Training Entertainment
This question pushed individualism to a new level, inviting curiosity into an entire generation, and most importantly creating an entertaining value. Parallel to the passive mind expanding efforts to validate experience came the more active approach to practice with challenges such as the marathon. Both avenues were essentially challenging one's experience which is a form of entertainment.
To help me develop the capacity to challenge my experience, I've followed many different training regimes from high school and varsity teams, club communities, gym ratting, even Beachbody programs such as P90X, Insanity, Insanity Asylum... All of them totally different technically plans, yet for me, they were all the same. Exactly the same. The only difference is the entertainment value. Beachbody being the most entertaining through the trainer's personality. Where varsity and high school being the most entertaining through the teammates and competitions. Clubs the most entertaining through the culture.
That is just how I saw it. To me, a training plan had to be entertaining or it is irrelevant to me. Simply because if I challenge my experiences for some reason require some form of entertainment, no matter how serious it has to be.
Marathon Training Plan
Marathon training plans are unique in that they are predominantly structured and serious. Most people don't include entertainment that into their plan, they simply just follow the plan and they talk about the plan without talking about how they were entertained during the training. They stick entertainment outside of their plan. For example, some people entertain themselves by having a treat once in a while, let's say an ice cream. Other people may find entertainment in doing something fun and new and highlighting that experience, still outside of their marathon training plan. In all cases, the entertainment value is separated from the seriousness of the training plan.As for myself, I just want to find the entertainment value in my marathon training plan, that's it. Give me any plan, and I will search for the value therein, not thereout. I can find entertainment outside of a training plan just fine, thank you.
In the case of me training for the sub-3 hour marathon, my running club, Longboat Roadrunners, gave me a marathon training plan. Right away, I chewed on it for some time, digested it and pulled out the following nutrients:
- Support Roster
- Sacrifice List
- Contingency plan
- Milestones
- Entertainment plan
Support Roster
Ever notice that the most successful people have excellent support systems? You will most likely not see a cranky rude person snapping at people while they jump up on the podium (which is ironic because it is the cranky rude snappy people who would like support hence their behavior).Here is a support roster that I drew up to make sure that I was as polite as possible to these people:
- Running Coach
- Steve Metzger
- Pacing Coach
- George Hubbard
- Sports Therapist
- Christine Loch of North Beach Therapeutics
- Marathon Mentors
- Tony Fletcher
- Mike Bedley
- Michael Brennan
- Injury Prevention Mentor
- Bert De Vries
- Plan Deviation Redemption Mentor
- Michelle Clarke
- Tim Uuksulainen
- Recent sub-3 hour Experts
- Bob Gazzale
- Christian Airhart
- Michelle Clarke
- Jose Tellez
- Gerardo Reyes
- among many others in the club
- Training Comrades
- Lucas Wilson
- Mickey Man
- Laura Lipcsei
- among many others in the club
- Common Sense Reminder Mentors
- Richard Bailey
- Kyle Fraser
- Jimmy, Gregoire and many others in the club
- Super Mentors
The purpose of building a support system is that it is relevant to acknowledge before getting deep into training. This preparation is because once you are intertwined into your training plan, you will find those instances of weakness that you tend to panic then sway in the wrong direction without this acknowledged list.
With that support roster developed, I then went ahead to compile the sacrifice list.
Sacrifice list
The sacrifice list is an outline of all the nice to haves that get pushed out by the training commitment. The purpose for this list is for two main reasons:- Procrastination
- What is most relevant when it comes to training is the fear of missing out when entering into an activity which leaves us pushing off the tasks that we feel may infringe on our entitlements. So, if you list out what you are missing out on and then deal with it, you are less likely to procrastinate, mostly because what you felt like you were missing out on usually don't come to fruition anyways. Or when you do engage in that other activity you felt was so important, you end up wishing you were running anyways.
- Compensation
- When times get tough, sometimes you just want to cash in your chips and check out. If you are compensated well enough, you stick to it. Unless you are a superstar, there most likely is not enough compensation for the training to prepare for a marathon. Simply list out what investments and values will be at risk when focusing more of your energy into your training. Then acknowledge how that can be compensated, whether it is post marathon, or managing your time during. My wrestling coach in University advised me that when we are training at our peak, we actually are more invested in what is most valuable to us in other areas of our lives because we better manage our time when we are pushed to deal with it.
