The Sporting Bubble

Keeping Perspective

Spending a week away on tour can provide a refreshing and fun perspective on things. Knowledge and entertainment is ever present through the banter of tired athletes, especially those who make big sacrifices to compete in their beloved sport.

Yes, it is easy to get obsessed with athletic performance but that didn't apply to three guys I worked with recently. They all have big jobs and young families and manage to fit in consistent training during the pre-dawn hours but the bigger picture was always present. Sure, daily talk centred around the race but not completely;the state of SA universities, Harvard Business School, psoas release techniques, osteopathy vs chiropractic, 80s music and the well-kept towns of the Garden Route were but a few of the eclectic daily subject set. We all enjoyed living in the bubble that is a stage race and losing track of the days ("Seriously? Is it Thursday today?") even though reality was all around us the small towns we visited.

But that is all the past now. Lycra has been replaced by work attire, bicycles ridden in daylight are now ridden in dawn darkness and being home for family dinnertime is the main goal. It sure is fun being away doing a sport you love but the best part of any trip is coming home. A balancing act indeed.

The Forest

For the love of trees

I recently came upon a YouTube video channel that I enjoyed several years ago. Set in Belgium's Meerdael Forest, three short movies show an extremely lean and fit fellow named Pieter put himself through the paces in a simple and primal way. The background music is upbeat as Pieter goes about jumping, lifting and running barefoot through the trees due east of Brussels. He even includes his young son in this simple yet demanding regimen, proving that workout time and a young family can be combined in wholly creative manner.

Watching these films again reminded why I love a forest. Together with a beach, a forest is simply one of my favourite places no matter what the activity. Whether running, walking or just being among the trees, there is a solitude and energy like no other, a special feeling that is difficult to actually describe.

Sporting Renaissance Men

Dogmatic specialists or Social Entrepreneurs?

The positive influence of diversity, adaptability and constant challenge is recurrent in Nicholas Nassim Taleb’s writings. Reinforced in Tennessee William’s essay “The Catastrophe of Success,” both authours reckon that the human race is designed for challenge and discomfort, where excessive comfort and security is to die a death of sorts (William’s coinage).

And they might well be right.

+++++

Few, if any, pro cyclists spend their off-season trekking in the Himalayas. Fewer still have a myriad of eclectic hobbies, interests or sideline enterprises. But then Adam Hansen is not your usual bike rider.

Real Coaches

The Gift of Instruction

Joel Filliol has started his own podcast.

Aptly entitled Real Coaching, the show is basically an informal chat, the first episode being with fellow high performance triathlon coach Paulo Sousa. Being a listener to several podcasts, I find that shows with a loose and free conversational format appeal the most. The hosts are more relaxed compared to a rigid Q&A template, which more than often results in true depth and insight into the discussion.

While specific to the sport of triathlon, Filliol's maiden show certainly fits this bill, with some true gems as far as elite sports coaching goes. Together with Sousa, the unassuming Canadian passively disparages the notion of online "instruction" where cookie-cutter training programs are doled out for a set price to the masses. True coaching favours a more hands-on approach, where the coach guides the athlete in person, being on hand to make adjustments and, above all, to observe. And in any high performance environment, this firsthand presence and application is critical to success.

Life Writing

Morning pages, cursive and chess

Keeping a diary can be laborious.

Way back when, I would shake my head at my fellow athletes who would record every training session as well morning heart rate and the like in training diary. What are you really going to do with that information I would sometimes ask, and always think. The same with heart rate and power wattage downloads; do you print it out and stick it on your kitchen/bedroom wall?

I tried keeping a training log for about two years but it fast became a chore, so this experiment ceased in mid-June (or was it May?) of 2015.

Needless to say I tried and it really didn't bring much value to my life.

Scott Tinely once proclaimed that he did more than enough in a day that writing about it seemed like a senseless undertaking. Ironic given the articulate Californian's current career as a prolific writer and university literature teacher! In fact, reading any of ST's work can leave one with an impression of a serious and deep-thinking bloke, which is directly at odds with the seemingly laid-back surfer persona of his athletic peak. There might even be a lot of personal journals in his vault, although not of the training log variety I suspect.

The Anti-Taper

Continuing Adventures in Sport

It seems that whenever I choose to participate in a long-distance endurance event, my life gets busier and busier in the weeks immediately prior.

Not that I am complaining – far from it in fact – but over-scheduling and “under-resting” seem to be part-and-parcel of my personal race day build up.

While the coaches and textbooks call for slowing down during the last fortnight, I find myself speeding up. A gradual increase in downtime is what is recommended to achieve peak performance over long distances but I find myself increasingly swamped as race day approaches. Why is that? Perhaps it is my own personal defence mechanism kicking, my sub-concious way of diverting my attention away from the event and concentrating on other things that make up of daily life. And to be honest, I wouldn't want it any other way.

An Ode to Escapism

Off the Grid, Artist Dates and Grommets

It is a typical weekday in the office.

Deadlines abound, customer queries and requests are aplenty and lots of PC time ensues.

