It's not about the gear
Training, December 12, 2017
"It's not about the bike" was a book largely based on fiction published in 2001 that in 2013 had sold around 500 00 copies. Now we now it was not about the bike, when it comes to this topic, but how much of it does come down to being about the gear?
Photo: Kristina Assmann
In this day and age we can buy a lot!
We can buy better equipment, more speed, and better performance. However, regardless of this a few things this year and also of some performances that have I have witnessed in the past or where I have seen the athletes put the hard work in before the performance have reminded me, and have made me realise that it is not about the gear.
I am not trying to be anti-capitalism or anti-products, because I do there are a place for some of these products, but the truth it is are a few things that are going to make a difference if you want to really train. One is your set-up.
If we are talking about cycling this is your bike set-up, if we are talking about your running then your shoes and running style are going tó be important, and with swimming it is your feel for the water and swim technique. These points are very important and the other things that is going to affect you, improve you, and make the big difference is your attitude.
In the last month "the weather" has affected the public train system or I have been in Hamburg a bit later, which means I have not been able to have a connecting train home. Normally I would have a 800m walk home, but when things don't go to plan I have just over 4km to get home. A few years ago, or in another culture this would seem like nothing and the people would just walk, or run. But in this day in age when the train just doesn't run to plan it seems like it is the end of the world and we have no idea how to get home because, we have no ability to independently move.
Funnily enough we can still get home.
Take tonight for example. I ran home with a pair of jeans, a shirt, a pullover, a winter jacket, and a pair of waterproof trail shoes on. And without killing myself I got home. My pace my 5:30/km, and it wasn't tiring, exhausting, or the end of the World. That means that we can run in almost anything. My shoes were still good and I know I can run in them. I think if i ran in a pair of chuck taylors the result could have been different.
It wasn't the first time that I have legged it from the train station either, but it works.
I also ran a few seconds slower over a marathon in a full business suit in April compared to be in full race attire and equally fit in October.
What is the difference?
What is ultimately going to make the difference to our fitness, training, and performance IS OUR ATTITUDE!
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”
If you want to succeed you are going to have to put the work in. If you want to reach a certain distance you are going to have to cover the distance, and if you want to achieve a certain performance you are going to work.
As I mentioned earlier Mr Armstrong wrote about it not being about the bike, and to a degree he was right, but as we now know we was also running on a pretty good combination of performance inhancing drugs. People can argue that he was naturally talented, and that was to a point true, but the difference was his attitude and his doping.
I even tested out as well as him or a bit better at times in terms of VO2 max, and as a junior I had a lot of hunger and desire to perform. As I reached the senior ranks that desire dropped off a little through a combination of various reasons, and the results faded a little. It was not that I was not capable of performing I can recall a few races where I was on and I thought that others were just not rolling through or racing due to tactics because I was not feeling a thing, so they could no have been hurting. However, they were in the hurt box and they couldn't roll through.
I am not saying that you have to try to be a world beater and that unless you are prepared to give everything I don't want to have anything to do with you I am just saying that attitude is very important.
I have trained or raced with people that went on the being National Representatives, World Champions, Olympic Champions, or professional sportspeople and whether they would like to admit it or not they are different to "normal" people. That is fine and they need to be to reach the heights that they do.
What is important, as always is, " What do you want?" What do you want to achieve?
These points will be different depending on our age, the point of life that we find ourselves in, or our racing and training history.
However, the restricting factor will still be our belief or attitude. You don't have to change it. You just have to accept it : ) Unless you set yourself a BIG goal then maybe there will need to be more work done on your will, as that is rare that anything that brings a great amount of joy and satisfaction is just given to us.
If you want it or it you belive you can do it you are right!
Once you get the attitude right you can then work on the training, and finishing at looking at what additional equipment you will need to get you to your goal. But it is not about the gear!
Get your head into it, get a good plan, and get training.