Going TRIbal

Marketing author, Seth Godin proposed the concept of Tribes. And his concept has attracted interest in the field of branding, marketing, charity and causes.

Three-time Ironman triathlon world champion, Chrissy Wellington blogged about GOTRIbal, a worldwide movement for women doing endurance sports.

Tribes of Twitter and Facebook may feel that it is their right to post tweets and blogs based on their opinions, yet there are implications for rampant rants and raves. In the Six Degree of Separation, your tribes may inform you of indiscriminate and unfair propagation of messages. Sure we have little control; we can claim it is a free market enterprise, capitalism or consumer rights. Amazon.com works on word of mouth and reviewers rank their degree of product satisfaction by their written reviews and scores. Like a beauty pageant, subjectivity (based on likes and dislikes) needs to be factored. A sporting event is more straightforward and objective: who finishes first, or lifts most, or jumps the highest. The Olympic ideals of faster, stronger and highest are empirical and exact measures and evaluations.

Evaluation is useful and powerful. An upset student can score a trainer/teacher low, and cite their preferences as a cause for qualification. Yet, some fail to appreciate the process, specific content and approach. It is too easy to succumb to familiarity and comfort. We have our paradigms, yet how often do we evaluate and review our paradigms. It is akin to reviewing who your true friends are, and who we value the most in our relationships.

This morning, at the TRI-Run held at Sengkang I experienced many moments of leadership in action. I witnessed the winner in the Men’s Open category, Mok Ying Ren (2007 SEA Games Triathlon gold medalist) run back to the run-course to encourage the finishing runners on. Now, that reflects well on his character and role as race ambassador! He also surrendered his top prize to the runner-up.

Tribes are essential for pushing forward our cause. All it takes is one supporter of your cause, and we are up and running.

I enjoy writing and reporting for you. Even if I have one reader, I am rewarded on so many levels of personal satisfaction. Thank you, John for introducing yourself to me as one of my readers. I am inspired by your actions – congratulations on your achievement! It was a hot and tough race – however we will cherish this experience for it tested our mettle.

*I completed the TRI-Factor 21km (3 loops of 7km) run course in 1:44:50. It is my personal best in a 21km race, yet I ran a split-time PB last year during the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon at 1:41. As this is my tune up for the Berlin Marathon, I will use this data to design my training, specifically, for a 3:19 qualification on 26 September. I am not an elite runner, and I perform on hard work and expert advice. Thankfully, my legs are holding well and I am responding to my recent running gait. Thank you Matthew for suggesting that pool session after our run, as it seems to have helped my recovery.

**Coaching Points: Through our short discussion this morning, these are what a neophyte runner racing would need:

1)    Race-belt/race tag

2)    Energy gels (one packet per 20-30 minutes) as most races do not carry it at aid-station

3)    Medium-cut socks (sandy trails and routes can encourage abrasion, even if it one grain)

4)    Vaseline, or any lubricant that minimizes friction at your seams (racing attire)

5)    Wear what you normally train in; never introduce new things on race-day

6)    It is essential to fuel up with simple and complex carbohydrates immediately after intense exercise, and protein and carbohydrates within an hour of cessation of exercise (Dean Karnazes recommends this strongly when he raced 50 marathons over 50 days).

7)    Do post-race cool-down and recovery methods such as ice-baths, swimming, sports massage and stretching

8)    Read Matt’s commentary on this morning’s race. Select a race, plan it and race it.