With the onset of many of South Africa's premiere endurance sporting events over the next few months, it is perhaps interesting to note the mindsets and thoughts of the aspirant participants as the prepare in earnest.
I must admit that
I do have a keen interest in what others are up to. People's ideas and
idiosyncrasies have always fascinated me, even if I don't necessarily agree
with all of them. And this inquisitiveness is not limited exclusively to
athletics. Some of the most interesting people that I have come to know have
never run a step or pedalled a revolution in their lives.
I'm currently
reading Nassim Taleb's interesting and thought-provoking “Antifragile”, which
explores how we can rise above and actually thrive in uncertainty and volatility.
It is quite heavy reading – I am only on page 77 after three weeks – but
Taleb's writing addresses a recurring theme: expecting the unexpected and
acting accordingly. This is the antithesis of what he terms the “fragile”,
where those who adhere to any form of rigidity and expected outcome find
themselves in a difficult place when the unexpected comes their way. Not sure
if this paints an accurate picture of his work, but that is the impression I'm
getting so far.
Whilst Taleb's
writing seemingly applies to real life events and business, what I have read so
far could possibly also apply to our own sporting pursuits and how we can “roll
with the punches” when things don't go according to plan.
This past
Saturday presented some good examples of what I'm talking about. I was chatting
with a friend who is preparing for the premiere multi-day mountain bike stagerace in the world, which takes place in the Western Cape annually. My friend
has successfully completed this eight-day event on three consecutive occasions,
electing to not participate in 2013 owing to injury - and life in general -
getting in the way.
Her previous
years of preparation followed an almost identical pattern, which had served her
well. She had seemingly found the perfect template. With the 2014 event looming
in just over two months, her current build up scarcely resembles that of those
years. With her juggling university exams, running a pre-school, supporting her
husband and children in their lives amongst the myriad of other activities that
constitute her busy life, she finds herself a little stressed-out that her
cycle training is not at the same level in mid-January as it has been over the
previous years. Chatting with her, I could sense a feeling of slight insecurity
about her current state of fitness, given the sight of the many bronzed-looking
cyclists that adorn the mid-summer roads and trails here in Cape Town.
The worst thing
my friend could possibly do is to now try and play “catch-up” in an attempt to
match her peaking peers. As the old adage goes, “bullshit baffles brains” and
can be catastrophic in sporting terms if other individuals tall tales of
excessive training/impressive numbers etc are to be believed. Things
along the lines of “Martha Bartha cycled 250km last Saturday with 10 000m of
climbing after getting home from a party at 4am” seem impressive but can often
be correctly interpreted by applying long division or simple subtraction. The key
to success is trust, not necessarily in a coach or equipment, but in oneself
and knowing that one is doing the best they can do given their unique daily
circumstance. What can we do to best improve ourselves each day?
With my friend
now settling into a slightly less hectic schedule where cycling can move up the
agenda in terms of importance (honours exams are not that important, are
they?), she has resolved to just stick with what she is doing now, namely long
(and sometimes short), slow mileage that fits her own specific physiology and lifestyle.
There is still time to improve and there is no doubt that she will – rather be
slightly under prepared than overcooked.
Speaking of
which; earlier that same day I participated in a local 15km running event.
Given its hilly nature and depth in competition, I had been looking forward to
this race for quite a while. Taking into account my own promising results in
two smaller events during December, I was naturally looking towards enjoying
the benefits of the fitness gained there in Saturday's event. My approach was
identical as was with those earlier races – lots of slow, easy running (read:
jogging) and a once weekly cycle (read: hilly doddle) over some of my favourite
local terrain. The fact that I couldn't replicate the same form and my feeling
rather flat mid-race left me somewhat puzzled and slightly discouraged.
Jogging home
after the race, my mind was conflicted. With the next event taking place in
three weeks time, it is amazing what goes through a person's head in
contemplation! My impulsive side might call for bi-weekly speedwork in order to
rectify my lack of pace. That should right the ship, no? Luckily my more
pragmatic side argues for some semblance of common sense and reason, namely:
- the race result was not actually that abysmal, just slightly disappointing.
- the symptom was lack of pace and feeling flat, but what was the real cause given my identical preparation?
- I compete for the love of competing as a recreational athlete. Even if the result was not what I had hoped for, I still competed.
- to summarise: sometimes life just sucks! We can't worry about what we can't control.
Thankfully the
more pragmatic inner voice won over and I am not embarking on any sort of
self-sabotage in the form of punishment training. Rather, I'm going to do just
the opposite and slow down my daily training pace slightly. Three hard races
over the past six weeks needs to be absorbed. Together with a fleeting soigneur
job in the Garden Route planned for the coming weekend (real planes, trains and
automobiles stuff), any form of intensity would negatively affect me.
So I'm resolving
to take a step back and let things pan out naturally. I'm going to take things
day by bay. Observing Jack Foster's rule of thumb of “an easy day for every
mile raced”, I can only entertain doing anything faster than jogging pace after
Monday next week. Factor in the tiring effects of my imminent travelling this
coming weekend and another two easy days could well be added to that rule.
Who wants to wake
up tired if you don't have to?
Let's resolve to
sleep like the dead and wake up alive.
Will try to take
photos on the trip northeast.
