Simplicity in Training

When wasting time on Lets Run this morning, someone posted a video of Asbel Kiprop (fastest miler in the world right now and the super tall, super skinny guy in the video) and some other Kenyan runners doing some cross training type stuff.  I was really impressed with the simplicity of it all.

There was no one constantly critiquing their form, timing them or counting repetitions.  It seemed like it was very unstructured training and while watching it, I can't really understand what the objectives/goals of the training exactly were.  You certainly wouldn't see that crap in Oregon.

It appears the workout was delayed because of the massive downpour. If you had a group of Americans, they would be playing on the cell phones/laptops or go back inside to wait it out.  Instead, the Kenyans just stare in silence. They felt the training was their only purpose at that time, so they patiently waited it out in silence.  Well, until the white dude took off his shirt.

But I think that mindset and style can work for a lot of athletes, especially if it works for the best in the world.  They aren't completely overthinking and overanalyzing every tiny detail.  They just spend their time doing simple work yet they get world class results.

When people get consumed about every tiny detail, they live and die by them.  Sure, if all the tiny chips are perfectly aligned, then they are primed and ready to go.  But what are the odds of that happening? Becoming obsessed about things you can and can't control easily creates feelings of insecurity. To me, that doesn't seem like the best way to maximize your potential.

So if things go poorly, relax.  It's just running, which is actually a pretty dumb sport when you think about it. There are plenty of more days, workouts and races.  Work on consistency, instead of perfection.  You'll be surprised how far that will take you.  And oh yeah, the workout.