When you are investing so much of your time and energy in training for a marathon, something has got to give. Actually, a lot of things have got to give. It becomes a lifestyle. And the more involved you get into your training, the more likely you will discover more of what has to be sacrificed.
I have to assume that largest most relevant reason why most people would never commit to a marathon training plan is for one single reason - being more afraid of not knowing what has to be sacrificed and then realizing when it is all too late.
As for my preparation, I had a sacrifice list and it actually changed throughout the 4 months of the plan. I am not going to share that sacrifice list with you now. And the reason is because that sacrifice list is irrelevant now. All of those things I knew I would be sacrificing are not as valuable as living my life everyday by finding entertainment in my training. Still, it was important for me to face it before I got involved.
Contingency plan
Usually we develop the contingency plan the day of the race. Or we develop it when we are fully intimidated and look for ways to find a way out of our initial intent, whether we question our own goals or deviate from the viability of them.
I would recommend you develop your contingency plan before you start training rather than when things get tough. Realize where you are scared and intimidated and acknowledge it. Forget about being a hero for a moment and totally mesh yourself with total failure. List out your fallback and stick within it.
Whether that is ripping off your timing bib and jumping in the first cab home. Or if it is make sure your support team is close by to help you finish. Or if it is simply to back out of the race before entering, just in case. Be certain of your contingency plan and think it through.
The main purpose is really to help you commit knowing you are certain you have ways out. It does minimize stress of feeling trapped. Don't say that you will not fail at all costs, that you are so certain you will achieve success that you are going for it all out. Don't do that, because it is just you being hard on yourself. Feel comfortable with your decisions how you will back out.
As for my fallback plan, I basically told myself that if I failed, I was going to find some friendly people in the race that I could walk with and enjoy the rest of the day. I did that before at my first marathon where I totally hurt myself. I ended up walking with some very nice people and it was such a better day than any other day that entire month. I don't compare my marathon day with other marathon days mostly because I did not have any. I rather compared that day with other days that month. It was awesome, so I was pretty cool with my fallback and was happy with it. I was okay with failing and found solace if I did.
Milestones
I was spoon-fed a marathon training plan from my running club. I just had to put in some sprinkles of my own made up reality into that plan. Those are the milestones to give me feedback that I am on track. I was preparing for a sub-3 hour marathon. I didn't really have any leverage from other experiences. However, I raced plenty, ran plenty, been exposed to the running club plenty. It wasn't like it was out of reach. All I need to do was simply lay out milestones throughout my plan to help me understand and learn about myself.
So, quite simply, I will list out the milestones that I set, which really do not follow any suggested approach, so your milestones would be totally a different list based on how you prioritize feedback loops:
- Discovery Phase
- This is the fun phase where I get to a chance to integrate new techniques. Try out new things and develop a capacity to know which tools and which techniques I should focus on when training gets intense. I overlapped this phase during the phases of the training plan where I needed to slowly increase my mileage
- Integration Phase
- This is integrating with running packs, routes and gear. Mostly focusing on the Sunday long runs. There is some storming behavior that develops and sometimes the training pressure takes over the norming integration running in groups, forcing to the front of the pack. This also involves running outdoors in the elements, deciding what to wear, when to take care and when to settle with the treadmill.
- Ego Venting Phase
- I always get carried away with this phase and it overtakes my entire training plan and messes it up entirely. So, I set out some time during my training where I allow myself to get out of hand. Where I mess up, take risks, pushing boundaries and learn. It really is all about letting my ego have some fun and feel great!
- Redemption Phase
- Any ego venting phase of my training requires some moments of dealing with the consequences. Usually those are in the form of injuries. Whether physical or social. For me, most of my injuries are social injuries. I prefer social injuries pushing me into redemption phase so that I don't enter into physical injury. That is where listening skills are valuable. Listen to your group, listen to your body.
- Relaxation Phase
- This leads into the entertainment phase. For me to train, I feel it is an investment to my well being. So, I try not to stress out. I am continually finding ways to stay relaxed. There are phases where I test my level of relaxation and find feedback.
- Full Commitment Phase
- My favorite phase, where I am fully committed to the training as if it was part of my everyday life and seems like it will last forever.
- Crying Phase
- This is where the training feels like it will last forever. Where I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Every demanding commitment has this phase in it regardless of the reward.
