A client of mine emailed me recently, with a very thought provoking and important message and question…

I thought you might all enjoy seeing what she wrote, and also seeing my response to it….

This topic is important for every athlete who aspires to be the greatest that THEY can be, yet also realizes that balance is necessary in all things…

Here is what she wrote:

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“Here’s a list of attributes from May/June’s Inside Triathlon that they list as attributes to make it as a professional. They really speak to me and what I need to do, to be the best that I can be.”

The patience to continually work on one’s weaknesses while on a performance plateau for months on end is often the critical characteristic that defines a pro.

• How long can you keep working on your swimming for hours every week while you still come out at the back of the field?
• How long can you continue to go to physical therapy for injury, or run in the pool or do inane muscle balance exercises?
• How long can you deny yourself dietary treats normal people eat daily?
• How long can you get to bed early every night?
• How long can you sit on the damn indoor trainer in the winter?

She went on to say, “these are the hard things! Having said that, I was out on a date last night!

Coach, I have been trying to create more balance in my life by allowing myself to get involved in some other things. I noticed that Chris Carmichael also encourages that for Lance. I want these additional activities to be part of what keeps me engaged and excited in triathlon.  On the other hand, sometimes I feel like they detract me from my focus and training. Then I read about Peter Reid’s absolute focus required to become his best. I think what I need is your objective outside opinion - if my other activities ever become a detriment to my training, I want you to bring it to my attention.”

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Here’s what I said in reply to her. I might rephrase some of this as I read through it, but I’m giving it to you here the same way it rolled off my fingers, the first time around…

“Wonderful email! thanks! As you know well, every time we’ve discussed your re-engaging yourself in some other fun activities, I’ve been very encouraging and supportive. I think its not only a good thing - it is absolutely essential, not only for your sanity, but ALSO, ironically, for your improvement!

You simply need to have balance - you need to have alternative activities that take you away from your  training game, even for a short time, to another place, that gives you some joy and relaxation and fun. When you achieve balance, your training will IMPROVE, and you’ll find yourself getting faster, more quickly, and enjoying it more along the way…

None of that means you can get away from the essence of the characteristics you listed….which is to say, you need to be willing to stick with it through tough times, and persist, despite some plateaus….you need to get accustomed to delayed gratification and sacrifice on some levels….that is what marks any person who achieves their best self, regardless of the endeavor.

Reading my previous blog post just a few days ago, where I talk about my own history: 5 years - 22 minutes.

That’s a lot of day in-day out plateaus, injuries, reassessing strategies, experimenting with new things, frustration, brief little victories, etc., etc. , all in the interest of me finding my best self. It truly was and IS a journey - it if wasn’t, and if I hadn’t managed to achieve some balance along the way too, then I surely wouldn’t be typing this right now…

So, I don’t think you have any concerns that you will get too involved in other things. I know you too well! My job moving forward will be to help ensure that you stay focused enough to keep improving, yet also balanced enough to keep it fun! Enjoying the process is far and away the most important thing. Finish lines and PRs come and go. Yes, those results ARE forever. But what we learn, and how we grow, and who we meet and can help along the way, is what makes all the difference, and what makes it all worthwhile…

I’ve been thinking a lot about these four “P’s” for a while.  They’re Patience, Persistence, Purpose, and Path. These words just came to me, without thinking hard about it, they just seemed like the right words..

This ‘thinking’ has been largely about and because of the people I coach, and those I meet in clinics and workshops.  It is about the JOURNEY of becoming better and faster, and attempting and hoping that it will all seem and feel easier.

Training over the long term, is not linear.  You get better in spurts, and in between, there’s a lot of heartache and even, at times, desperation.

It takes a long time to get good. Nothing worth achieving will ever happen quickly, or ‘overnight.’ All cliches, I know - but in this information age we live in, with coaches and “experts” and books and podcasts popping up every single minute of the day, all around us, I would say it is pretty easy for the average person to get sucked into thinking that it CAN be easier and it CAN happen faster….

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Patience, Persistence, Purpose, Path.

If you will stay with me for a few minutes here, and let me share a personal story…actually, this is my history….I hope to make your visit worthwhile!

Back in 1983, encouraged by some friends who were runners, I ran the Boston Marathon as a “scab” - a back-of-the-packer. In those days, you needed to run 2:50 to qualify in men’s open, so naturally there were LOTS of runners at the back who ran the race without an official number.

I finished that day in about 4 hours, absolutely thrilled that I ran the entire way.   Check out the picture, taken with my two friends Kirk and Ken, as we waited anxiously for the noontime start. That “1983″ number was a fake that someone - I have no idea who, passed out to all of the scabs….

That day, I was so excited to be out there on the famous Boston course, that once I finished I set my sights on one thing, and one thing only, qualifying for that race - being able to attach a real number to my chest and run it as an official runner. Qualifying for this race became my singular PURPOSE as a runner.

I made a decision that some might think kind of extreme, but for me, it just felt right and seemed like the right thing to do. I decided…. that I wouldn’t run another marathon again, UNTIL I was ready to give qualifying a realistic shot.

As it turned out, I didn’t run another marathon for nearly 4 years.  My first “official” marathon, was in the fall of 1986 at Marine Corp.

Yes…my commitment to the PURPOSE that was so deep (almost unbelievably so) in my heart, led me to taking nearly 4 years between my 26.2mile races.

(During those years, I was running, training, experimenting, rehabbing from every injury a runner can have, discovering I didn’t do very well with high mileage, learning, learning, learning, and eventually experimenting with some of the things that are now in Runner-CORE)

I finished that first marathon in 1986 in 3:01:20, and for the first time, I really discovered what the WALL was - because I hit it HARD, very hard, at mile 23.

Because of my deep desire to get into Boston (qualifying had “dropped” to 3 hours for men’s open), I wrote a letter to the BAA asking them - no, BEGGING them - for entry into the following spring’s race, simply because I had started the race behind 14,000 runners.

Done.  My first Boston came in the spring of 1987. I had made it.

Once I raced Boston as an official runner, it became clear to me that my true PURPOSE at that point was to see how fast I could run the marathon distance. Given everything God had given to me, what was my true potential?

Given this challenge I hit myself with, what would be my PATH?

It was simple: learn everything I possibly could, and try to figure out how to get better and perhaps, run faster than I had imagined possible.

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I kept knocking on doors and breaking down barriers, but they never went down quickly or easily! Never.

First it was to break 19min for 5k, then it was to break 30min for 5miles, and then I took some stabs at the half marathon and 20k distances, always trying something new in training, some new exercises, mixing workouts, and asking questions of everyone I knew.  Going back to Boston every year, and breaking 3 hours, but not quite yet having the race I had hoped for.

Finding my PATH.

Finally, in 1992, I had the marathon I had dreamed about. The race truly flowed for me from start to finish - and I ended finishing in 2:39:37, a personal best and far and away, faster than I had ever envisioned I would be capable of.

In the end, it became clear that the reason for my success was that, between the fall of 1986 and the spring of 1992, I had but one singular PURPOSE with my running, and I apparently had the PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE to achieve what was close to my ultimate potential.

I trained with an unbelievable focus (ask my family, they  had to live with me - not always easy!)…

…taking FIVE YEARS of day in - day out training, lots of discomfort and hard work, and a never-ending desire to learn as much as I possibly could, all to improve by a mere 22 minutes…

5 years of non-stop, day in- day out, focus.

For 22minutes.

In this information age we live in, it is easy to forget that it takes a great deal of PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE to have breakthroughs in our sport.

It takes the willingness to realize our best possible achievements will never happen overnight.

We need a PURPOSE that we are passionate about, to truly reach our own best performance potential.  We need to find a PATH - and not stray from that path unless it is clearly not working.

Whatever you focus on - that is what you will bring into reality. If you are focused on finding a different way, and mixing and mashing different philosophies into your training, going by the seat of your pants along the way, then that is what you will create more of. Following a well written training plan for 12 weeks isn’t enough. Do that 10x over, and you may then finally begin to see your potential come through.

If you think it will help - when you are getting impatient and wondering if you can do it, or if it is worth it, or if you have it in you - remember my history….

5 years - 22minutes.

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Was it worth it?

I can only tell you that my finish that day in 1992 at Boston, changed my life forever.

I was empowered with the idea that this kid who barely could run a mile in high school was now one of the better runners in the world’s most famous marathon. The 2nd Connecticut finisher that day! Yikes. I have very little talent and am truly, no better than any of you, that is for sure.

That experience gave me the belief in myself that empowered me to overcome my fear of the water and qualify for the Ironman World Championships in 2000.

And then the belief that the things I had learned about myself, and about training, would in some way perhaps be valuable to others, and I should choose a PATH of becoming a coach, so that I could share this and help empower other people…

I would not be writing this today, if not for those 5 years and 22 minutes. Its that simple.

Stay the PATH.

Believe in yourself.

Have a PURPOSE.

Don’t give up.

Be PERSISTENT.

They call it the grind for a reason. Be PATIENT.

Nothing worth achieving happens overnight or quickly…

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All the best of luck to YOU, and to those runners toeing the line this coming Patriots Day…