Are You Having Chicken Rice?

As some of our readers are relatively new to triathlons and biathlons, here is an article that my coach, Craig ‘Fox’ Holland wrote. We have members in our triathlon group (Eastern Night Riders) spend more than 10 minutes during Transitions 1 and 2. Fox asks: ‘Are you having chicken rice?’ This amusing, but poignant term has stuck with us especially when we discover that one of us exceeds a reasonable amount of time in the, often, chaotic changing-tent. Enjoy.

Would you like to take at least 10 minutes off your next race? How about a 2 km head start on the run over your competitors? It is achievable with practice and refinement of specific skills.

Learn to master the skills involved and you will get to the finish-line a lot quicker. Do not let your body down on race day by missing the little things that make the big difference. Train smart, and race smarter.

Below are three specific areas that can make or break your race depending on how well you tackle them. There is no reason why you cannot perform these skills as good, or as better than the professionals.

Rate yourself out of 10 in regards to the statements below. Be honest, have you really mastered these skills or is there room for improvement? Rank the following from 1 through 10 - 1 being poor, and 10 being excellent.

1. I always have a race plan and stick to it. /10

2. My fluid and food intake works well for me under race conditions. /10

3. I am very efficient through the transitions and food/drink aid stations. /10

1. Race Plan of Attack

Do you go into a race with a specific plan of attack or do you head off just hoping to finish? Do you know your machine (your body) and how well it will stand up under racing conditions? What limits can you reach before it breaks down? Have you placed yourself under similar extreme conditions during training?

If not, do not expect to maintain the same intensity without suffering the consequences later in the race. Be prepared by learning what works best for you and race within your machines’ ability. Simulate race conditions in training so your body will be ready to perform on race day. Race smart by keeping a constant watch on your nutrition, heart rates, and drive the machine within its capabilities.

2. Nutrition: Fluid and Food Intake

Many athletes spend hour upon hour refining their swim, bike and running but pay little attention to their nutrition and the refueling of their bodies. You can have the best racing car on the day but if you do not refuel it and maintain the oil levels, it will seize up.

I have been guilty of it myself. The majority of races that I have failed to meet my expectations in, have been the result of my ignorance, either over-stressing or not refueling my body correctly.

A large percentage of athletes suffer on race day because they fail to fuel their body correctly and simulate race conditions during training. Do not let your body down each time you go training or racing. Know exactly how much food and fluid your body requires before, during, and post-activity.

If you are feeling flat towards the end of those long rides or runs, you may be starving yourself of important nutrients; such as carbohydrates, protein, potassium, sodium and fluids.

Depending on the conditions of the day and temperature, you need to be consuming at least one gram of carbohydrate per hour for every kilogram of your body weight and at least 750ml to 1500ml of water per hour.

Getting nutrition right is not easy and what works for your mate Tee or Clifford will not necessarily work for you. So learn what is best for you and give yourself a fair chance every time you expect your body to step up and perform. Start feeding it right. You can do this as good, if not better than the Pros.

3. Transitions

How quick do you get in and out of the transitions? On average, most triathletes spend between 12-18 minutes in transition during an Ironman. Transitions are not the time to be having a feed of chicken rice. Save it, until after the race.

Have a look at the quickest athletes who are spending no more than 5 to 8 minutes total. They have refined every step and eliminated all time wasting. Do not do in transition what you can do on the bike, or on the run. Get in, get your gear on and get out as quickly as you can. Familiarize yourself pre-race with the entry and exit points and find the quickest path.

Bike Stations

Minimizing time spent through these stations can save you energy at the end of the day. Pre-race, identify the distance between all bike food/drink stations and develop a plan for the day. Be prepared for the stations as you approach them and ensure you have consumed your fluids. Get rid of the empty bottle and position yourself strategically, so you can safely get new supplies and get back to top speed again.

These aid stations can impact heavily on your daily average. Keep them as efficient as you can. Get in, get your fuel and get out of there as quickly as you can.

Run Stations

On the run, how many of the food/drink aid stations do you stop at? There are, on average, about 20 such stations on the run-course. If you spend 30 seconds to a minute at each one, you would now have accumulated 10-20 minutes standing around.

