Starting to run for all the good reasons

Why can I not resist a worthy challenge, no matter how unsure I may be of my ability to successfully complete it? First, when the goal seems worthy to me, the pain and potential “humiliation” I might have to endure in the process seem insignificant by comparison. Then, I know from experience I had always gained at least some valuable lessons. To top it all, if I do succeed, I feel exhilarated and reinforced in my determination to continue to accept good challenges. This time my challenge was indeed related to participating in a 5K “fun run”. I had good reasons to accept this challenge and to believe I had the stamina to complete it, but I did not know how to actually do it. The lessons I learned are widely transferable.

Sunrise on Lake Michigan

I was attending the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. In the spirit of the conference, the participants, professionals who work in the area of cardiovascular disease, are encouraged to “walk the talk” or rather, run it. My early career mentor, Peter, a dedicated runner, has been asking me on every eve of the run, for almost 20 yrs, if I was going to participate. I have been saying: “No, not this year… I am not a runner, I’ll need to prepare for it.” But that never happened. Not only do I not enjoy running, but by doctor’s orders after a bus accident that immobilized me for months in a hospital bed many years ago I am to avoid any physical activity pounding on my spine. Last year, my mentor finally wore me down. I thought: if I can compete in a 5K rowing race, I should have enough stamina to finish a 5K run, right? So, I ran it, felt good about finishing, but I was not sure I wanted to repeat the experience; however, it turns out that my mentor had asked the organizers to dedicate this year’s run to the memory of one of our colleagues who had been struck and killed by a car while running precisely during last year’s annual meeting. Peter enlisted all the runners who were current members or alumni of his institution, which included me, to wear a tee-shirt displaying the name of our lost colleague to honor his memory. How could I say no to running this year?

I got up really early and put on several layers as my iPhone indicated the temperature was 30 F. I was not sure what runners wear, I had put on a couple of layers, and now I got the extra tee-shirt, however while waiting for all the runners to show up, I was regretting being there so early (I was in the first bus that dropped people off at the site). In spite of the dark, we snapped pictures “before”, we heard some brief talk encouraging us to maintain healthy physical activities, then a couple of short speeches about the person we were commemorating and we held a moment of silence. We were then told to go to the start line by letting the competitive runners start first. In fact, I went around the crowd to snap some pictures of the competitive group, running in place impatient to catapult over the start line.  Only now, while writing this, did it occur to me that their puzzled looks may have been related to the fact that by walking over the start line to take the pictures, I had likely triggered my own timing device! Did I mention that I am “green?” Satisfied with the spectacle of their explosive start, I then walked to the back of the gathered crowd and started my own run from there.

So, here are the main learning points I selected from my (overall) experience of 2 x 5K runs, one year apart (with no training what so ever).

1. Accept a worthy challenge.

If the cause seems important to you, take a chance and do your very best. Worst case scenario, you will learn from it.

2. Seek and follow (some of the) advice.

I knew this would not be easy with no training, so I asked several experienced runners for some tips, “Should I try to touch down first with my toe or my heel? How should I pace a 5 K run?” Their face betrayed their amused incredulity: “You do not usually run??? Well, then… best just forget it!” Finally, Sonia, another of my mentors offered advice that unleashed for me the possibility of participating: “If you really, really want to do it, just take it easy and hang in there!” I decided to go with her advice.

3. Find a buddy (support system)

As I began to run at the end of the crowd, I was still getting passed by many! I felt very discouraged: I was slow even in the slow crowd… Judging by their toned and nice physiques, it seemed that the great majority of runners were fitter or younger, and many were both. Once more I doubted my decision to participate… Then, I finally spotted in front of me someone who was more like me, in fact she seemed heavier. I told myself, “If she can run I can run! I will just try to stick with her for as long as I can”. For a while, I only looked at her back and tried to keep up with her speed, ignoring all those passing us.

4. Enjoy your route, but don’t find excuses to give up/get off track.

The view was really amazing: the sun was beginning to rise over Lake Michigan, seemingly setting its calm waters on fire. If I did not come out here to run at this early hour, I would have not been able to see this remarkable scene from behind the tall city skyline. I kept thinking I may not be able to remember the splendid picture in its full glory. Besides, my legs were hurting, so I wanted really badly to stop, rest, and take some good pictures. I took my camera out of my pocket (I had thought I might need it), but realized that should I stop to take those good pictures, this might just turn into a photo safari. I was there for a different reason so, I stopped only long enough to snap several pictures in the low light. It turns out that many are not in focus, but I was still able to find a few that are good enough to jog my memory.

5. Learn, find ways to compensate for your shortcomings,adapt.

Since having my back injured in the bus accident many years ago, I have a deficit in my left leg that becomes noticeable (to me) with strenuous activity. I had learned over the years how to compensate for it while rowing: I decrease the force with which I push against the boat with my right (“good”) leg to match the weaker left leg. It is easy to tell if I am doing it right, any difference between left and right foot’s pressure makes my single boat veer… While running, I could not pound away with my left leg as vigorously as I could with my right. It took a while to figure out that I could not split differentially the gravitational pull on my two legs, so I resolved to run “softer” (and of course slower).

6. Hang in there.

 I was following the advice, running only up to where it felt hard but not uncomfortable, and keeping the hope that I will not run out of steam before the official finish line. I was making steady progress, albeit many had passed me by. At some point I began to notice people slowing down, and then I began to pass some, including the woman I had resolved to follow. A quick corner of the eye look when passing her revealed she was many years my junior.

