Mind, Body, Performance…

Per the request of one of my favorite people in my orbit, I decided to reignite the Coach's Blog for some insightful musings!

So, how much do you know about capacity?  Like your own personal capacity?  Have you ever taken time to take inventory of what you are capable of doing?… or have you ever considered testing that capacity outside of the occasional benchmark workout or fitness competition?

Recently I have moved my training focus from primarily mixed modal training to more endurance based training… specifically for the goal of completing my first sprint triathlon.  I can tell you from first-hand experience, that the cliché of "one hand washes the other", somewhat applies here… emphasis on somewhat!  I say somewhat because it's what I experienced over the past two years of training.  A strong aerobic base can positively influence strength, but the volume of training necessary for say, a triathlon, can limit strength and mixed modal days… just due to the need to recover for the next day's training.  And if you don't use it… well, you know the rest.

After training for the tri, and then actually doing it… I feel like I have become a bit of an endurance junky.  Once upon a time, I had a very strong dislike towards running… now I am building a capacity towards the 10k distance and beyond.  I used to only ride my mountain bike… now I go on 20+mile road rides!  And swimming, well that's just therapy, and I absolutely love it!!

But in doing all these things, there are days when I think about my capacity and whether or not I can continue to influence it in the right trajectory as I age.  So I started doing some research and a little reading…

First thing we need to understand is that our lung capacity is what it is… there is nothing we can do to increase our own individual VO2 max… we get what we were born with in that regard.  So, my "engine" doesn't hold as much fuel or horsepower as someone who has a larger lung capacity or VO2 max.  This can be frustrating… but you could make up a little bit of the difference if you can increase your lactate threshold… but that can get uncomfortable, and lead to some unpleasant training experiences!  But it can be done, and that is why we train the way we do at the shed.

This next part is less about science, and more about perception.  In “Endure” by Alex Hutchinson, he tells the story of Diane Van Deren… a former pro tennis player turned ultra endurance athlete.  Her running began as an effort to ward off seizures.  Unable to fully escape, she decided to have a partial right temporal lobectomy, to remove the portion of her brain where the seizures were originating.  The surgery was successful in the sense that the seizures were gone, but her perception of time was altered significantly.  Hutchinson writes, “Semi-oblivious to the passage of time, she is also free of the cognitive challenge – the shackles, perhaps – of pacing herself.  She is all hare and no tortoise – which, Aesopian morality aside, has it’s advantages.”  Some Doctors believe removing that part of her brain altered how she feels and interprets pain… but when asked, Van Deren’s answer was, “Well shit – I don’t feel pain?  I feel pain. I just push through it.”

Whatever you believe or don’t believe about the mind/body connection, and it’s influence on performance is your prerogative.  But you cannot deny that there are many athletes in the world who simply have stronger minds, shorter memories, and higher tolerance for being uncomfortable.  Couple that with the physical gifts of great lung capacity and high lactate threshold, and you have yourself a force to be reckoned with in any sport or endurance event!

I know there is a lot of science that can explain how we should train, and what we need to do to improve our strength and capacity… but I do embrace the spiritual side of training as well.  Before science could explain aerobic and lactate thresholds, the Native Americans were running to honor their ancestors… real life vision quests!

Lastly, to continue touching on the concept of perception… I have some lyrics for you to read that can probably identify how you want to think when a workout sucks, or you feel a bonk coming on a long run or ride… but then your brain takes over and the pain sets in… when maybe in reality… the pain is just an illusion… here is the 2^nd part of Parabola by Tool

Alive!

In this holy reality

In this holy experience

Choosing to be here in…

This body, this body holding me

Be my reminder here that I am not alone in…

This body, this body holding me

Feeling eternal, all this pain is an illusion

Twirling 'round with this familiar parable

Spinning, weaving 'round each new experience

Recognize this as a holy gift and

Celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing

A chance to be alive and breathing

This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality

Embrace this moment, remember

We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion