It May Not Hurt (Much) to Take A Break

The reality is, few people will be fondly remembered for coming to work early, leaving later than others. That is old school and out of date. Result and performance matter more, than putting in the lengthy, unpaid, overtime hours. We are the sum of our efforts, but not because of it. Effectiveness and efficiency ranks higher than people who look busy, are unproductive, and slow in their movements.

One thing we can draw from triathlons and journalism is: fail to meet the deadlines, and you are done. It is painful to watch swimmers being dragged out of the swim leg of the Ironman triathlon for failing to meet the 2 hour 20 minutes cut-off timing. You have 17 hours (exactly) to complete the 226K of swim, ride and run. You need to respect the stringent guidelines for each discipline/phase, for therein lies the challenge of sports. Faster, stronger and higher – these are and to be the Olympic ideals.

If your work-life dominates your entire being, then it may be eminent that you may seriously need to take a break. Request for the nearest duration of leave days you can use. Workaholics are employees who allow their work to dominate and desecrate their lives. All work and no plays, does dull your mind and body. If you choose to bring work home, you do it out of your choice. If you think it spells into future results, do it for deliberate and clear reasons.

If you think that as a marathoner, that you must do 70-90 kilometres a week of running then that is your belief. If another runner attains similar if not better results than you do with less mileage, then you need to recognise that. There are many variables to factor in for sporting excellence, and over-training may not be one of them. Some of our elite age-group runners run only three times a week, and supplement this activity with cross-training: star-climbing, hill-running, weight-training, core stability work, cycling, swimming, and others.

I just took a two-day hiatus from work and endurance training and did some travel. One of the physical discomforts I experienced was newly found, soreness and stiffness in some of my muscles. I may have exercised some muscle groups used in retail-therapy, or it could be my body responding to rest. When muscles heal during inactivity, they may feel weak and sore. Fret not – it is merely nature’s way of repairing overworked muscles and weaving a stronger fabric. That way, you will be cut out for the work when you begin training or racing.

Leadership Lessons: Take time to smell the flowers. If you are Type-A, learn to slow down occasionally. If you are pushy, hold back your forcefulness. Push through with your earnestness; yet pull with your influence. There are more to life than work and play; explore, discover and enjoy. Work less, however work effectively.

Having A Feel For Things

‘I feel the earth move – under my feet. I feel the sky tumbling down…’ ~ Carole King

Running barefoot and doing core training taught me two main things: having a feel for my surroundings and my body.

Sports teach us about feeling, and feeling sensations outside our body (exteroception) as well as inside (interoception). It is about developing a feel for movement, momentum and mobility. How we move, move faster and move around dictates our results and impact on others. Results without relationships can be a hollow victory. It is akin to celebrating by yourself when you succeed. That is why our Iron-Crew and Iron-Mates are crucial to our total success as lifestyle athletes.

When you run barefoot, or walk barefooted on the beach you activate your connection with the ground. Terra firma – the earth beneath our feet – gives us a sense of rooting our self to something. By having our feet on the ground, we are earthed and realistic. It is the antithesis of building castles in the air, where we do not have the building material and place to anchor it. Virtual space is still space, whereas landed property is based on an acreage, and land.

When you stand on one foot, you will activate your proprioceptors – internal balancing centres. Proprioception means ‘sense of self’. In the limbs, the proprioceptors are bodily sensors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length, and tension, which is integrated to give information about the position of the limb in space. How we land when running, or put our foot on the pedal during cycling, and stay balanced when dancing – engages proprioception. Close your eyes; when you stay balanced your proprioception is activated.

Leadership lessons: How do you develop a feel for your people? How much do you engage your intuition? How do you connect with people?

Consider a feel for business. How do you develop a feel for people as well as for the business? Here is my interview with business author Guy Kawasaki on how to keep your clients and colleagues enchanted.

Ended Relationships in Endurance Sports: The Ultimate Sacrifice?

Do endurance sports and marriages mix? 

John Cook blogged about this yesterday and, interestingly, I have been thinking about my observations over the years. Is there a scientific or statistical correlation to this? If you are squeamish or in denial, stop reading now!

I, personally, know of more than a handful of friends and acquaintances (doing endurance sports seriously) that have suffered the loss of a marriage in recent years. I believe that this is a painful process, yet it may release both parties from a challenging, long-term proposition. Whether this is a pattern of not remains to be seen…

Endurance sports can take its toll two counts. On the one hand, the endurance athlete may succumb to injury, sickness, chronic fatigue or death resulting from accident (through the sport). On the other, the spouse may feel neglected, ignored, misplaced or suspicious about the partner. It does not help that youthful looking people surrounded you with their sterling physical appearance! On the flip side, these very prized bodies are also not particularly appealing after they cross the finishing-line, for they are wrapped in a spray of mucous, sweat, sports drink, and residual sea-water. Thanks, but no thanks! And, by the way – regardless of gender – nobody sparkles, except a horse. Instead, we endurance athletes sweat and stink – and that’s the honest truth!

In defence of endurance athletes, I am aware that most who arise early to train may be suffering from sleep deprivation, caffeine-infused consciousness, inner civil conflict (‘should I train, or should I sleep?’), and in no way headed for a place of ill repute (well, not at a few hours to peak-hour traffic). The fact is that, upon completing an hour or two of cycling or running, or a session at the pool you still have to go to work. The burst of adrenaline and endorphins may be useful for a few hours, before you succumb to post-workout fatigue. The idea of breakfast at your work-desk may not be such an enticing idea; perhaps, showering at the workplace bathroom, might.

Some well-intentioned pedestrians and observers may suggest the notion of work-life balance, however I disagree. Here, I discreetly borrow Jack Welch’s (of GE fame) approach to corporate life: work-life choice. Choose. In most cases, when training for a major race, our personal goals become our point of focus in our corporeal life. We may be possessed by, and be obsessed with the idea of completing a longer endurance race, or achieving a faster timing. Something will have to give. It may mean less sleep, or earlier to bed. It may translate to training within a prescribed schedule, or whatever time permits. It may be subject to exigencies, emergencies or an Act of God. It may be for 16-20 weeks of the year where you go maniacal, and for the rest of the year you imitate the lifestyle of a Sloth or Koala Bear, and build up enough fat for prolonged hibernation.

Endurance training and racing need not be the ultimate show of sacrifice to oneself, and to others. Live life fully. Live it. Be livid. Believe it.