7. Aim for a strong finish.

With the finish line in plain view, I tried to gather all my remaining energy to sprint. Someone decided that we needed encouragement and shouted in a megaphone: “Looking good! You need to smile for the finish.” I thought, how could I possibly smile, everything hurts. At the exact moment when my brain rebelled, I felt a violent cramp in my left leg. In a strange way it was reassuring as just moments ago I could not feel my leg anymore, and was wondering if it was still bending correctly or was about to buckle. I thought: “Oh no, I am not going to be able to finish!” My response was to run even faster to make sure I do make it across the finish line, so I pushed my chest forward and hoped my legs will rotate fast enough to keep up with it. I could not believe it, but here it was: the finish arch. After going under it, my first thought was: ”I did it!” Second thought: “Is this real or am I dreaming?” For one, the speakers were still blasting (appropriately?) "Forever young, I want to be forever young" as when I had started running, it felt like a "Groundhog day" type of situation. Then,  a couple of guys watching my finish exclaimed loudly: “Oh wow, that was really impressive!”

8. Pass it on: challenge/encourage someone else!

The reason I wrote about how I was able to overcome this challenge is because I hope that at least one other person will find it inspiring enough to tackle a challenge new to them (not necessarily taking up running), anything worthwhile they currently think they are not capable of achieving…

“If I can run, YOU can run!”  

A sure way to get my heart rate up

My heart beats per minute (BPM)

The media published yet another story in its quest for mass-appeal with the potential for huge public disservice…  Is it me, or is media defeating the essential reasons for its very existence?

The other day, I received an email message from my son. In his usual succinct style, the subject line said: ”Well, so much for that plan” and it included a link to story published in “The Observer” (/the guardian/UK) entitled “Why exercise won’t make you thin.”  He is a bright young man (as illustrated by his reading on a variety of subjects including in the foreign press), who has been likely looking, like many others, for an “intelligent ,“ seemingly science-backed, excuse to skip on exercise. The effect of this story hit close enough to shock me out of my writing hiatus. No worries, I waited till I had pondered on the article while rowing and my heart beat came back close to its regular rhythm (as demonstrated by the picture - talk about exercise not having positive effects...) before starting to write.

The article contains the following executive summary: “A result for couch potatoes, yes, but also one that could have serious implications for the government's long-term health strategy.” By the number of tweets and Facebook shares it seems this was quite a popular story; I am sure the couch potatoes “ate” it up (no apologies, the pun is intended!) The coup de grace is questioning the government strategy on regular exercise.  Surely the British, as well as other, governments that came up with recommendations are not interested in how their citizens “look” but in their health status.  There is a massive amount of scientific data showing how regular exercise improves people’s health. By publicly questioning the benefits of exercise in such misleadingly written articles, the mass media is doing a huge disservice to people looking for “evidence” to avoid the effort that may be needed to make healthy choices.

I will not repeat what the article says, so you could have the pleasure of reading it yourself, but it contains a lot of statements like these: “More and more research in both the UK and the US is emerging to show that exercise has a negligible impact on weight loss. Almost worthless, as far as fitting into your bikini is concerned.” And supposedly backs up the perception of “worthless” with studies from reputable sources such as The Mayo Clinic. The problem is that one has to read carefully to fully understand the implication of their quoted conclusion: "an exercise regimen… is unlikely to result in short-term weight loss beyond what is achieved with dietary change." But of course! There are no magic bullets for losing weight. As someone who spent more than 20 yrs trying to understand how our body functions, I can tell that it is too complex and resilient (thankfully!) to undergo lasting changes due to any crash-style regimen, either diet of exercise. 

If your ultimate goal is "looks,” then the question is: do you just want to ”look good” for some specific upcoming event or do you want to look the best you possibly could for the rest of your life? More importantly, one should plan to lose pounds to reach their healthy weight not just to fit in a specific dress on one special occasion or even in their favorite “skinny” jeans. We should all aim for our healthy weight – we have a pretty good idea of what that is. For faster but fleeting changes, you could go ahead starve or poison yourself with some crazy diet, but for a sustained effect, you will have to be diligent and determined, and possibly even call upon some of your math abilities! The article suggests people who exercise do not lose weigh because they (over)compensate, i.e. feel entitled to eat more because they exercise. Well, there is a simple equation each of us has to solve out every day: “Did I eat more than I burned?” No worries, there are many free websites that will help you approximate calories for food and exercise, and now many fast food and restaurants have to show calories to you as soon as you are ready to decide what to order. And there is plenty of help teaching you what and how to cook healthy (I wrote another time on that strategy for weight loss “Winning the race against gravity and inertia”). It’s a lifestyle change!

