I know that most people will think there is nothing in common between accountants and Olympians, but if you read on I will show that there is more than one connection.
Since my last blog post I have not run, I have a chest infection and quite sensibly I am not doing any intensive exercise. After about two days I was getting pretty miserable and grumpy so I decided that I would go for a short walk each day, at least that got me out of the house and gave me a change of scenery.
Because I have not been training, and have not felt like doing much, I decided to catch up on reading some of the magazines gathering dust in the corner of the office. I used to be a boring Chartered Accountant (got less boring when I started running and even more so when I started the sports business) and still get some of the magazines from the Finance & Management Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (told you it was boring).
Their latest missive was a special report on communication skills, I'm not sure we had those in my day. Anyhow, a part of one article grabbed my attention:-
"...he stressed that, as with most things in life, the learning process involves a degree of dedication.
Hence to achieve real results requires:
The last two of these, he advised, can be provided by a colleague or coach."
It struck me that this applies to running and I started wondering how people got help with the last two items; guidance and feedback. Fortunately serendipity and Steve Cram came to my rescue. I suppose that needs some explaining, but before I get to the explanation, for those of you who are a little younger than I am, here is some information about Steve Cram MBE.
He was one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s. He was the first man to run 1500 metres under 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow", Steve won the 1500 metres gold medal at the 1983 World Championships and the 1500 metres silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. During a 19-day period in the summer of 1985 he set world records in the 1500 metres, 2000 metres and the mile. Steve is one of my sporting heroes, I much prefer him to Steve Ovett and Seb Coe who were racing at the same time.
Now to the explanation, while reading the article I quickly checked Facebook (bad habit) and Steve had just posted the following tips.
Here are a few quick training tips-1. Keep training fresh - change running routes, running partners and types of training (e.g. hills, fartlek, long runs)2. Keep well hydrated - it's an area people forget about and only give attention to on race day3. Don't attempt a race in new trainers or kit - make sure it's well worn in and you're used to the shoes you plan to run in4. Write a training log or diary - it helps with motivation5. Ideally join a local running club or group - training with friends makes the long runs much easier6. Don't try anything new on race day - keep breakfast and fuel intake as per training runs.
Now being the producer of an excellent training log (available from all good running shops and http://www.edandphil.co.uk/books_12.html) I particularly liked tip 4. Write a training log. Steve's right it will help with motivation, but it will also provide you with feedback (Remember that from above). Tip 5 is also another great tip. In amongst those new running club friends will be experienced people to provide guidance (remember that from above).
So there is one link between accountancy and Olympians, but I said more than one so where is the other? For that we have to turn to the 1999 Comrades marathon in South Africa, (a very hilly 56 mile race), but it is the same Olympian, Steve Cram now - retired from competitive running. Steve finished the race in 9hrs 47mins 02secs, a lot further down the field than he would in his heyday, but still a respectable time. 8mins 20secs in front of him was a Chartered Accountant; me!
"the learning process involves a degree of dedication." I had put a lot of dedication into my training and I learnt that day in 1999 that it pays off, I finished the race and, although only an ordinary runner, I achieved something quite extraordinary; I beat my hero.
That's quite a claim to fame that you beat Steve Cram and especially in such an auspicious race. I totally agree with the above points. Having recently joined a running group I now know that I tend to push myself that little bit harder at a point where normally I would, if out on my own, still be warming up and prone to the occasional stop/start. Logging the miles, as I have done over the past two years, is also a great incentive! Nothing gets you out the door quicker on a crappy morning than knowing that today's run will take you past your monthly total from the previous year. Plus you can really look at the changes in your times, mileage etc if you log them regularly. Great post, thanks.
Jon perhaps I should have mentioned that Steve had a bad knee, but you have to take your victories when you can. I doubt Steve would have thought about not accepting the gold in the World Championships because Said Aouita was having an off day!
A nice story about Steve: A few years later he went to Comrades with a group of runners fundraising for his charity COCO, but could not run due to an injury. As it was an up run we had arranged for our luggage to be transported to a hotel near the finish in Pietersmaritzburg. When we got to the hotel, tired and very stiff, we found our luggage in the ground floor store and our rooms were on the first floor and there was no lift. Steve said to the group "go to your rooms, or the bar, and I will take your bags up for you". He could have quite easily just disappeared into the background, but he stepped forward and helped us out. That is the mark of the man.
Glad you liked the post - running with a club has certainly helped me, unfortunately because of where I live now it is difficult to get to club runs.