Training Log Archive: jfredricksonIn the 1 days ending Jul 24, 2006:
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Monday Jul 24, 2006 #
Road Run 40:30 [3] 6.0 mi (6:45 / mi)
shoes: Adidas a3 Prowl
Ran the same 6-mile loop as yesterday but started out a bit slower than yesterday. Feeling much better than yesterday, but still not very strong. Hopefully I will be ready for a workout tomorrow.
Note
Peter wrote a very interesting thing in his log today when he was writing up a list of things that he needs to improve on in his Orienteering. He wrote that he needs to make more mistakes in practice so that he can practice what he needs to do when he makes a mistake in a race and thereby avoid going into panic mode.
I thought that this was a genius idea because I am always focusing on making as few mistakes as possible and often in training I blow off my mistakes and don't try to fix them with the same urgency that I would in a competition. Having the mindset that making a mistake is just an opportunity to practice the things that you need to do when you make a mistake in a competition is probably the best way to approach it because it will enable you to deal with it in a much more positive light.
Having a positive mindset is very important in Orienteering because as soon as you lose your confidence you can't perform at the same level and your decision making skills get defenestrated. Often the first thing that happens when you make a mistake is that you go into panic mode and lose your confidence. By focusing on the fact that it is simply an opportunity to practice a vital skill perhaps you can avoid the panic and maintain a level of confidence that you have some control, even if it is only control over how you are approaching the situation. This will keep you in the problem-solving mindset and away from the hopelessly-stabbing-in-the-dark one. That alone should put you one step closer to figuring out what went wrong and thereby lower the total time lost per mistake.
And while we are talking about mindset, the fact that Peter is thinking about what he needs to improve in his Orienteering immediately after demolishing the M60 category at the Swiss 5-Day is very inspiring. The nature of our sport is that no one will ever have a perfect run and their technique will never be perfect. We are all artists striving for a perfection that can never be attained. Yet even when we are graced with success we must continue to focus on our weaknesses in order to continue progressing towards perfection.
There is no success in Orienteering that can be satisfactory enough to allow ones struggle towards perfection to cease. It must be this knowledge that makes people like Sime and Tero and PG rise so far above the rest and not settle for the best compared to others. You must always strive to be the best compared to what you could be, and since that is never attainable we must always continue the struggle.
I thought that this was a genius idea because I am always focusing on making as few mistakes as possible and often in training I blow off my mistakes and don't try to fix them with the same urgency that I would in a competition. Having the mindset that making a mistake is just an opportunity to practice the things that you need to do when you make a mistake in a competition is probably the best way to approach it because it will enable you to deal with it in a much more positive light.
Having a positive mindset is very important in Orienteering because as soon as you lose your confidence you can't perform at the same level and your decision making skills get defenestrated. Often the first thing that happens when you make a mistake is that you go into panic mode and lose your confidence. By focusing on the fact that it is simply an opportunity to practice a vital skill perhaps you can avoid the panic and maintain a level of confidence that you have some control, even if it is only control over how you are approaching the situation. This will keep you in the problem-solving mindset and away from the hopelessly-stabbing-in-the-dark one. That alone should put you one step closer to figuring out what went wrong and thereby lower the total time lost per mistake.
And while we are talking about mindset, the fact that Peter is thinking about what he needs to improve in his Orienteering immediately after demolishing the M60 category at the Swiss 5-Day is very inspiring. The nature of our sport is that no one will ever have a perfect run and their technique will never be perfect. We are all artists striving for a perfection that can never be attained. Yet even when we are graced with success we must continue to focus on our weaknesses in order to continue progressing towards perfection.
There is no success in Orienteering that can be satisfactory enough to allow ones struggle towards perfection to cease. It must be this knowledge that makes people like Sime and Tero and PG rise so far above the rest and not settle for the best compared to others. You must always strive to be the best compared to what you could be, and since that is never attainable we must always continue the struggle.