I made that healthy lifestyle choice myself and have been working at it for a while. However it is nothing like the discouraging statement made by the article that says: “From a practical perspective, then, exercise is never going to be an effective way of slimming, unless you have the training schedule – and the willpower – of an Olympic athlete.” Not true! The biggest challenge is to make a little time each day (no Olympic athlete works out less than an hour!) and to use a combination of exercises. What worked for me was identifying  and adding some “body weight lifting” type exercises that I enjoy (I do not like working with machines). One quote I liked from the article was: “We know that dietary behavior is quite a negative behavior – we're having to deny ourselves something. There aren't any diets out there that people enjoy. But people do enjoy being physically active." So why is the Observer article discouraging people from exercising??? And yes, I am also paying attention to what I eat, but I can’t diet: I love food too much! Luckily not donuts, but I love and occasionally eat French fries and two portions of desert (especially if the option of trying different ones is presented to me). I just know that I will have to burn these off in the next couple of days and I don’t give up every time after, as if I had already blown it and there is 'no hope anyway.' Oh yes, I also eat chocolate every day (but I do limit the amount). Some of my friends attending food-themed events have complained saying that “it’s not fair” that I can eat this much. My frequent reply: “so, see you tomorrow for an early morning row?” The secret is that muscle needs more energy, but is also better at burning it (IF you use your muscles!)

Let me tell you how the last couple of years have been for me, and I promise I am not an exception (I recommend reading Mayo Clinic's  “7 benefits of regular physical activity” and the American Heart Association scientific position on physical activity). Every day I do exercises that I enjoy (I picked them based on that!) and I resist at all costs the temptation to skip exercise because of a time crunch (there are other things that could be cut, sometimes sleep time for me!). Nevertheless, overall I have more energy than ever; I even have more time to think (away from other distractions). My physician was astounded (again) after my yearly physical: “What have you been doing???” he asked, “You have the vitals of a 30 yr old hard core athlete!”  Only that… I’m not. Also, I’m not so light, but I’m tight! Muscle weighs more than an equal volume of fat. Imagine my surprise the first time I could not find my size for some clothing item I liked because I was… too small?!?! It happened to me more than once since, and instead of getting upset, I am still (pleasantly) surprised every time. So although the effort/compliments ratio is not exactly one to one (I exercise every day!), people who know me and people I had not met before compliment me all the time about how healthy and good I look. Every week someone asks for specific advice on how they could obtain the same results. Here is my advice if you want to enjoy and benefit from exercise: 1) pick physical activities you like best so that you will want to do them regularly, and 2) make a commitment to find time for it every day… for the foreseeable future. It's that simple! If other circumstances require some exercises that you normally do not enjoy - try my strategy to get those done ("Start with the end in sight"). But the most important advice I have in response to the Observer's story is, regardless of your weight: if you are considering giving up on exercising or on starting to exercise regularly, DON’T!

I went back to check for other reactions to this article: I was hoping people would speak up. I would have been surprised to see publicly expressed cheers from self-acknowledged couch potatoes (especially if that might have involved getting up from the couch ;-) My favorite comment summarizing this article? “Dreadful Sunday fodder article, shame on you. However, wonderful picture of a lean gonzesse doing sit-ups on a doughnut, well done, keep it up.” Certainly a better use for the large doughnut if you plan to look like the girl in that picture!

 p.s. wondering if anybody already did a study examining the effects on weight and overall health status of a group giving up their daily exercise routine for extra time to read the newspaper?!?

Winning the race against gravity and inertia

It’s the beginning of a new year, a time when many set goals to lose weight and exercise, hopefully as part of becoming healthier. If you are a steady exerciser, you probably had noticed (and might be annoyed by it!) that it is hard to get on your favorite equipment which is being used (likely inadequately) by novices who overcrowd the gyms at this time of the year. While we might not be excited by the competition for resources, I still think it is sad that many of these people will not be seen around for much longer….

What makes us stick with our best intention goals? The idea behind this post actually crystallized in my mind due to... my e-mail science alerts inclusion of a recent research paper summary published by the journal Appetite (not one of the regular cooking-type magazines – I love those as well!), but “an international research journal specializing in behavioral nutrition and the cultural, sensory, and physiological influences on choices and intakes of foods and drinks.” The recent study reports that the perception of a lower complexity for rules used to diet increases the length of participants adherence to their chosen weight management program/diet. You do not have to read the whole thing, although if you want to, I was able to find the pdf file of the in press research article here

Here is my quick take on this recent study and the issue in general. Women on two weight management programs were included in the study. The Weight Watchers program is heavier on computation, teaching participants to keep track of total daily number of points assigned by the program to each food. The other program is a recipe-based weight management ("mean plan") provided by Brigitte, one of Germany’s most popular magazines. The “cognitive complexity” of the program was defined as the difficulty perceived by its participants in figuring out what they should eat to stick with their chosen program. The study’s authors concluded that the cognitive complexity of the weight program is a very strong predictor of the length of adherence, i.e., women who had found it easier to figure out what to eat were more likely to stay in the program. I am sure this is a very valid observation; in general anything easier to figure out is easier to do and stick with! However, there are many other variables that likely were important, some of them acknowledged by the authors. One difference that stood out to me (but not to the authors) most likely due to my personal experiences, was related to what participants considered to be their main goal. The participants in the “winning” program (Brigitte) were reported to be more likely to have a weight goal rather than a time goal, in contrast to the Weight Watchers participants.

This personal observation made me consider more closely the potential importance of motivation when setting the goal for its long term success. I will make assumptions as I lack access to the actual facts… I.e., in this particular case, I am going to hypothesize based on personal experience that an average participant in the study who had decided she needed to lose weight by a specific date, was likely acting on her desire to look slimmer for a specific “event,” e.g., getting ready for a beach vacation, wedding, or reunion - haven’t we all gone through this at least once? It would then not surprise me that the dieter would lose determination in continuing to work on “looking good” after that specific date (came and gone), especially if she perceived the program as demanding in cognitive terms. We all have a lot of things competing for our brain power! And this is not even considering what sacrifices some of us are willing to make to rapidly lose weight, an approach that by its very nature is not sustainable. On the other hand, an average participant whose main purpose is the weight goal would seem to be more likely to be dedicated to not only getting there (in a hurry!) but also staying at that weight, thus more likely to stick to her program!

