Wellness, Fitness and Performance

Mark Allen was in town this past week for a book signing with Brant Secunda – you can check out their new website here.

I caught up to Mark for breakfast and, for a change, didn’t have a shopping list of triathlon questions for him. I actually managed to do some listening!

This week’s letter isn’t about our conversation, per se, but it touches on some topics that are contained in his new book as well as things that struck me after we spent time together. The combination of Mark & Brant really works for me -- it is a mix of being lifted, entertained and relaxed. Shamanism is non-linear, as Mark likes to put it, but it works at some level and that's enough for me.

At the book signing, Mark shared his main goal in terms of current 'athletic performance' – live a long and healthy life. Barry Siff made a joke that Mark was going to be coming back to triathlon at Boulder Peak (not true). While I am sure we'd all like to see what Mark would be capable of, I doubt that we will ever see him race again.

Elite athletics (for me) is about setting our lives up to give completely to the task of athletic performance. For nearly a decade, every aspect of my life flowed through a prism of athletic success -- would this action make me faster... or would it build my team, which is necessary for me to go faster. In this sense, performance is simple (but FAR from easy). It would be exceptionally difficult for me to change my pattern of performance in triathlon -- far easier to replace that aspect of my life with a new sport that didn't come with the haunting knowledge of what-it-takes. Of course, my "athletic patterns" run back 25 years through business, academics and 'social' past times.

Mark also made the point, seldom discussed, that the training required to be an elite athlete is not sustainable over a lifetime. Personally, I would go further. The paradox of athletic greatness is that the training required to be world class eventually impairs our ability to do the training required to be world class. Fighting that reality creates tremendous stress for many excellent athletes. That said, fighting against that reality provides some valuable insights that we can apply to the back halves of our lives.

I have written about the inherent conflict between athletic performance and personal health. Particularly at the sharpest ends of endurance sport, we witness (facilitate and venerate) athletes that are damaging themselves through their pursuit of performance. That said, the body has a tremendous capacity to heal itself and there are valuable lessons that we learn from seeking to take something to the max.

When we do our absolute best, we expose ourselves to the potential for pain but avoid the greatest pain of all, regret.

There's no simple answer to the conflict between wellness and performance -- between safety and regret.

Cabin Fever
February is a tricky month for athletes. Most of us will have been rolling along with our training and have found a groove. If you have been training for three, or more, weeks then you will be feeling the effects of increased fitness. The fact that we are still in winter and coming out of the darkest period of the year, can give athletes a bit of cabin fever!

Beware of a hair shirt mentality – you might get the urge to really smash yourself, either through volume or intensity. Even before I was an athlete, I used to go a bit nuts each February. I’m guessing that it could be due to the darkness associated with December/January. If you don’t see this in yourself then log on to any chat forum – the most insane rants happen around this time of year. Don't blame the poster -- it's cabin fever!

An effective way to channel this pent up energy is getting out in nature and soaking up some natural light. For most of us, this means crosstraining (hiking, nordic skiing, alpine touring, winter mountaineering, mountain biking).

Even if you are a short course athlete, longer, moderate intensity days will do a lot for your mood and general endurance. You will have plenty of time for the tough stuff.

Hard training in the winter will get you fit – however, you are likely to peak in March and struggle to hang on for the duration of your season. If you have seen this performance pattern in the past – then NOW is the time to break the training pattern that sets it up.

Remember that there is great comfort in our patterns – if you want a different outcome then you will need to change your approach.

An effective place to channel your extra energy is into the gym, balanced with yoga. Strength and flexibility are two fundamental skills, acknowledged as valuable, but often sacrificed in favor of aerobic work. While this makes sense in June – you can make material gains over the next eight weeks. As well, if you struggle with sustaining your momentum across the year, then a redirection of energy is a heck of lot easier than trying to “hold yourself back” all month.

Roll-With-It
If you have been training moderately so far this season then you will be feeling good and improving your fitness. Consider sticking with what’s worked so far. The media, and chat forums, are filled with folks that reinforce our “cabin fever” as well as that little voice in our heads that always wants to push us until we break. If you want to take a calculated risk then perhaps in July. Right now, you will be best served by enjoying the fact that you are making steady progress in your life.

The tough training will come – similar to your racing – don’t be in a rush to make things difficult. Unexpected challenges will come, and you’ll be glad that you paced yourself.

Back next week,
gordo