Yes, you do need to stop at the stations and take on fuel but you can minimize your pit-stop time by always moving forward. Even if you set yourself a goal to walk/jog every second station you will save a lot of time.

There are many other aspects in becoming a good Triathlete and we will never be able to swim, ride or run as good as the professionals. However, we do have the ability to be the best in the field when it comes to applying the above principles.

So for your next outing, have a “Realistic Plan of Attack,” be diligent with your “Nutrition” and mindful of the time wasting whilst visiting Transitions and Aid Stations. It will put you several kilometres ahead of your usual pack. May the winds be with you!

Fox is available for personalised, online coaching. I strongly recommend his service.

Freedom of Read

I am truly thankful for my Faculty of Associates who had made this blog possible and successful over the past 48 days. Seth Godin’s challenge of ‘one blog a day, everyday for three years, until it becomes #1’ is really worth considering. It is a nice dream to nurture for Netizens of the Blogosphere.

Whether print or broadcast media, the quality of the content provided is very important; sometimes, it is everything. The experts in broadcast communication (mainstream television, free-to-air, cable and online) constantly grapple with which programs to deliver to home-viewers. Attention span is limited, and eyeball time can only be invested in, only if there is reason to. In the interest of valuing your time, I have deliberately posted interviews and essays in full, and you can choose to come back, whenever you want. Do whatever you like. I call this ‘freedom of read’ and ‘freedom of reach’.

I admit that I have a bias for interviews, as I gain from the verbatim responses. It is hard to shrug off four years of journalism from my back – one’s past has a way of haunting you. When I filter through the responses I receive, I can get a glimpse or even hard look at a person’s tacit experience, tacit wisdom, strategies for success, leadership attributes, character, and lifestyle approaches. There is a vast expanse of human potential and capability, just waiting to be tapped into. Sometimes, I get lucky and hit a mother lode of possibilities. I think I have been fortunate to hit several nodes in this mother lode (community of bloggers), mined through this social media tool (the blog), and the accompanying friendships that I have made prospects with (blogging).

One such prospect is ALAN GERALDI. 'SFTriGuy' is no stranger to the Triathlon Family Forum in Singapore. He is a loyal Family Man, Dedicated Lawyer, Committed Athlete, Reliable Friend, and Co-Founder of the San Francisco Triathlon Club (now, one of the largest and strongest triathlon club in the USA). Oh, did I mention that he has raced in several Ironman triathlons and numerous ultra-marathons (think multiples of 42km)! I hope that tickles your fancy…

Stay tuned. The Badwater Ultra-marathon Man will be up next.

An Attitude for Thinking

Thinking and emotions are major dimensions of human personality. I once compiled about 70 of my thought processes for a workshop I designed for IKEA, although there are about 200 identified. We can think, guess, contemplate, ponder, elucidate, reflect, opine, and conjecture.

How would you enhance your thinking? After all, critical thinking skills are much sought after in a leader – in decision-making, creative problem-solving, motivation, and learning.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote and invented the character, Sherlock Holmes. In many ways, Doyle WAS the eccentric detective with the investigative mind, residing at 221B Baker Street. The deductive and inductive reasoning, logic and reasoning used by Holmes are interesting fodder for the thinker. His questions were based on acute observation, depth of analysis and thorough referencing. Read these novels as they build upon our imagination and critical thinking styles. Robert B. Dilts has done a thesis on Doyle’s cognitive patterns in his excellent book, “Strategies of Genius” Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (Meta-Publications).

Here are some extracts from this infamous address: www.221bakerstreet.org

You can read whole, copyright-free stories on the intrepid detective with the razor-sharp, drug-inspired mind.

"By a man's finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt-cuffs - by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent inquirer in any case is almost inconceivable." ~ From A Study In Scarlet (1887)

Leadership Lessons:

1) Read from various sources (books, magazines, research papers, newspapers, online publications)

2) Challenge what you read; never accept anything at first blush

3) Discuss issues with friends and colleagues

4) Defend your argument, without being argumentative

5) Play cognitive games (e.g. Sudoku, Master Mind, Chess, crossword puzzles, cryptic crosswords, solve Rubik’s Cube)

6) Learn a new skill, and commit to mastering it

7) Interview, and ask comprehension questions (6W & H)

When Performance Takes a Dip

Seth Godin wrote in his book, ‘The Dip is really about avoiding temptation and gravity, and becoming the best in the world.’