Time for personal disclosures: I have never tried any of these two specific programs. However, a couple of years back I did set a reasonable goal for my desired weight. This was based on widely available tables indicating the “ideal weight” (which I used to have… at a different age!) for my height, thought to ensure the lowest level of risk for heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. I also gave myself about a year to come back to my more youthful weight. I came very close but did not make it by my hoped-for date, but this was a personal (my birthday!) and not a public “drop-dead” event. My goal was to have the healthiest weight anyway, my desired date being only the beginning of (not the reason for!) what I hope to last well beyond, so I stuck with my program, self-designed to fit my life style. This combined regular exercise and eating healthy, this blog being itself an offshoot of my commitment to physical and mental fitness. If you are interested in seeing also some of what I eat, see Earth2You.org. After achieving my goal a few months later, I decided I needed to officially “mark” the event - that was reaching my goal - by signing up for a… “lightweight” category in a rowing race! Competitors need to weigh in on race day to prove they are under a certain weight, which happens to be the weight I had chosen to reach. Incidentally the race was just days after the second (!) birthday since deciding to reach my healthiest weight. As extra-motivation to stick to my lower weight I said to myself it would be very embarrassing if I had signed up and then don’t qualify for the lightweight category, at this point throwing in somewhat of a public dimension to my previously private goal.

I competed in my very first lightweight race to the not so concealed amazement of some of my fellow rowers, who have known me for years, but post my ideal weight. OK, I did not win a medal in this one... However, having qualified for it for first time and considering that all my competitors were younger (!), made me feel like a real winner: I had won my personal race not only with gravity but also with inertia. Who says we should "forget about fitting again into our skinny jeans"??? Yes, I can still remember some of the stuff I wish I had had more confidence to keep in my closet, but on the other hand I had no second thoughts about giving away my larger size clothing! My resolution is to try to stick around this weight and continue to race for as long as I can. Maybe I’ll even try again the lightweight category this year, even if they wouldn’t give me any points… for my age!

What are your get and stay healthy goals?

A toast to things forgotten

Yes, the times might have been tougher for many this past year, but joy can still be found everywhere. Eternally busy with our daily grind, we might miss a lot of it! Hopefully we did not forget to appreciate the joy of having people we care about and who care about us: family, friends, and others. BTW, did any of you see the movie “Up in the air”? Do we take enough time to realize the joy of meeting new people and ideas, of being able to do some of things each of us are passionate about, or just briefly enjoying the giggle of a child, a beautiful sunset, or a good book or glass of wine? Do we take the time to do the simple things in our power to enhance and prolong the joy of others?

As the end of the year approached, I took again my tally… Among my “joy list,” something stood out. I realized I had consistently forgotten to acknowledge an important contributor to my joy during the past decade… my rowing boat! One could argue: “But, it’s an object!” Yes, but it has been a real partner and its true value well surpasses its monetary value, although it is still the most expensive thing I bought for myself (even if not much compared to other possessions people normally acquire in their life times). Also, unlike my house or car, I have been the only user of my single scull!

A few years back I had made the decision to own a boat to further reinforce my commitment to taking the time to stay healthy through rowing. While I have been the raw force behind our rowing sessions, my boat has been our… Zen! At some point I discovered that my work on the water only paid off when I could truly become one with my boat. Rowers will understand this is not merely a metaphor, this is… mechanics! In my eagerness to “row hard,” I used to overdo it:, my movement effectively working against the boat’s effortless gliding. However, once the two of us completely cooperate, I can hear the gurgle of bubbles as we glide together through the water. My boat’s unofficial name is “Champagne”. It’s what came to my mind when I was looking for one word that could simultaneously invoke white, light, bubbles, and last but not least, the giddiness that rowing gave me so many times naturally - something that might otherwise require drinking good champagne! I think my boat fully deserves an ode as it has been a real partner that enabled me to stay physically and mentally healthy so that I could take care of all the people I care about and to do many other things that I am passionate about. So, while it’s currently parked on high dry ground, and spent the holidays alone, outside in the cold, it will be forgotten no more. This one is to you, Champagne!

What/who brings you joy?

Never too late...

I was recently prompted to consider what might have been one of my own most valuable lesson about learning at any age after watching a TED talk given by Tim Ferris recommended by my friend Vic. I agree: the talk is inspiring. Tim Ferris delivers with flair a message that rings true beyond whatever his own facts might be (I understand some people had questioned them). In addition, an interesting coincidence brought back memories of my own trials and tribulations, small victories and lessons about learning. In the video Ferris credits his swimming achievements to a new method called "Total Immersion" pioneered by Terry Laughlin. I had personally met Terry several years ago during one of my own most significant learning journeys while we both had attended the same… rowing camp. The participants, a group of like-minded adults of different ages and skill levels, came from all over US to improve upon their rowing. I was a true beginner and had signed up for the chance to dedicate one week to “crash learn” how to row a skinny scull (competition-style boat). I had previously rowed a few months in a recreational boat (those of you who row, please be tolerant, I was so “green” I didn’t even know what I didn’t know…). The rowing camp turned out to be one of my most telling experiences about learning as an adult.

