Beyond managing, is leading. Do you rather manage change, or lead the change?
Just an hour ago, I completed a 25K evening run. Coach prescribed my last long run (26K @ 4:46 km/minute) as part of my Gold Coast Marathon/Ironman Lanzarote preparation. It was a clearly challenging proposition, as I had to meander about the busy and congested running/walking paths. You can only stay your course until a child rides a bicycle across you pathway, endangering both the child and you. I observed many other nocturnal runners – obviously preparing for the upcoming two overnight marathons – dodging human traffic, many weekenders oblivious to the fact that runners were sharing the same paths. I did not meet my target, however was please I had a pleasant run at moderate pace.
It is so easy to let emotions run their course and ruin our moment. Instead, we can recover from our fear response (fight or flight syndrome) by focusing on other things and choices. Either I choose to be angry or I can choose to be vigilant and agile. Agility is an aspect of total fitness that is often overlooked, since many are focused on developing aerobic fitness. Being agile allows us to instinctively react, physically, to sudden jolts and surprises. The startle response activates our fast twitch muscles, so that we jump up or to the side. It is something automatic that our body has been evolved to do. Shocking moments in horror films do make us jerk in our embarrassment.
I saw a few familiar faces – including my triathlon buddies, Lap Huan and Chong Mien – probably training for their first marathon or 100K in May and June, respectively. I bumped into my boot-camp buddy, Lua Choon Huat who is a renowned Masters elite-level marathoner/ultra-marathoner. We met at my 21K mark and exchanged pleasantries and notes about marathons we have done recently. He is featured on Dr Ben Tan’s book ‘Run For Your Life’ (which we reviewed last year, and highly recommend as a comprehensive book to study) for having run high-altitude marathons in Kenya.
Hydration is a key factor when running at night for the humidity can be almost 100 percent. The occasional sea breeze may offer brief and welcome respite, however still air can create a heat blanket. I thought I was adequately hydrated, however I was not. I discovered my urine was mildly bloody – a condition caused by less urine in your bladder when you run – and it did startle me, somewhat. I experienced this condition about five years ago, and worried that my kidneys were failing, however upon scrutiny of the online medical sources, I was somewhat assured that my bean-shaped partners were functioning, albeit giving me fair warning. Lots of fluids, including a simple concoction of sweet barley drink cleared my condition overnight.
Leadership Lessons: Work your locus of control. Manage and lead with what you can influence. There is no point crying over spilt milk: move on! Learn from your mistakes and discoveries, and make adjustments so that you are prepared (and agile) for the likelihood of similar events emerging in the future.
1 comment:
This is surely a matter of fact because in the same way if we see the ways for growing in a statically way then we surely get to learn things, agile certified scrum master are the ones who are very good at controlling the mind because finally that is the thing which lets us move ahead into the right direction which works =.
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