Conventional wisdom tells us a lot of stuff. And some of it is worth believing. But then there is something to be said for challenging conventional wisdom. I might offer that THPL, by its nature and mission, defines exactly the opposite. It defines that the path to success is not straight or predictable; rather the path to success is defined by attributes that fly in the face of conventional wisdom. These attributes including taking risks, working hard and making bold commitments – all without a guarantee that success will come. Seems that you might actually end up with nothing but in fact you almost always end up with more as a result.
Then there are the “experts” that tell you how to live, how to race, how to train, how to eat etc. Seems to me that there are times, more often than not, that they are wrong – they use conventional wisdom and get conventional results. What is important , on the path to THPL, is to know yourself well enough, to know what it takes to win (in work or athletics) and to know when to push hard such that you can give yourself the best opportunity for a big success. It can come in the form of a personal best (PB) in a race or an interesting opportunity in your work or personal life.
Proof points are important if THPL is to be reached – they give us confidence when we see what others can do. Today, I broke a few rules of conventional wisdom and still came away with some nice results. Conventional wisdom tells you that you should taper before a race, sleep well and be rested, and to eat properly to be fueled up. And these rules of thumb are to apply even more if you are to attempt to set a PB. OK, so I broke all of the rules – I ran 55 miles this past week and cycled 200 miles (thus I did not taper), I slept all of four hours on race night, and I missed breakfast. I also started the race without a plan and so most people would have seen the day as an opportunity to train. Instead I saw it as an opportunity to race. And race I did – 13.1 miles, 6:41 pace, total time of 1:28.04, my PB – I suffered nicely, focused and pulled in grit and determination to achieve a milestone in my running career. Sure, people ran faster than me today – that is cool. In fact they always do – but today there was less of them who ran faster – I decided to make the most of my opportunity and I decided to give it a go – it worked and I offer that when given the chance, do not let conventional wisdom be a rate limiter – you know what you are capable of – the question is; are you willing to go there? To suffer enough that you conquer yourself? To do that which you did not believe was possible? No need for excuses – if you choose not to do so – just admit it. And if you are ready to for the challenge then have fun finding out that you are way better than you think you are.
Loving life and my PB!
Ciao
Joe