I had arrived at the camp with so much enthusiasm that the first day I took advantage of all three extended rowing sessions (one was optional). This was way more than three times I had ever rowed in any single day…. yet, I felt no fatigue. However, within minutes I was made painfully aware of how much I needed to improve upon. Each of the many trainers stationed every 200 yds. on the lake pointed out yet another major issue with my technique. I would barely start working on something only to hear the next coach yelling about another huge mistake or simply making fun of my “style”. They made sure to leave me with no doubts: I was at the very bottom of the skill ladder. I was once again re-experiencing all of the frustrations and humility that come from being a complete novice critically assessed by experts, not an easy feeling for someone who had become accustomed to operate with great ease in her professional and everyday life.

They finally broke me down by the middle of the second day: "how could I ever possibly fix so many major things terribly wrong with my rowing technique???" So instead of the additional rowing session that day, I opted for the trip to the nearby ice cream factory. As I was drowning my sorrow in the biggest possible cone I was able to get, I was struck by a thought: “So what if my rowing ‘looked funny’ or I was possibly doing everything totally wrong?” Being out in the boat, pulling the oars through the crystal clear water in the middle of the woods gave me tremendous energy and joy! Who was going to watch me once I finished camp? And, if they did, should I worry about what they thought of my style? In that second I decided that I will not let the way my rowing looked prevent me from experiencing the happiness it was giving me. Thus I would go back on the water the next day and try my best to correct whatever possible (maybe not at the pace they wanted me to!) but I would not give up on rowing. The rest of the camp days continued pretty much the same: I rowed every single session, worked hard to correct various things, put up with a lot of criticism, including a lot of ridicule, and asked a lot of clarifying questions undaunted by the fun they seemed to engender. The coaches got to expect me to raise my hand at every Q&A session.

The camp’s final row was a “head race” in which all students, starting one by one like beads on a string, had to row the full length of the lake against the clock. The rowers were started in the reverse rank of their skill to give enough head start to the slow ones. I was called to start second, being assessed by coaches to only be possibly better than one other student from the group of 20+ with various skill levels. By this time it did not bother me (I knew how much I had to work on), I was just so happy I was still rowing in my white skinny scull! We then all gathered in the camp cafeteria where the head coach read in decreasing order our times, slowest first, regardless of student’s gender, age, or skill level, a nerve wrecking exercise… My heart jumped with anticipation every time they were about to call another name, but once they called out most students, my heart really started racing again! Soon I noticed that the only few not called yet were all guys, and the best rowers. I started to wonder if the coaches would play some last prank on me, they seemed to have particularly enjoyed making fun of my technique and even more so of my eagerness. With somewhat of a sheepish laugh the head coach called: “…and finally, the 'Fastest Woman on the Lake'...” It turned out to be… me!?! I was totally stunned (apparently they were too) and really happy - then, as I am now! -that I did not give up that second day. More, that small victory against great odds taught me that my enthusiasm could overcome my inexperience, and how “funny” I looked while I was learning it. I got a distinct feeling that the coaches also experienced some eye-opener that day…

I am now convinced that the ability to learn anything at any age depends in no small measure on our capacity to conquer our own fear of ridicule. Since my rowing camp days whenever I am confronted with the challenge of learning or trying something new, I have started asking myself the question: so what's the worst that could happen if I ’looked stupid?’ If the only danger is that others might think I looked goofy– then I’ll go ahead, it is well worth it! And I can have a good laugh about it too. As young children we learn new things while we are still not self-conscientious. Later, as the fear of peer judgment intensifies, we avoid trying things that might make us look ridiculous. Then, with age comes the wisdom that the “sacrifice” of looking funny is well worth the learning and we can return to being the child freely and fully embracing the fun of learning and experiencing new things that truly matter to us. At that point we become free to make choices based on gaining value, rather than on losing appearances. As a teacher of adults I try to encourage my students to fearlessly pursue their passions, even when they lay well beyond their previous/formal training. There is no substitute for really wanting to learn or do something. I don't care how "off" you might start at it! And, I make sure to reassure the first time I meet my students, and then remind them frequently, that "stupid question" is a misnomer. If someone can formulate a question about anything, than obviously there is something that needs clarification - which is the purpose of a question - thus asking any question simply can not be stupid. I learned from asking lots of "stupid" questions: if one is ever told or made feel that had just asked a "stupid question" is because the receiver had a hard time answering it and was ashamed to acknowledge it. Voila, the secret is out!

Kids, do try this at home: if you see older people, friends, parents or grandparents learning something new, do not laugh, but rather plan to continue to have the same curious and adventurous attitude… Truly, it’s never too late to learn new things!

p.s. My rowing technique has gotten better after all these years of learning, but I am still working on improving many things. Also, I still have to follow-up on my plan to someday (soon!) learn Terry’s "Total Immersion" fast, ultra-efficient swimming style. As for that rowing race, well, yes, my time was faster than Terry’s ;-)

Putting it all together – the “renaissance” competitor

The other weekend I went to cheer for friends (and secretly figure out if it was something I should consider…) participating in a “mini” triathlon that includes swimming (0.5 mi=750 m), biking (12.4 mi=20 Km), and running (3.1 mi = 5 km). The display of human determination and energy was amazing and inspiring. So many things blew me away that it was hard to rank them, so here are some in no particular order:

• Each of parts taken separately is a challenge in itself to the average person. All these people – and there were a few hundred - had been willing to train for and able to compete in all three of them.
  
