I recently had a conversation with Danny (Dr. Foerster) about how much better we felt in our running this year than we did last year.
The first time I did Hyalite Peak was 3 years ago. I barely finished. Everything hurt. My joints ached. My feet were so sore. I ran it about a month ago and felt great. Fitness was good. Body was good.
Last year Danny tackled the Rut 50k. He ran a 9:29:42. 18:23 per mile pace. Placed 176. This year, he ran 8:39:33. 16:46 per mile pace. Placed 99th for the men.
It came down to this: We trained more specifically and cumulatively logged more time!
Imagine that!
Being focused in your efforts and simply being consistent over a longer period is what forms the foundation for high performance. It does not happen when you are haphazard nor does it occur simply overnight!
Achievement in anything requires specificity and time to get there.
We so often look for quick results. And I am talking about more than even within a single season. It takes time to get to where you are going. In this current age of “social media immediacy,” we lose sight of the big picture. Of what it took to “get there.”
Behind every flawless yoga pose and runner on an alpine peak is a story of someone who has been practicing for a long time! We only see the photo in the present. When in reality, it took years of development to get to that point.
So don’t take this as a bummer - rather, think about anyone you know who has achieved something amazing. There is a story to be told. Hours of work. Practice. Focus. Digging deeper and peeling back the layers.
It is actually quite promising!
Be specific. And put in the time.
That is the formula.