Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Chasing "perfect"






01/05/2011


"Perfect is the enemy of good". I have always loved this saying. (It is from Voltaire and the literal French translation has "best" replacing "perfect"). The saying has great relevance for business, but I had never thought of it in the context of running and training for races. As we start the new year, take some time to think of what did and didn't work in your training during the past year. Did you reach a "plateau", felt great, and then "raced" your workouts until you were stagnant on race day? Did you run farther or harder than planned during long runs because you "could'? Or did you give up on a goal race because you missed a long run or were not happy with your training regularity? Most of this can come from chasing "perfect". Or put it this way: in all my years of training and coaching, I have never witnessed a "perfect" training schedule. During a fourteen or sixteen week training schedule for a marathon, people will get sick, have minor injuries, miss sleep, or have stress at home or at work. How they manage it is really what determines their success in meeting their ultimate goal. Rather than be discouraged that one hasn't run a "perfect" training schedule, I encourage people to keep a log, or make notes on their training calendar and then review it on a regular basis. This will allow one to gain an appreciation for the total effort they have been putting in, rather than dwelling on the day they missed a run. Chasing "perfect" may also keep you from starting your 8 mile workout when you only have time for 4. This is where the "good" comes in. You are not settling for "good", but accepting that it is part of the reality in any training program. Chasing "perfect" will also hurt you on race day. We think we know people who have run a "perfect" race, and think that some day we will do the same. We won't. A marathon is 26.2 miles of managing one's energy, spirit, hydration, and dealing with the elements. Even in the best marathons that one has run, there were various challenges that presented themselves and needed to be overcome. Last fall, at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, there was what everyone agreed to be "perfect" weather. Unfortunately, many runners went out too fast or ignored hydration and refueling needs because it was such a "perfect" day and they paid dearly for it at the end of the race.
My first run of the year was New Years day. It was really cold and windy. I thought about the warmth of Kenwood Cafe after the run, but it was closed. We meant to run 8, but turned around to have the wind at our back and we ended up doing 7 miles. It was good.

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