• Beyond the energy expenditure needed, the mini-triathlon requires also the willingness to deal with the unpredictable – weather/water conditions - and the predictable discomfort. They not only had to bike and run after swimming, but they also did it in wet wear!
  
• Most people I talked to at the end of the race appeared to be competing against themselves, foremost keeping track of their own progress: some had competed previously, many were planning to train and come back within the next months. While there were enthusiastic cheers for every one crossing the finish line - indeed a major achievement, no prizes or trophies were distributed…
  
• Some of the people did not fit the “image” of the athlete, some appeared to be overweight, some had some sort of clear movement impairment, most were beyond the age associated with physical prowess. I was reminded again how misleading the appearances can be.

Moreover, I could not help but admire not only the technical excellence and endurance, but also the overall preparedness and the ability to think clearly under stress of these athletes. In fact, if I had to pick one thing that was the most amazing to me while watching this challenge – it was the “behind the scenes” competitors’ ability to manage the “transition time”. I understand that the times needed to don the biking gear after getting out of the water, walk the bike to the start line, then shed it all for the running shoes, were all added to the overall time. No doubt a lot of preparation went into having just was needed in terms of different gear pieces. Add to that laying down all these items and then donning or shedding them in the right order, when tired and with the clock ticking, was nothing short of a major tactical system. Way too cool, I just discovered a check list for triathlon transitions ! I’d say the handling of the swift and efficient transition from one challenge to the next under stress is one of the most difficult to find, but probably most useful abilities in the business world these days.

This made me think that the tri-athletes would likely do very well in whatever they put their minds to. No matter how these people appeared at first sight, they all had determination, endurance, versatility, clarity of mind under stressful conditions and used these qualities to constantly challenge their own abilities to get better. I wonder how frequently such transferable skills are taken into account when people are assessed for hiring or assigned professional responsibilities…

It's a mental thing: Just keep going

Just this past weekend, several friends ran a mini-marathon (half marathon) among 35,000 other people!!! I could never do it myself, but I do have one good excuse: I row instead! I asked my friend Mihaela why she does it. She said it’s because of the positive effect of pushing herself beyond what seemed to be her limits (the competition against oneself!). She does it because it means getting involved in something that allows her to stay healthy, happy, and sane, to be in good company of other like-minded people, and last but not least, because of the joy and pride of succeeding… Mihaela, the long distance runner, added: “In the end, life itself is a marathon, we need to stay in shape for it!”

And what does it take? Obviously, if you decide to do something apparently extreme for your age, abilities, etc. - we are not talking only about an athletic endeavor - you will need to prepare mentally and physically: it will be… hard! If it were easy, anybody could do it, and then there would be no challenge to feel and speak about proudly for years to come. Then, you… “just do it!” Along the way, you have to be really diligent to distinguish between the real reasons for which it may make sense to consider giving up reaching the goal from the likely many clever excuses disguising themselves as important to us. Our brains are really good at making believe! Especially once you find yourself at the start line, you should not allow yourself to entertain the idea of not finishing your “race,” whatever that might mean in your case, except for a medical or technical emergency or some major disaster. Finally, do your very best!

If there is only one piece of good advice I would like to pass on, it’s the one I got myself from my aunt, ex-European rowing champion, when I finally found myself on the eve of my first 5K rowing race at the tender age of 40. I had watched with fascination her and her brother’s (my mother’s younger siblings) endeavors on TV. Both elite rowers, National and European champions, from my child perspective they both looked impossibly tall, strong, beautiful, young, and energetic, hero-like figures. Except, I also knew they were very human, ravaging our fridge at every visit, as they were eternally hungry! It may be this early deep admiration that made me eventually take up rowing after so many years…. my mid-life crisis? (I’d say it was a positive way to spend the surge of extra mental and physical energy.)

So, I called up my aunt and asked for her expert advice: “What secret tip do you have for my first 5 K race?” After what seemed a long silence at the other end: “Did you say this was your first? I assume you have no idea how hard this is going to be…” I panicked for a second (“Am I crazy to try this?”), then she continued: “That is OK! At some point it is going to start feeling hard, REALLY hard...” I plastered my ear closer to the receiver, expecting her to whisper some magic formula... “You will see no reason to continue the race… then… you will just need to KEEP GOING, just don’t stop!” I was stunned; “That’s it?!?” I was very disappointed, I had expected some major insider revelation from my extremely successful advisor that would give me the competitive advantage I so desperately needed. The answer came back, simple and practical: “Yes, that’s it! Just keep going, go through the motions, even if your brain will tell you to stop – it’s just lack of oxygen! That’s pretty much the major secret in a long race!”

P.S. As much as I did not think at the moment that I had gained any new competitive advantage, during that race and many others that followed in rowing and in life, I had plenty of opportunities to remember my coach’s advice… it works!

Getting the high and the glow the healthy way

This morning when the alarm clock went off, it was like trying to resurface from the depth of a dark ocean. My eyelids were so heavy I could barely pull them up. No chance of moving any of my limbs… or so it felt. I had worked late into the wee hours of the morning, again! I briefly considered blowing off my exercise and sleeping another hour, but then I gathered all the determination I was capable of and somehow stumbled into my boat and onto the water. After a few minutes of easy rowing, I already felt better.