Earlier this year I hit a personal jackpot by proposing and obtaining approval of scaling back my day job hours to a four day week. Eyebrows were raised by several of my peers when they learned of this achievement; heads started to shake at the terms, which included the relative pay cut. Are you mad, some asked while others harped on the fact of Thursdays being my Fridays, how lucky I am and so on.

While I most certainly count myself as extremely fortunate, I had been planning this move for quite some time. Good things come to those who wait and when the timing felt right, I set forth my proposal, which touched on in a blog post around that time.

Spontaneity on a Shoestring

For the love of sport

With Le Tour around the corner all eyes will no doubt be focussed on the roads of France. The usual racing hypothesis, analysis and politics will no doubt dominate many a conversation, be it in group rides and in coffee shops.

In tandem with the actual racing will see many a tour group following Grand Boucle. Cycling tour packages have become a popular concept, where organised tours varying in length and cost afford the cycling fan to see the racing up close combined with some serious mileage in and around the more spectacular regions of the Continent.

Natural High

Sand, Sea and the Activity

I watched a great video today. Featuring professional and soul surfer Rob Machado, this production centres on an individual’s “natural high,” that is, an activity which a person relishes, loves or cherishes. Something simple and in Machado’s case, it is riding waves big or small.

The love of an activity; a notion that is sometimes lost in the quest for great results and personal bucket lists. I recently had an email exchange with a top local athlete, a brief chat focussing on a future blog profile around a major upcoming triathlon. Now in his mid-forties, this guy alluded to his possible retiring from the elite ranks. Time to give the youngsters a chance, he mused tongue-in-cheek, although reading in between lines revealed a deep passion for competing at the top level for the sheer fun of it. My reply was something along the lines of why quit if you still enjoy it so much? We as athletes should keep doing what we love, right? His concurrence included his seeing his top-level competing as giving back to the sport, i.e. not making it easy for the up-and-comers and supporting the youth coming through.

Two Oceans 2015

For the Love of Adventure

A week has passed since Two Oceans 2015.

Seven days and each one of those bearing forth a little progress in the recovery department, both physically and mentally. My fourth consecutive participation (six if you include my "crash-and-burns" of the late 1990s) in the thirty five mile adventure was no easier than any of the others, my “trashed” legs last Sunday testimony to that. The cumulative effects of hard asphalt, unrelenting climbs and descents, and the sheer distance are hard on any athlete, whether gold medallist or back-marker. But then Two Oceans is not classified as an ultra-marathon for nothing.

Lifestyle Check

Stepping Back - Moving Forward

A recent story regarding South Africa’s Sunshine Tour captured my attention.

Wallie Coetsee is a journeyman pro golfer. Having entered the paid ranks way back in 1992, Coetsee has ploughed his trade in the nether regions of the sport, carving out a sustainable career over the course of the past two decades. With only a couple of victories to his credit, the forty-three year-old Coetsee was leading the recent Joburg Open up until the penultimate day, creating a stir amongst the media over the sudden appearance of this dark horse on the local professional circuit.

Journeyman professionals are commonplace in most sports. Whether mainstream (golf, tennis, rugby etc) or fringe (triathlon, cycling, surfing et al), these guys and girls are the backbone of the paid ranks, albeit away from the spotlight. Using professional cycling as an example, there are many domestic-based riders in France, Italy and Belgium whose earning power and quality of life in the lower division far exceeds that of pursuing a career at World Tour level. A bigger fish in a smaller pond has its benefits, depending upon personal career aspirations of course. Life is all about choices, but I digress.

Instinct Acquisition

Of Chunking and Automation

I starting reading a most interesting and intriguing book today. Only a chapter in and I’m already inspired to write about it.

David Epstein’s excellent The Sports Gene delves into what the mystery of elite sports, that is: what is it that makes top performers better than the rest?

The opening chapter has some great analogies, two of which are the notions of “chunking” and “automation.” In short, chunking is the instinctive ability of an athlete to perceive competitor’s body language and anticipate the outcome thereof. Automation refers to the sports-specific skills that are seemingly natural, almost hardwired into the athlete’s psychological make-up.

Pursuing the Ideal: Epilogue

Comparisons/Biorhythms/Intuitions

As promised in my previous post, here is an expansion of the final three factors I'm trying to optimise in 2015.

This time one year ago, my road racing fitness was close to lifetime best. My 10km running times were fast, with three consecutive races yielded a thirty-odd second improvement on each outing. I was “flying” by my own standards, happily ensconced in that magical bubble of peak athletic performance.

Whilst these respective performances most certainly indicated an exceptionally high level of fitness, a nagging sense of doubt and worry existing in the back of my mind amid the seemingly effortless flow of great competitive outings. In short, a little voice was telling me that my race fitness was perhaps being pursued at the expense of my greater health, more specifically a nagging pain at the back of left heel. My mornings would involve awaking to daily tightness in my left foot, hobbling giving way to limping and finally – when warmed up – to walking and daily running, albeit always with chronic tightness and inflammation.

Pursuing the Ideal: Part 3

Hip Flexion

As promised in my previous post, here is an expansion of the second of five factors I'm trying to optimise in 2015.