Leaders either quit or continue when they face a dip. It is so easy to quit when you are fatigued, bored, angry, challenged and judged unfairly. It is easy to follow the crowd, or break away from it.

Last Sunday morning, I participated in the Mizuno Mount Faber Run. Hundreds participated, each with their own set of aspirations, dreams and challenges. As it was my first such run, over several hills I was not quite sure what to expect. I was already familiar with the terrain, however my experience was founded on my bicycle. Running on several slopes posed several concerns for me. With my experience to guide me, plus tacit wisdom from other runners I ran this 10km race with hundreds of other runners – in a satisfying time.

The run up the first slope was a major concern of many runners, especially those who were new to this route. Those of us, used to flat roads (status quo), found the change in tangent alarming. Inexperienced and unfit runners made their way to the top of the hill, with surprising fatigue. Some had to walk, or decided to walk. The resilient ones took it one step at a time. Once at the top, some decided to compensate for lost time by sprinting down the hill. There is strong evidence to indicate that running downhill activates muscle soreness. This is because the muscles stretch under tension (eccentric contraction) when working with gravity. I slowed down deliberately, to reduce tension on my leg as runners sprinted down the slope uncontrollably.

I recall my teacher, Gary teaching me the notion of pacing. Leaders know their pace, and they appreciate working with other people’s pacing. On a systems thinking level, slow may be fast; and vice versa.

For those who managed their expectations, they tended to perform well. The dip is where you are most tested, especially at the start of the hill. That bottom is one section, before you will meet another. Breakthroughs are made at the bottom of your patience; the nadir of your expectations. Mediocre performance is seldom noticed, whereas splendid performance engages attention.

Swim, ride or run: Move past your mediocrity. Project towards your future. Aim towards your sense of excellence. Being average is not fulfilling your potential.

Seth’s Dip Manifesto is available from http://changethis.com/34.01.thedip.

How do you manage the Dip? Some of the manifesto’s ideas include:

1) Blog everyday, for three years, until your blog is #1 in its field.

2) Give up your social life for a year until you make editor of the law review.

3) Last six seconds longer on every single exercise in the gym until your abs actually start to grow.

4) Find a dip and embrace it.

5) The harder the dip, the better the chance being the one to get through it.

The Power of Compliments

Do you enjoy being complimented? Do you give the occasional compliment to those around you?

Compliments can be encouraging. A compliment can make your day. It focuses on your achievements and attributes.

I had the privilege of having the late-Insoo Kim Berg teach me the relevance of compliments. Insoo Kim Berg, MSSW (1934-2007), was co-founder and director of the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, WI. She developed the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) model with her partner, Steve de Shazer. A native of Korea, Insoo balanced her heritage with Western scientific training in her clinical practice and teaching.

Insoo suggested three approaches:

1) Direct compliment

2) Indirect compliment

3) Self-compliment

Which do you think Asians are most comfortable with: Direct, or indirect compliments?

When dishing (versus fishing for) compliments, ensure that you are genuine in your intention. If you are insincere, your receiver may respond awkwardly. When timed well, compliments empower staff and clients by enhancing their self-confidence. In the Transactional Analysis sense, compliments are a form of positive strokes. In Experience Orientated Management (EOM), Gary Yardley and Jan Kelly proposed Recognition as part of a rapport-building approach.

When leaders provide recognition, it gives their staff ‘courage’. Encouragement may be more relevant than ‘empowerment’. Empowerment involves taking responsibility and relinquishing authority. Often, managers prefer to hoard the authority, and pass on the responsibility.

For more about Solutions Focused interventions, especially in coaching and counseling please go to Brief Academy.

Graduate School for Unemployed College Students

This post is in response to new graduates I have spoken to in recent months. I hope that it gives them another perspective on what to do in the interim. In times of the Dip, leaders stick to their guns or give up.