It never fails, this “high”: the surge of energy when I manage to get myself to work out even if initially I had thought I had none left. Maybe it’s the light recharging that pineal gland, which Descartes thought was the connection between our body and our intellect ; maybe it's the fresh air oxygenating my brain, or the movement of the water, sun and clouds. Whatever it is, I am then as able to work as after a very restful night. Working out in the sun also works wonders fr me when I am jet lagged.

And the "glow"? I come from the land of Transylvania (the real one). Being tanned and skinny was not cool in my grandparents' farmers community. Being tanned and skinny were characteristics of people working all day long in the fields. On the other hand, being pale skinned, maybe a bit pink, and plump was a luxury only well off people could afford. I will never forget the subtle disappointment expressed by my grandmother upon meeting my soon-to-be-husband: “He is handsome…. but he is surely dark skinned”…

I now live in a society where people are obsessed with being tanned and skinny. They are willing to pay serious money to be spray-painted with brown chemicals and to lose weight by any possible, as well as close to impossible means…

So where do I stand on this issue? Well, I do prefer being tanned and toned, even if not skinny... I also truly enjoy working outside, but my actual work does not really call for that. I am making time to be outside and work out in the sun. And, I don’t mind receiving compliments for my brown glow. What would my grandmother say if she could only see me now…

Individual vs. team success

For a long time, I rowed by myself, working on improving my technique. I asked for advice and I took lessons every chance I got. I went to rowing camp. I practiced. I practiced. And practiced some more. I finally felt that it was time to test myself and signed up for races. When I started doing well even against more experienced rowers, I felt I would no longer hold others back, and thus it would be OK to go ahead and team up with someone in a double boat.

My double partner is very competitive and very successful, and meeting him leaves no doubts about it... I am intensely competitive myself, but my contest is mainly against myself and so I tend to focus my energies differently. When we started rowing together, we had a hard time getting a smooth row so I suggested we take a coaching session in the double. The coach watched us for a while and gave us some specific individual advice; however, he added that while we were both accomplished rowers, the most important objective when aiming to successfully row in a team is: "This is not the time to concentrate on doing what usually works for your own personal best, all your efforts should go into understanding how you can help maximize the team's output."

The advice, as simple as it may seem, opened our eyes to the secret of optimizing team work: as part of a team, one has to adjust own capabilities and style to accommodate for the best fit with the other(s). We learned that could even mean de-emphasizing some of the very things that worked best for our individual competitive success. I am shorter than my partner, so I will have to stretch beyond the limit I perfected during years of practice to maintain the flawless balance of my single boat no matter what the speed. My partner, on the other hand, will have to actually cut short his reach effectively lowering his competitive output, so that our oars could remain parallel at all times. After the initial adjustment period, we started enjoying rowing together, and then we started doing very well competing as a team.

Team work comes with perks: we move easier by splitting the effort and can rely on each other to split the duties (one keeps the race pace, the other can concentrate on charting the course), and we encourage each other. And, yes, we do occasionally fight, but then we both always learn something from it… and we schedule yet another team row.

Become a better person: celebrate your competitors

My best ever birthday party was a surprise one, but not the kind friends lovingly plan well in advance. My best birthday party was a celebration spontaneously thrown by… my competitors!

I was part of a rowing team participating in a 5K head race. As usual in such races, boats have to row way back past the start line and then wait patiently their turn to be called to engage in the race. All the competing teams registered in our category were gently maneuvering against the river currents, trying to maintain their on hold position. The tension was palpable. We were all secretly checking out the other teams, while nevertheless trying to stay composed and to visualize our own victory. There is a definite respect we all have for anybody who shows up for such Masters races. We come from all walks of life. We all have different life stories and our own rowing histories… Some of these people might have lived glorious days of winning in national and international competitions, some learned to row while in college, and some of us started much later in life, like myself. Yet we were all there for this race, willing to engage into a fair competition. Before it would be all over there was no way of telling the amount of mental and physical power concealed under those sun glasses, caps, club colors, and, of course, those wrinkles. Did I mention that we all tend to display at least some in my age category? Sweat does not mix well with make-up or mascara…

As if just to break the tension-loaded silence, suddenly one of my team mates blurts out loudly enough to be heard by the other boats in our race that it was my birthday! I was so startled that I almost lost control of the oars and I felt I might be sinking through the bottom of our boat. Spontaneously, all the surrounding teams burst into singing: "Happy birthday to yoooouuuu… Happy birthday to YOU!" I looked around me, thinking: "wow, they do not even know my name, and I do not know theirs. All they know is that I am another fellow rower." Some might add: one crazy enough to compete on her birthday, when she could be comfortably sitting in the shade on the river banks, sipping a cold drink. For all intents and purposes, I was also their competitor that day. The sun was close to setting, the water was sparkling with fire, we all were gathered and connected by our love for the sport and through our respect for the competition and the other participants – it was truly a magical moment!

With all due apologies to all my friends and family who took pains to organize many pleasant celebrations for me, this spontaneous minute-long river festivity enacted by my competitors still feels like the most special birthday celebration on my personal record…

Inspire others, make dreams come true

I was casually talking with someone who was nearing a "significant" birthday that year. She said one of the things she had always dreamed about was to… row. It made me so happy: here was a dream I could help make happen! To this day I get a smile when the e-mail she sent me a few months later flashes in front of my eyes. The message had one line only – written in one inch high letters: "I ROWED!!!"

