Q
Q stands for quality. Quality is a measure of perfect. Each day, each training session we should strive for the highest quality possible. Start with perfect effort that should not be difficult. Effort sets up the outcome. Quality effort and intention leads to quality outcome. Quality training outcomes in turn yield quality competition results. To asses progress in training at the conclusion of each training session rate you quality of training on a scale of one to ten. One being the poorest and ten being perfection. Focus on the process to achieve the desired outcome. Quality is the key to optimizing the process.
Feeding the Beast
The beast – The Internet, cable television, YouTube all have an insatiable appetite for training porn. There is no filter, no checks and balances. Quote a scientific study out of context and you have the “evidence based” research needed to validate the misinformation. The fundamental training principles that I learned over twenty years still hold true. We need to follow them – not some wacked fad based pseudo scientific training that hurts more people than it helps. Even if it doesn’t hurt, ask yourself does it help? For validation look at results that are consistent over time, methods that top coaches and athletes have used to win medals and set records. Those things do not happen by chance and by chasing Internet training fantasies. Certainly we should innovate and challenge conventional wisdom, but start with a clear understanding of the basics and build from there. Let’s stop feeding the beast, except at prescribed feeding times, much like the animals at the zoo.
I hear that every morning, Jacoby wakes up happy and realized there’s no reason I can’t, too. He’s always snuggly and wagging and excited that it’s a new day. Instead of waking each morning and wishing my life were different, I decided to wake up thinking of it as a new beginning. No matter what has happened the day before, the morning is always a new opportunity—to change your attitude, your mood, your mind. That was a decision I had to make, a practice to put into play. I talked myself through it everyday until I didn’t need reminders anymore. Now, I awake to stretch my limbs, get some good snuggles, and go outside for some fresh air. Each morning, regardless of whether it’s cold outside or I’m especially sleepy, is a fresh start.
During competition season I have to walk Jacoby every once and a while. Every time I walk him, he’s constantly sniffing, listening, alert. I realized that I never paid attention to my surroundings. I was always too busy brooding—looking at my feet or my phone or just lost in negative thoughts. Now, I’m present in each moment of my day. I look up at the sky to notice its blueness and the way the clouds stretch across the horizon. I take deep breaths, inhale the crisp winter air, and give thanks. I listen to the last of the leaves crunching underfoot, and cuddle into the softness of my scarf. It makes me grateful for the small things.
No matter what has happened in his day, Jacoby is always glad to see Matt. He wags. He jumps. He gives kisses and cuddles. He even cuddles up to me when I come over and sit on the couch and he tries to sit on my lap (No easy feat as he is nearly as big as me). While his affection doesn’t exactly translate into my world, I take a cue from him by smiling at people on the street, saying good morning, holding doors open, and paying compliments to friends and strangers alike. Not surprisingly, it makes me feel good to make others feel good.
