Episode 14- Taking advantage of distractions- Part 1
Part 1-
Once again, Jon and I come to you from a coffee shop on
location and simply talking shop. This week we’re covering distractions; how to
deal with them, how do you adapt to them, and when they might be positive or
negative. We start out with the “Once A
Runner” myth about living the life of zero distractions and how this might work
for some, but it should be about learning how to thrive in a real environment.
The oft-cited counter to this argument is the East African running only
lifestyle. While this works well for them, the cultural differences and ADD
type culture that infiltrates modern society, doesn’t allow for many Westerners
to function in this type of set up. Instead of recovering during this type of
environment, the “disease of doing nothing” creates a stressor because of
ingrained societal norm of being a “productive worker bee.” It’s about finding
balance in your life that allows for recovery and self-fulfillment.
location and simply talking shop. This week we’re covering distractions; how to
deal with them, how do you adapt to them, and when they might be positive or
negative. We start out with the “Once A
Runner” myth about living the life of zero distractions and how this might work
for some, but it should be about learning how to thrive in a real environment.
The oft-cited counter to this argument is the East African running only
lifestyle. While this works well for them, the cultural differences and ADD
type culture that infiltrates modern society, doesn’t allow for many Westerners
to function in this type of set up. Instead of recovering during this type of
environment, the “disease of doing nothing” creates a stressor because of
ingrained societal norm of being a “productive worker bee.” It’s about finding
balance in your life that allows for recovery and self-fulfillment.
From here, we jump to how to frame distractions and how
pattern recognition is the key to successful coaching and performance. It’s
about taking what your environment and conditions afford you and framing them
as an advantage instead of a disadvantage. A great example of this is altitude
vs. heat. Altitude has been framed as a positive adaptation because of the
physiological benefits even though it makes you run slower workouts that feel
consistently hotter. Yet, heat and humidity which makes workouts more difficult
and slower in a similar way to altitude, is seen as a negative, despite similar
positive shifts in blood volume, for example, that aid performance. Despite
Frank Shorter training in Florida, the framing is different, although both
offer benefits.
pattern recognition is the key to successful coaching and performance. It’s
about taking what your environment and conditions afford you and framing them
as an advantage instead of a disadvantage. A great example of this is altitude
vs. heat. Altitude has been framed as a positive adaptation because of the
physiological benefits even though it makes you run slower workouts that feel
consistently hotter. Yet, heat and humidity which makes workouts more difficult
and slower in a similar way to altitude, is seen as a negative, despite similar
positive shifts in blood volume, for example, that aid performance. Despite
Frank Shorter training in Florida, the framing is different, although both
offer benefits.
To end part 1 , we talk about Seth Godin’s principle of “just ship” and how we
have to make mistakes, screw up, and fail fast to grow as coaches and athletes.
have to make mistakes, screw up, and fail fast to grow as coaches and athletes.
I hope you guys enjoyed another in-person podcast with Jon
and I.
and I.
Thanks,
Steve & Jon
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Strangers to Ourselves– Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious
