Get Ready and Be Ready

Completing a triathlon, marathon and any endurance sport is akin to taking an examination. Much can happen at such an event, for you have to deal with unexpected and expected outcomes. Problem solving and decision-making are two core competencies that can deliver you from unfortunate turns of events. Failure to complete a race can be attributed to myriad factors, however ill preparedness and ignorance is inexcusable and costly a price to pay.

Being prepared allows us to respond, instead of react, with immediacy and relevance. If you are practiced in changing tyres when you encounter a puncture, then you can initiate the change smoothly. If you are untrained and unfamiliar with the procedure, you can only invite panic and confusion, and this interferes with your effectiveness and efficiency.

Travelling teaches us to be self-sufficient and independent. From applying for a visa to booking travel tickets to checking into a hotel, these processes involve a sense of meticulousness and paying attention to details. Doing things at the last minute merely invites stress and tension that sap on your energies and alertness. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable to stresses can also test your effectiveness, and you want to minimise that.

Before your next overseas race, pack early and ensure that you have enough spares and additional nutritional support. Travel with your race-helmet, bike shoes, running shoes, swim-goggles, and one set of tri-attire with you – just in case your main luggage gets misplaced. Remember your racing card (membership of your national triathlon association), photo-identification, and a copy of race entry details. Take snapshots on your mobile phone of your e-ticket, entry confirmation slip, and the like. Reduce the fuss and the fumbling.

Be early. Be prepared. Be comforted by freeing your mind of burdens.

Leadership Raw and Unbridled!

I was watching K.F. Seetoh host Makansutra Raw – where he pops in unannounced to the best eateries in Singapore and gives his informed commentaries and critique. Raw is being prepared for the camera-crew, and being measured by a paying customer. I observed that more than half of the hawkers and restaurateurs were extremely camera-shy and averse to being filmed. Here was a golden opportunity to be filmed and assessed by a fair and friendly food critic and yet, they vehemently refused to consider the opportunity for publicity. I call this is the Star Trek ‘teleportation’ moment – Beam me down, Scotty! It is real, raw and unscripted. One can only be as genuine as one can be; it cannot be contrived, rehearsed and pretend.

I wonder if the level of fear was equated with a lack of education about business tools? Retailers enjoy walk-in, sell-by-itself status; fine when you enjoy popularity, and positive word-of-mouth marketing status. It is when customers stop coming to your stall that incurs their deepest worries. Are they worried that a critic might call their bluff? Stop serving bad food and raise the bar of quality. Not every business is designed to last; that is why fly-by-night businesses have short live-spans. It is deliberate, tactical and deadly. Long-term business requires strategies, deep thought, living by a credo of values that attract and attach customers to us.

How ready are we for the incessant assaults of the world? How fully prepared are we for the next challenge that is flung our way? How do you anticipate the changes in your career and business? How do we stay raw and ready as leaders within our teams?

*****

Last night, I decided to run a half-marathon (with nutritional support) instead of a fast ride. I made a good decision, as I tested out my race pace on my K-Swiss training shoes. I ran about 4:50 min/K for the first 11K and then 5:10 for the next 10K. My target pace would be 5:45 min/K for that would be within my prescribed race-day, running heart rate. As it was humid, I had to ensure adequate hydration and I made my necessary but time-consuming, drinking-from-the-tap stops. It was not my best pace for a stand-alone marathon, however it was the pace for my dream Ironman marathon. I am aiming for four hours, and less for this flat course. If my riding legs hold and I pace myself well, I should be able to make a crack for it. Time to decide which running shoes to put into my Run bag…

Can You Be Over-Prepared?

If you train months ahead of a race, will you be over-prepared?

It takes about 16-20 weeks to adequately train for an Ironman triathlon, at least to complete it in decent time. There is a down side to this – and it is plausible – can you over-do the preparation? One danger of training is the period leading to a race. Many athletes have gotten sick before the race (even Chrissy Wellington had a touch of the flu before the race at Kona this year). Perhaps, self-imposed high expectations may lead to this mindset of training just a little more, for it wouldn’t hurt. Or would it?

The recursive pattern of ‘I may not have trained enough’ to reach your goals may be a debilitating one. Instead of building to your peak, you squander it away recklessly because of emotional distractions. Before you can adequately recover before the next training session, you blow the whole lot by depleting your limited resources.

Be aware of your energy. How do you manage it? How do you control anxiety, doubt and worries? How do you harness your energy – emotional, physical and mental – to give you the advantage you seek on race day? Anabolism follows catabolism. Build up after you break down.

Similarly, how do you stay in peak performance for a business presentation? Can you be over-prepared? Do you rehearse until everyone goes home? Do you tweak your script until you give it a salient facelift? Perhaps, under-training is a shade safer than being over-trained?