's just resigned herself to not getting it doesn't matter.  She will be assessed today, and she will be evaluated based on that assessment.  And she won't be as ready as she could have been.

Even if you are in a less than ideal position you should still be taking every opportunity to be as prepared as you can be given your circumstances.  This goes for work assessments, school tests, international negotiations and dual meet two-mile races.  "It's too late" is saying that preparation is an all or nothing thing.  It isn't.

There is a bigger picture aspect to this as well.  Will three hours of studying make a difference?  Maybe not.  Probably not.  I have no idea.  But it's never too late to start developing a good habit.  It's never too late to say, "I'm going to get the most out of this that I can."  It's never too late to begin developing an Optimal Training approach. 

You may not see the effects today, but you will see them later.  Champions know this.  People who achieve excellence don't worry about the end result so much as how they approach the challenge.  They focus on using their time and energy as well as they can, and they evaluate their performance on that criteria.

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**Update: She did study a little.  And I learned something, too.  Did you know Drambuie is a honey and herb-flavored golden scotch whiskey liqueur?  You did?  Well whoopty-frickin-doo!**

Efficiency v. Effectiveness

 

There are essentially two approaches to getting better at something. You can do something better, or you can do something else.  The first is being more efficient, the second is being more effective.

For example, say you're training for a 5k and you're running two interval workouts and a tempo run every week, as well as a few road runs.  Well, one approach to getting better is to continue doing the same workouts and to focus on getting more out of them.  We all do this, because we all strive to get the most out of our workouts.  But there's another approach that we sometimes fail to consider.  That is doing something else entirely.  Rather than an interval workout, how about some hill repeats?

Am I recommending we all substitute hill repeats for intervals?  No, of course not.  If you're coached, there should be a reason behind everything you're doing.  But in those areas where you don't have a coach watching over you it is very easy to fall into a routine, and it is very hard to continue getting more and more efficient at something over time.  As competitive distance runners, we're looking for an edge.  Incremental improvement is necessary, but sometimes we can get a lot more out of a bigger change. 

At some point, all runners need to consider doing something different, be it run longer, run faster, run differently or (gasp!) not run.  (Maybe that cross-training session is a good idea.)  And this doesn't simply apply to running, either.  It applies to all aspects of training, including stretching, sleeping, eating, and balancing other responsibilities (school, work, family...).  Heck, it applies to your whole life.

• You can try to eat your double cheeseburger and super-size fries more efficiently, but you should probably be considering another meal altogether. 
• You can try to make five hours of sleep more restful by optimizing your pillow placement, or you can go to bed earlier and get your full eight hours. 
• You can try to maximize your lunch break by running 30 minutes everyday, or you can take two days a week and run 20 minutes harder with a few strides at the end mix it up.
• Or, for example, if your junk mail problems are interfering with your life training, you can try to read it all more efficiently, or you try to be more effective and save yourself precious time and energy.  (I wish my grandma used the internet...alas...)

Think about your training critically.  First, ask yourself whether you're even doing the right behaviors in the first place.  Chances are, there are changes you can make for the better.  There always are.  They aren't always fun, and they are never easy to sustain, but they can be made.  As you look at the little diagram I drew above, note that I drew effective changes as little islands or stepping stones.  I did that on purpose.  You can't go from zero to Optimal Training in one jump.  Not because it's impossible but because it's not sustainable.  What you need to do is make one change, develop that into a habit, and then consider another change.  For example, don't try to up your mileage, change you diet, sleep more, do more weight training, and start keeping a training log all at the same time.  Just start going to bed earlier.  When you've got that under control, pick another area in which to improve.

After you've developed the most effective training behaviors, then focus on how you can make them more efficient.  That is, only after you're sleeping eight hours should you worry about optimal pillow placement.  The hardest part of Optimal Training is managing the process within the context of your life.  You will always be able to improve your efficiency.  And you'll always have to.  But you're wasting a lot of time and energy if you're trying to optimize the wrong behaviors in the first place.

Optimal Training in one sentence: Doing the most effective training the most efficient way possible.  It sounds simple but it's the hardest thing in the world to do on a consistent basis.