Splitting the Difference

When was the last time you split the difference?

In negotiations, splitting the difference is about making and giving concessions. You make ‘compromises’, or ‘shared promises’. If you do this for me, I’ll do this for you. When you give me this, I’ll give you…

We are familiar with group meals, where we go Dutch, and pay for our own share. However, splitting the difference may mean sharing the total costs, with you ending up paying a little more. Now, if generosity is the name of your game, then this extra difference that you give expresses your willingness to compromise.

Today, I split my Ironman training workout into two sessions. I did 90 minutes running and swimming in the pool. It comprise 10:10 run/swim bricks, that is I ran for 10 minutes than followed it up with 10 minutes of front crawl swimming. I ran these sets, one after the other, with no rest.

In the evening, I rode almost two hours with 3 sets of 10 minutes on the highest gear. On arriving, I did 20 minutes of strength & conditioning (mainly CrossFit) with the balance-board and kettle-bell. I am pleased with my effort, and await tomorrow’s early group ride. We’ll share the workload pulling the pack, for that is what riders do to return the favour of drafting behind another rider.

Split the difference.

Splitting The Difference

Today, I did a double session: a strength ride session, and a swim session. Both emphasised strength even though I am on my final tapering days towards the next 226K-triathlon challenge. I had to postpone my session on Wednesday due to work, and Tuesday was a rest day after last weekend’s inception of tapering. Last Saturday, I completed three hours with seven (K) loops of Selarang (a popular route with cyclists). This evening’s swim with two Ironman 70.3 finishers and one Kona age-group world champion was a motivating one. I will receive personal instruction for my swim when I prepare for Ironman Switzerland on 15 July.

Some of my team-mates for Ironman New Zealand have been keeping active, too, although with a less structured routine. The simple approach is to reduce mileage (distance) and maintain intensity (if not increase it slightly). Coach has me doing short intervals as my main sets, using half-Ironman pace. The purpose is to challenge the body to accustom itself to varying bouts of intensities during race conditions. Also, I need to fully rest and recover before the big dance at Lake Taupo.

Updates on IMNZ preparation: I had my custom-made Elite Custom Razor bike built up. It does not look spiffy (yet), and looks like a prop from the Rock Horror Show. Yet, it retains most of the parts of the last bike, save for the damaged frame and aero-bars. You could say that it looks constructed from washing-machine parts (with a respectful nod to the ‘Flying Scotsman’). I hope that tomorrow’s two-hour ride will have me settle quickly into the seemingly, aggressive aero-position. I was riding roadie-style on my back-up Orbea Vitesse since my bike crashed, and road mostly upright on the bullhorns.

I will follow up with a brief report on the Duathlon race happening tomorrow on the East Coast. I am giving it a miss, although I would love to race. A dropped bottle-cage cost me a podium finish, and I was left with a sixth position in my highly competitive age-group last year. Stay focused on IMNZ, I will.

Thriving on Paranoia

"You only get out of the valley of death," he says in his book, "by outrunning the people who are after you. And you can only outrun them if you commit yourself to a particular direction and go as fast as you can. Hedging is expensive and dilutes commitment. Without exquisite focus, the resources and energy of the organization will be spread a mile wide -  and they will be an inch deep." ~ ANDY GROVE, CEO, INTEL


The founder of Intel, Andy Grove wrote this book ‘Only the Paranoid Survive’ (1996). Usually associated with abnormal psychology, paranoia is about an unfounded fear about people, places and events.


I did a short session of running intervals at midday, not the best time to do it, but a useful mental strengthener when you complete it. The relevant thing about running on the path at noon is that, runners have an aversion for the intense heat and risk of sunburn. I was mindful to run within a semblance of shade, as I was not wearing the gooey sunscreen – it does overheat my body and clogs up my sweat pores. It was a hard session, and I was glad I did it. My Coach, Fox is spot-on when it comes to training in the trenches; smart, hard, training reaps dividends at the most challenging times.

This evening, I decided to go for a ride. I haven’t ridden my pearly-white, custom-fitted, Orbea Vitesse for a few weeks, so decided to check out the condition of my ride muscles. I bumped into my friend Michael (who just finished his sets of 1.5km intervals), who I trained with and ran at the Sundown Ultra-marathon. I asked him if his legs were exhibiting symptoms of injuries about a month after the race, but not before. He agreed, and we chatted about my observation and his experience with injuries in his first ultra-marathon in 2008. Michael believed that prolonged rest (i.e. away from hard running) was imminent or else injuries could become chronic. I was assured that my rehabilitative exercises were helping me so far.

As I rode solo, which is pretty much de rigueur for me, I noticed that the heavy-laden construction trucks were, occasionally, very close to me. I trust my riding skills and compliance to road-rules, yet I could not say the same for the hurried drivers. Having assumed a sense of paranoia for the duration of my ride on the long stretch of tar road, I think I kept myself safe from any distractions and potential risks. The pockmarked and scabrous road surface made my ride bumpy and irritable at times, however I focused on the road ahead and respected it by slowing down when I suspected something troublesome. In a way, it was akin to a road less travelled by me. I did three loops of the 10km route, which I am familiar for its strong headwinds during the monsoon season.

This session was a follow-up to my earlier piece about split sessions. Train twice a day, however, reduce the session time but increase its intensity. This approach can also be applied to workplace tasks, projects and meetings. Marathon meetings are, unarguably, painful and unpleasant; split them, keep them focused and meaningful, and assess the difference. Decide and determine what works best for you and your team.

Run, not hide. Ride, with paranoia.

Do we need to avoid caffeine? The verdict is out-side the box.