If you've always wanted to learn to do something, no need to postpone. As the Nike slogan says: "Just do it!" There are many formal or informal ways to learn anything. It is important to know there will always be people not only willing, but actually really happy to help you get started – just like me. Many of those who are already driven by a passion not only “infect” others naturally, but actually have a vocation to engage novices. This is true not only for athletics, but for any other endeavors people have a real passion for. Specifically, if experiencing rowing is your dream, know that many enthusiastic rowers happily get involved in the annual "National Learn to Row Day", usually in early June (Goggle it for identifying local opportunities or contact USRowing at 1-800-314-4769 or members@usrowing.org).

If, on the other hand, you are the one who could help someone finally experience a dream by sharing your passion and knowledge, get involved and make it happen! You will enjoy it every time. Pass it on!

Thinking about those New Year resolutions

It's that time of the year.

Standing at the threshold, ready to step into the New Year: looking back, gazing forward… Already considering what would we like to conclude about the year 2009 one year from now, when standing in the same position. I wrote on another blog , that 2009 could be the year of "innovating thyself," by meeting new people, learning new things, adopting new causes or hobbies. All could help us gain a new perspective on things and I believe make us better people and by extension contribute to a better new world. I want to further explore how we might gain a new perspective on ourselves in the process.

We all know what we want (or are supposed to!), but one all encompassing resolution might be… obtain whatever we are wishing for the "right way". Sounds too dogmatic or restrictive? Maybe not! Someone asked: "but what if I wish for more power or money?" That's OK! Let's consider if there is a "right way" to achieve such wishes. If that seems a non-starter to you, maybe it would help to step back and delve into the reason for the wish. There is always another, deeper reason for it, and this might be buried so deep that even you do not recognize it at first. A friend of mine instructed me to discover the deeper motivation behind anything I wish to accomplish by asking myself "why?", and after getting an answer, insisting in asking myself twice more: "…but why?!?". It seemed to work in most cases for me: as soon as I had gotten an answer from my first "why?" question, I would drill into that answer, then once more into the following one. The third answer frequently surprised me. So, if this works for you too, whatever the deeper hope, fear, or hunger turns out to be, there might be another – hopefully better - way to satisfy it.

Let's assume you discover that the desire for power is rooted into the need to reassure yourself of being great, or maybe the need to be admired or loved by others. If that happens to be your case, I think you will discover that there are hundred ways you could achieve any of these goals, in ways that also would benefit the others, rather than alienate or obstruct them. You would likely be more sincerely admired and loved if you are a genuinely great person, rather than if you simply have a higher position. When it comes to proving to your own self, is it conceivable you would not know deep inside you cannot possibly be great if you had to cheat to win the race?!? As an additional benefit, your happiness will not live or die based on your own promotion going through, or the size of your bonus in 2009… This might also set you free to implement some of those great ideas you have been afraid to bring forward due to fears of endangering your plan because due to challenging the status quo... By the way, setting yourself free from your old fears is not only the recipe for pure happiness, but might just be the secret ingredient to make your promotion happen!

The best chance for personal contentment in 2009 will come from deciding ahead of time what (and who) we would like to see in our personal rearview mirror one year from today.

Have a great New Year!

What's in it for me?

Staying physically active can provide much more than what meets the eye... My hope is to motivate myself and others to stick with it in spite of all the competing priorities and all the fresh excuses I am able to come up with on a daily basis. Maybe even inspire others to get started. I learned it is never too late to get started, but no good reason to delay it!

You may be like me, past the age of high stakes athletic competitions, or maybe even more like me, never been there. And if not already engaged in some sort of regular physical exercise, you are likely to immediately think: “I am a very busy person, I do not have time for exercise”. OK, I have news for you, the busier you are, the more you would need to make the time. Even if you would like to make time, you might wonder how could you possibly justify to yourself, to your family, or to your boss taking the time to exercise. Indeed, all could legitimately ask: “what’s in it for me?!?”

I will try to exemplify in my future posting some of the benefits I derive beyond physical fitness and health. Let's quickly mention a few that come to mind:

• Make room for deep breathing and thinking
• Extract valuable life and business lessons
• New opportunities to get to know yourself better and to become a better person
• Create a brand for yourself
• Connect with like-minded people, forge life-long friendships
• Look and feel your best
• Enjoy a fair competition
• Create an opportunity to do something you have always dreamed of
• The best way to spend the midlife crisis or an empty nester surge of extra energy and time
• Inspire others, help them realize a dream

I hope you found something you would consider worthwhile. While you may well relate to these, my own perceptions have been likely shaped by my choice of sport and my own individual situation. Yep, just in case you were wondering, I am a gal. I would like to believe the verdict of a personality test I took a few years back was accurate. After having answered many of those twisted, forced, multiple choice questions, this stated that I was a “sporty girl”. I was relieved, actually pleased, it sounds even better for someone of a “certain age” like myself.
So, I am counting on getting help with additional perspectives from those of you, guys and gals, who have already enjoyed the benefits of regularly engaging in some kind of athletic endeavor, in spite (or should I say rather to support) an already very active life. You might be doing yoga or lifting weights, cycling, running or playing team sports or golf...

What’s in it for you?