Chances are, if you can maximize the output your body produces during a race, you can probably translate the underlying thinking and commitment into other areas of your personal and professional life. My opinion is that success comes not from a recipe (or predetermined series of steps) but from a frame of mind.
I say this because about five years ago a really gifted (but unproven) salesman joined my real estate company. Within a short period of time it became clear that this guy was a terrific salesman who had everything figured out. People asked themselves and they asked others What is his secret? How can I do what he’s doing? But these aren’t the right questions, because ultimately the answers are either obvious or fairly easy to intuit. For them to replicate his actions and methods in recipe form, would be equivalent to me eating and training like Meb Keflezighi and then expecting to have his results on race day. If I want to get anywhere near to Meb's level of efficiency, I need to discover my own "secrets" and determine what works best for me. This requires us to use reason deductively, not inductively.
The right question wasn't: What is his secret? But what is my own secret?
If I want to know anything about a successful person, it is not what they had for breakfast, but how does this person think?
Let's take a look at two questions that were posed to Shalene Flanagan by an interviewer who basically asks her what her secret (this is a fine question since it's an interview piece).
From Women’s Running:Women’s Running: What’s an average day like for you?
Shalene Flanagan: When I’m in serious marathon training, I run twice a day. I start at the Nike campus for my first run of the day, followed by a core workout with my team. Then I have lunch and take a nap. Later I might get physical therapy or get a massage. Then I do my second run, followed by dinner and bed.
Women’s Running: How did you begin running?
Shalane Flanagan: I started running because my parents were both runners and they were my role models. I just wanted to be like them because they ran everyday. Also, when I was in grade school in Boulder, CO we had a physical fitness test and I beat all the boys in my grade and I thought, “You know, I really like beating all the boys.”
As useful as it is to know her routine, what interests me are the statements "I just wanted to be like them" (her parents) and "I really like beating all the boys." These are such strong and positive statements of what motivates her. If Shalene Flanagan trained differently, her results probably wouldn't be all that different; but if she didn't want to be "just like" her parents or didn't "really like" competing, then she wouldn't be the elite athlete that she currently is.
I am not an elite athlete. I'm a 38 year old diabetic whose dream is to run a sub 20-minute 5k. My most credible effort occurred last March in Calgary when I ran a 24:02 5k. This is a hopeful result because I did well despite running in an elevation I wasn't used to, on a somewhat icy path, while still dealing with a back issue... and perhaps most damning, no specific training of any sort and no cross training either. Take away the ice and I probably break under 24 minutes. Put the race at sea level, and I can probably break under 23 minutes. Take away the back issue and we're talking another few seconds. The bottom line is that in order to achieve my goal, I need to get into better shape (underway) and find more ideal conditions on race day. These are remedies specific to me.
So I'll leave you with an article that I devoured this morning from Runner’s World where Meb spills his "secrets". I don't think doing what he does will give you his results, but you can certainly intuit his thought process from what he says (just as we did in the example above). Enjoy.
This is an entertaining read: http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/how-meb-keflezighi-trained-to-win-the-boston-marathon?page=single
No comments:
Post a Comment