Solving the Procrastination Puzzle

Triathletes are smarter than your average jock, so we are allowed to discuss some more "science-y" things on occasion.  Today, I'd like to bring to your attention some recent findings about procrastination.  Triathletes are always time crunched, so this is info you can use.

The iProcrastinate Podcast (http://iprocrastinate.libsyn.com/) produced an episode on July 18th that was particularly interesting.  At 32 minutes in, they reveal that testing shows you are more likely to procrastinate if you feel incompetent at the task.  You're not good at it, so you don't want to try.  What's funny is that this is based on how you feel, which is perceived and not necessarily true.  You could be the world's worst programmer, but if you feel like you rock at it, then you'll get started on writing that program as soon as you can.

The next problem is control.  If you don't feel like you chose your task, then you'll also put it off.  A great way to make a talented staff unproductive is to be a jerk boss and micro-manage them and tell them what to do all the time.  They'll passive aggressively revolt by doing what you asked, but only when they get around to it.

How can you put this to work for you?  If you are procrastinating on a task, ask yourself if you are feeling like it's too difficult or if it's put upon you by someone/something else.  If it's too difficult, get started on outlining what it takes to do it and working on the first part.  I recommend WorkFlowy.com for easily outlining projects.  Create a bulleted list and just do the first thing.  You'll quickly see that it's easy and didn't take long anyway.  If it's put upon you by somebody else, then either decide to not do it at all or change your perspective on why you are doing it.  Are you running 10 miles because your coach said so or because you decided to be healthy, you hired a coach, and this is how it gets done? Putting yourself back in the driver's seat is all it takes, see?

Enjoy!

Pro John Hirsch's Training Week. Variety is King!

Pro triathlete John Hirsch recently posted the details of a typical training week leading up to the ITU Long Course Worlds race.  It's an impressive account, logging 19.5 K of swimming, 300 miles of biking, and 60 miles of running.

If you know John and read between the lines, you will catch that his workouts have a huge amount of variety.  He mixes in tons of different locations, equipment and terrains to keep it fresh.  It's almost like every day is a new adventure.  This is a key habit to help get the training in.  It's the same technique that Paula Newby Fraiser also recently recommended as a key triathlon tactic.

I went for a run last night along my same old route, but I zig-zagged from one side of the road to the next to make it different.  The time flew by much faster than usual, and all I did was run the same route differently.  

Good luck to John at his big race!

Podcast - SVLC Triathlon California Road Trip!

Join in as we go to the SVLC Triathlon in Northern California! Includes interviews with Jamie Patrick, Rich Roll, Nick Tuttle, and MORE!  Click here to listen or download right from the website.

Here's a cool video of the weekend - 

And here's the link to MILA chia seeds - www.kcheadle.fueledbymila.net I fully believe in using chia seeds as fuel for training and racing, so support our sponsors if you can!

Yet Another Swim Technique to Confuse the Hell out of You

I've seen this one coming, gaining strength in the media lately.  On the far right, Triathlon Magazine tells how the 2:3 technique is worth trying.  

My opinion?  Why work on this crazy technique when it's possible to swim as fast as this other guy just breathing on one side?

The answer is to SWIM.  Time yourself doing techniques that click with you, see which is the fastest, and keep improving.  When it takes a bunch of mad scientists to figure out which technique is the fastest, top olympians do a variety of them, and nobody can agree, then they are all pretty good.  Get better at the one that works for you.

Avoid Crashing and Keep an Eye on Your Competition by Practicing Looking Back

I'm running down the last stretch of road at the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, when somebody yells out, "Hey! COACH BRETT!"  I turn to look and see who could possibly recognize me thousands of miles from home, catching a rock with my foot and then crashing to the ground.  I ended up OK, with just a banged-up knee, but it could have been much worse.  

It's accidents like this that can end your triathlon career, so it's worth working on avoiding them.  It's even more important as we age, because looking back and behind you becomes more difficult.  To clarify my point, car testers wear modified neck braces to simulate how hard it is for an older person to turn around and look for traffic.

Looking back for cars or the competition can really throw you off balance, so you ought to practice it often.  The more you do it, the easier it gets.

Practice it on your own, and for details on how I do this in training, look for the detailed explanation in the ZenTri Masters Area (link on left). 

Enjoy!