I have tight hips. More specifically, my lack of hip flexor mobility is perhaps a reflection of my chosen sporting activities, namely long distance running and cycling. Two sports which I love, although not exactly kind on the body.

Over the past few years, I’ve gradually shifted away from the notion of flexibility for improved performance via traditional static stretching methods. I have certainly done my fair share pushing-down-walls, hanging-on-steps and touching-my-toes imitations in the quest for supple muscles, all in the name of injury prevention. Whilst the notion of prevention is indeed critical and practical in maintaining optimal health and vitality, my confidence – and more specifically, reliance – on these conventional methods waned as I reached my early to mid-thirties.

Pursuing the Ideal: Part 2

Circadian Rhythm

As promised in my previous post, here is an expansion of the first of the five factors I'm trying to optimise in 2015.

In keeping with the theme of optimizing the basics in light of lifestyle variables, one factor that I’ve really dialed in over the last year or two is maintaining a consistent circadian rhythm.

Years of pre-dawn training sessions might have been great for bragging rights and one-upmanship (read: “I already rode 3 hours by 7:30am, so I’m a better athlete.”) but at the end of the day, sacrificing adequate sleep for regular early morning exercise most likely catches up with one in the long term. Especially in the winter months.

Pursuing the Ideal

In Search of Flow

It is the middle of February as I write this entry in the midst of a rather busy period. This is a time of year that I have come to relish and 2015 has certainly lived up to this notion. Whether working as a massage therapist at sporting events or discovering a rare book on philosophy; preparing for an upcoming ultra-marathon or reveling in gardening at dusk; tracking down international athletes to profile or mapping rural South East Asia: these are but a few examples of a lifestyle that I've always dreamed about, which is now a reality.

Such is the pace and randomness of daily life that sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moment. That’s right: living the dream can become all-consuming at times, whether chasing peak performance in sport or attempting to expand a sideline industry. Sometimes we all just need to pause and take in the view. That said, I must admit my observant and inquisitive nature thrives at this time of year, particularly in a sporting sense. Working in sport has many advantages, among those being able to filter the visible and the verbal and applying it to my personal athletic intentions.

Reasons to Complement

Of specificity and diversion. An ode to distraction.

It is the start of a New Year; new beginnings for some, more of the same for many.

My own enforced work sabbatical (part 1 and 2) saw me embrace an extended break for the first time in years, and I must admit that it has done me the world of good. The Festive Season can be as busy or as quiet as you make it and for me, the latter certainly held true.

As the years go by, I find myself ever attracted to the quiet life and can easily relate to those city dwellers that choose a lifestyle change to a small town, or the former sales executive who changes career to that of a writer or guest lodge owner. Even those professional athlete who elects to retire earlier than anticipated in order to pursue an alternate career;  having known a few of these individuals certainly gives one a great insight into how people adapt to a period of change.

Healthy Training Camp: Part Two

Of sleeping, pottering and racing

All is quiet on New Year's Day.

Having enjoyed an early evening beach run on the last day of 2014, I decided to start the New Year on more restful note. That's right: I've elected to spend some extra time in bed on the first day of the year before getting stuck into work around the house, something which I've been doing a lot of this past week or so. My usual morning running routine has been moved to the late afternoon today and I'm looking forward to it. Lazy, some might say but I don't care – for me, life and sport is for pure enjoyment and free time means being truly free.

In contrast to many fellow athletes immersed in increased time on the road and trails, I've resolved to do things differently over my first bout of extended time off in a few years. As I alluded to in Part One, I've certainly pushed the envelope in years past, which almost always came back to bite me later on. Extended periods of illness, injury and lack of energy have been the by-products of my past “Endless Summers” leading to me wonder whether it was all worth it. Learning from one's mistakes is paramount in all aspects of life though, and I often think that the flaws of the past are actually quite important for future growth. My thoughts anyway.

Healthy Training Camp: Part One

Lessons in accumulation; aspirations of true health

The end of December is a unique time of the year. With the Festive Season culminating in Old Year's Night, this period can be either be very quiet or very busy, individual circumstances depending of course.

Almost exactly two years ago, I wrote a blog post outlining how I prefer to take a series of shorter breaks during the course of the year, as opposed to one long holiday. While I am still wholly partial to that particular notion, circumstances this year are such that our office is closed for two weeks. Instead of being part of a skeleton staff compliment over December, something which I do relish, I'm experiencing an enforced work-break for the first time in years. And I'm actually quite enjoying it.

Dare to Compare

In Pursuit of Balance

It is Sunday and I did a long run this morning.

Taking in one of my favourite loops here in Cape Town's southern suburbs, much of the route was off-road, some of it in a forest, with the terrain being mostly rolling with some big hills. I like to try and vary my routes as much as possible and, given my adventurous nature, tend to constantly be on the lookout for new paths or back routes. A good friend once related how his university track coach, a former international-class middle distance athlete, would perform his weekly long run on a two kilometre road circuit noting his elapsed splits upon completion of each lap. He went on to say that he could not imagine me following such structure and he is right. Not that I could even begin to compare my ability to that of my him or his coach.