Ironically, an unplanned detour is often staged along our perfected paved road with massive unavoidable “caution” signs flogging the sidewalks. Congestion and road rage often ensue even though we’re not the one in control. Frustration, anger and denial fuels more internal angst. Surrendering to fate is a lofty deposition even though we know it is the enlightened reaction. With perspective, we may decide to chill out and accept that what will be will be, no shame, no guilt, and no attachment, just acceptance. No matter how disastrous the detour, the decision to let go for most of us becomes an attractive option. If you are feeling perplexed by reading this, you are enlightened and the rest of us are envious.
As athletes, we are driven to succeed at our sport. We are notoriously focused on gaining fitness, speed and endurance with every workout. We gain inspiration from the droves of athletes that surround us in our athletic circles to keep going strong. The decisions we face in training are seemingly simple to the armchair observer that sleeps when tired, eats when hungry, and moves as the earth rotates. But, in reality, highly functioning athletes frequently encounter mentally challenging complex puzzles to assemble thanks to the gravity placed on the potential outcome. If the said athlete is beyond the scope of reason, the making of a sound decision may warrant a third party mentor or coach to step in with perspective. If you can relate, you are not alone.
This train of thought led me to wonder why so many goal-driven and highly inspired athletes find themselves in a predicament when their training feels threatened and their goals appear in jeopardy. The reasons are many. The rational is rare. Here is only a handful of what I come up with. Please add.
· Predicament #1: Programs. Most of us follow a pre-determined training scheduled as prescribed by a certified coach. Decisions become complicated when we fail to recognize that a program is only a guide. It can always be (and should be) adjusted according to our recovery and motivation levels without guilt or fear.
· Predicament #2: Recovery. The inability to recover from workouts is often difficult to accept. If fatigue and stress progressively build, a forced rest is no longer option. Being decisive about necessary rest is often beneficial in the long run in contrast to unplanned and longer-term rest. The decision was made for you.
· Predicament #3. Injury. Injury interrupts the prescribed training schedule. At some point, a decision was made to keep pushing through the discomfort, telling ourselves it will pass, my physio will fix it, I’ll ice it down after the session, nothing stops us. Injury plays havoc on an athlete ridden with drive and the unwillingness to stop training. Again, the decision to push an overuse injury only presents one possible outcome: ceased training until the injury is healed. Why didn’t we stop when it hurt?
· Predicament #4: Trust. The lack of trust in our training seems to pose interesting decisions for athletes. For example: Should I add time to this ride, run or swim? Should I push harder in this set? Should I be doing as much as my training partners? Should I take a day off? If there was a plan in place for the workout, we love to change it for our ego not our fitness.
· Predicament #5: Peer Pressure. Training in a group fires a multitude of decisions. Route? Intensity? Workout sequence? Individual goals are often lost in the heat of a group workout. How does one always make the best decision in light of their goals without compromising the greater community good?
· Predicament #6: Nutrition. With energy output comes nutritional considerations in hopes of fueling the body with clean and nutritionally dense foods. Typically, the more active you are the more motivated you are to put healthy fuel in your tank. Decisions and options are many.
Any athlete remotely interested in perfecting their sport intends to make sound decisions that will reap speed and power. A conundrum is encountered when egos could be wounded, peer pressure seeps in and blinders cloud a vision forcing poor self-sabotaging outcomes.
Personally I am inspired by athletes achieving greatness in sport thanks to learning what works for their own bodies and recovery cycles. Some athletes may need 30 hours per week, some may need 10 but both perform to their potential. Check out this Triathlon Magazine on Sami Inkinen as proof of individualism and awareness: http://www.purplepatchfitness.com/education/articles/sami-inkinen-natural
This article is simply an attempt to inject perspective into decision-making and relieve everyone, including myself (especially myself), of the self-inflicted complexities of training decisions. When encountered with a training decision, I have always benefited with doing one of two things: 1) Call my coach, Jasper Blake, to discuss my options. Without fail, he sheds light and encourages the best decision. 2) Consider the big picture in sport and my long term plans. I ask myself, “Will missing this one run really affect my performance? Unlikely. Will training on my scheduled rest day help me be stronger for tomorrow? Unlikely. Will my friends, family and training partners think less of me if I sleep in today? Unlikely.”
Training decisions have been popping up in my little life since running around my neighborhood block in Keds™. My only hope and resounding intention is to become more proactive in the process instead of the other way around. The outcome is far more empowering when I make the decision instead of something somewhere with much greater power and no options to negotiate steps in.
Simplify the decision making process by reflecting on your long term goals and toss in heaps of perspective, chances are the answers become crystal clear coupled with heightened motivation and confidence.
Christine
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