- Ego Building Phase
- This is where I put in all of the time and energy and start extracting gems in my increased potential and capabilities. I look for areas of my training plan where I get to challenge myself
- Rescue Phase
- This is the time where I feel satisfied with all of the hard work that I invested in my preparation and sit back and relax... before the actual competition. This is part of the tapering.
Now this is all within the 4 month training plan and overlaps with the training plan. The point of these milestones is an input into the Entertainment plan.
Entertainment Plan
If you want to have a successful outcome, it can either be enjoyable or totally serious. I've had totally serious achievements and I received totally serious rewards. It was serious.I would prefer to achieve an outcome that is challenging and also enjoyable. In other words, if I want an entertaining outcome as a result of training, then I need to incorporate entertainment into that training.
So, what can be entertaining out of a challenging endeavor such as a marathon? It takes some thought, but I can outline what I explored.
Lets find what is entertaining first by cancelling out what is not so entertaining.
- Feeling exhausted
- Injury Prone
- Discouraged
- Disengaged
So, first we find ways to based our training so that we don't have any of those experiences. That means there requires some extra work and effort on top of our training such as therapy, stretching, drills, healing, eating correctly... All of these would contribute towards minimizing all of those experiences we don't enjoy in our marathon race.
Now that is not entertaining. Who likes stretching? okay, so I guess maybe I am making this look more work than what meets the eye. At least there is some tasks assigned to minimize what could occur that is not so entertaining. Those are essential in order to achieve those more entertaining experiences.
I did not suggest that entertainment did not come at a cost. Who assumed that entertainment is free? Not so much free, entertainment in your training plan takes a lot more work than just blindly following through the training.Entertaining yourself in your training plan is actually the hardest thing you can do but you train yourself to enjoy it. Arnold Schwarzenegger had an excellent entertainment plan for his workouts. He suggested that he derived complete entertainment from the pump itself as if he is in "heaven".
It is a matter of training yourself to find entertainment in the activity. And if you cannot find that entertainment, then you keep on trying and search for it until it is found. That journey is a much more satisfying and rewarding journey than in the outcome or competition. And if you find that entertainment in your activity itself, then you are happier, less likely to push yourself outside of your own growth potential.
Now, I know this sounds like preaching. So, now I have to share with you how I found that so that I can demonstrate that it isn't just a marketing stunt.
In my previous blog, I suggested that endorphins may also provided an experienced sense of depersonalization. And in that process, when you reengage yourself, that there may be an opportunity for you to embrace your engaged activity as part of you. For example, the waves, those intense periods of feeling like running it too much, then hitting that next level where everything suddenly feels fine. That can be experienced during a long run just the same after a few extra intervals.
Wave counting was one of my focuses of entertainment training. I told myself that I would treat myself to experiencing a few waves for specific runs. Mostly those times where I run alone, I would treat myself to a few waves and wouldn't stop until I did.
Lastly, the entertainment of my thoughts or conversations. While running, when I lose myself through the depersonalization phase, I let go of all those daily clingers. Then I start entertaining myself with thoughts of things that seems funny or hilarious. I've caught myself laughing aloud passing by people most likely looking crazy. So, I keep an observation on my thoughts during my training and value that entertainment. When I run with other people, then I also find some of the conversations we have turn quite amusing, almost as if we were in an improvisation class at Second City.
Those are samples of entertainment that I can share with you that are superficial enough that can be potentially reused. However, there is a more deeper sense of entertainment that I was able to pull out of my training and preparation for the sub-3 hour marathon. The harder I trained was a result of finding more of a sense of this entertainment, which for me was more of a meditative personal journey that really is only relevant for me. It is not so much a spiritual journey mostly because when I am running, it doesn't feel so spiritual the harder I go. I acknowledge the entertainment value. In that sense, I don't look for entertainment elsewhere, for example, dreaming of an ice cream to eat after the workout. Or the next big social party or the next vacation. I pull all of those away from my mind and focus entirely on the entertainment of the moment. That way, when I am not running, when I am not training, when I am not entertained, I want to go back in.
You need an entertainment plan that you train with if you are looking also to be entertained for your marathon race. Much the same as training with confidence, staying relaxed and feeling strong. All of these you develop in your training to replicate for race day. Most important to me is the entertainment value, because the more we feel entertained, the more we open ourselves up to grow and explore that which contributes towards achieving the goals most meaningful to us.
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