Fewer college graduates have jobs now, than at any other time in recent memory, according to a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The annual student survey claimed that 20 percent of 2009 college graduates who applied for a job actually have one. So, what should the disappointed 80% of the graduating population do?

You may continue with a post-graduate degree. If you earn a scholarship, just do it! It can be a plus in your resume. Alternatively, what about a post-graduate year doing some combination of the following (not just one, how about all):

1.    Spend up to twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit organisation.

2.    Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but attain mastery.

3.    Volunteer to coach or assistant-coach a kids’ sports team.

4.    Start, run and grow an online community.

5.    Give one speech a week to local organizations.

6.    Interview guests and write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.

7.    Learn a foreign language fluently.

8.    Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.

9.    Self-publish a book.

10. Run a marathon.

A striking exampled of continuing education opportunity would be Seth Godin’s vision to start a 6-month Alternative MBA course. His nine selected students learnt, in a self-directed way, key skills of being an entrepreneur, freelancer, marketer and businessperson. It was Godin’s attempt to help leaders change the world. Basically, he opened up his office to this team of young people to participate in a customised MBA program to learn everything they could from him about business. Go to the SAMBA Blog to read their numerous insight, hindsight and foresight.

If you wake up every morning at 6a.m., give up television, and treat this list like a job, you'll have no trouble accomplishing almost everything on it. Everything! When you do, what happens to your job prospects?

(Source of inspiration: Seth Godin’s Blog)

Secrets of Effective Presenters

I interviewed several presenters and speakers and asked them the $1,000,000 question: How do you prepare for a presentation? How do you stay cool? After all, public speaking has been identified as one of the top-3 fears of humans.

Canadian International Trainer, Michael Hartley-Robinson, offered additional thoughts for a formal presentation:

Preparation and Organisation: Focus on your goals and objectives. Socialise, if possible, beforehand. I walk about, and breathe deeply. Others may sit and focus/breathe. Be early and double-check everything.

Preparation and Organisation: Take your time, concentrate and making yourself heard and understood. Never try to speak a second language at the same speed as your first. Don’t worry about grammar in your speech (on your visual-aids – yes!). Instead, focus on being clear and understood. Of course, you can also practice your diction/enunciation, between presentations.

Never during! Remember, this is business, not a speech festival. It’s the benefits they are there for, not a speech/diction demonstration.

Be prepared, organised, and enthusiastic. Know and set your objectives, and tailor your content, and visual aids to achieve them. Learn about and use structure and audience psychology to assist you further. You must have excellent product knowledge, and know your audience. Practise your 6W/H in preparation: Who, What, When, Where, Why, Which and How. Then make sure that you give your audience WHAT they want/need. WHEN they want/need and HOW they want/need it. And, always follow up. Know your strengths and weaknesses.

OD Consultant, Douglas O’Loughlin shared another perspective:

How do you manage to stay calm before a business presentation?

“Me calm? You must be joking. I am breaking out in hives just thinking about it. Well, I have had a couple of things that have helped me: I have used the following mantra many times:

‘I am glad I'm here, I'm glad you're here. 

I know what I know and I care about you.

Let's learn and have some fun!’

(Usually best to say it a few times while waiting to start)”

As with the few busy speakers and trainers I interviewed, Douglas also uses prayers and statements like this:

"I am Receptive to today being a transformational session for everyone here, with lots of learning and insights."

After saying this I tap my breastbone a few times to stimulate the energy flow*.

What contributes to a/n successful/effective presentation?

“It feels to me that what's most important is to be passionate about the subject, knowledgeable in its nuances, and able to engage people at many levels. For me, it starts with passion for the topic and how useful it can be for people. When I know that the tools/concepts/skills can add to a person's quality of life, then my only challenge is designing the session in a way that people can really experience and assimilate the power of the tools/concepts/skills. With that in place the delivery sort of takes care of itself,” said Douglas.  

LEADERSHIP LESSONS: Different strokes for different folks - to each, his own. Find your own style. Suit your temperament if you are not the chest-thumping (Anthony Robbins) type*.

* This is an effective way of staying alert during long, laborious meetings. Gorillas work up into frenzy by thumping their chests. Remember King Kong? 

Give a Grain of Thought to Others

Free Rice is a United Nations intervention. It is also a fun approach to getting sponsors to offer rice. For each correct answer to a vocabulary question, you will get 10 grains of rice through the UN Food Program – and you will learn new words of value. The World Food Program’s slogan is ‘Fighting hunger Worldwide’. I raised 320 grains of rice from my blemished linguistic effort, which barely fills a cup. Although insignificant, I believe that collectively, we as a Community of Practice can do even more. I hope to do much more – and in a different way. Click on the banner at the end of this blog-page to begin your education on humankind.

The website states that: WFP relies entirely on voluntary contributions to finance its humanitarian and development projects. Donations are made in three ways:

·      Cash

·      Food such as flour, beans, oil, salt and sugar

·      Items necessary to grow, store and cook food - kitchen utensils, agricultural tools, warehouses

Do you feel charitable? Do you see where your talents and expertise can lead you in helping the unfortunate? Have you heard of a noble cause to support? Would you be open to make time to enlist a legion of kind donors to raise funds for a worthy cause? There are many ways to be charitable. Money is one way. So is kindness. So is gratis (gifts). Many values support charity: consideration, kindness, caring, recognition, generosity of spirit, synergy, legacy, tenacity, proactive, abundance, exchange, passion, resourcefulness, etc.

I am, currently, thinking up ways to raise active awareness and engage the actions of others in some global causes. These include:

1.    Care for our marine environment

2.    Feed the hungry

3.    Enhancing knowledge and spreading open education

This is a call for action. Start a tribe to change the world: one follower at a time. Spread the word.

Review of Tribes

Seth Godin’s latest book is only 140 pages. This is the new format for publishers: Small and compact (thus, portable) paperbacks which do not cost significantly less.

The author of ‘The Dip’, ‘Purple Cows’ and his famous ‘Permission Marketing’ promotes the notion of ‘tribes’. Essentially, this calls to mind ‘Raving Fans’ (Kenneth Blanchard of One-Minute Manager fame, and Sheldon Bowles) and evangelists proselytised by the charismatic marketing guru and Apple-evangelist, Guy Kawasaki.

I have found that, Godin’s books challenges us to think in unconventional ways. His ideas may be a radical, an antithesis to traditional business; however, underlying his short, almost anecdotal vignettes are other people’s wisdom of being leaders. In short, you lead and, hopefully, somebody follows and starts his own tribe. Recipe for a tribe: Rally a common cause, and ensure an effective communication network. Most not-for-profit organizations abide by this simple process.

I have read online reviewers describe Godin’s books as common sense, however this is not as obvious as is thought. The key takeaway, of this book about leadership, is to lead. Leaders do. They make things happen. Go forth and start your tribes.

Q-Tips for Penetrating Writing (#2)

Sensory writing can be influential. Humans gather information via the five senses: see, hear, feel, smell and taste. This multi-sensory approach to communication helps us makes sense of the world, as it does help us become more sensitive to others.

You will ascertain if I am following on the right scent. Read your outgoing e-mails. How many of these have words like looking forward, hear from you, feel free, see what I mean, heard, overlooked, view, point of view, etc?

Read a column by a journalist, and you will notice such language, mainly see, hear and feel. If the topic orientates to food, you will read words like smell, flavour, texture, mouth feel, aroma and taste. You may have heard the following before:

The sweet smell of success!

Love is bitter-sweet!

His actions left a sour taste in his mouth.

Her remarks were in poor taste.

You could smell his fear.

Something smells funny…

Animals can detect our fear; we smell different when we are alarmed. When you are afraid, your skin secretes more acidic sweat – which is sour in appearance. Thus, it is known that runners and cyclists have been chased by dogs, and even bitten.

Our language is peppered with such utterances, yet they hold relevance because we collect the information through our open channels, i.e. senses. When you sit down to consider it, things either make sense, or not. Your colleague may be speaking nonsense. Jane Austen wrote about ‘Sense and Sensibility’; sensible can also mean 'sense-able'. Shakespeare also wrote in highly sensorial words; for instance in a monologue from Hamlet:

‘Speak the speech, I pray you, as I  pronounced  it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, by use all gently, for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness.’

Does this make sense to you?