The Onseason: Debt Analysis
Everywhere I turn I experience individuals and companies that share one common trait: debt. We have lots of fancy words for debt that include deficit, mortgage, leverage, loans, and the most offensive one being credit cards. Imagine how little people might use that piece of plastic if they were called “debt cards.”
All of the words for debt mean the same thing; I owe, I owe, and it is off to work I go. As someone who is debt phobic, I have had some opportunities for self-analysis this week. I realized that I have accumulated some serious debts that have nothing to do with money.
What other kinds of debt do we create? Maybe you or a friend has uttered these words:
- I will spend time with my life partner when the kids are older.
- I will lose weight after the holidays.
- I will start strength training when I turn 50.
- I will see the world when I retire.
- I will start saving for retirement when I can afford it.
- I will spend more time with my kids over the holidays.
To effectively move to my “onseason” (words matter and the “offseason” is way too tempting for me to take off) I need to acknowledge some long term debt I have accumulated.
I won’t bore you with the details, but to improve, it is time to pay off my debts. The first way I am going to do this is to better understand my bias. I came to running late in my life but in the process I discovered that I am a runner. My bias continues to be to play to my strength. Last weekend I played to my strength (aka ego) by running an all out 10k. The outcome was great but in the process I blew some key cycling workouts and strength training sessions.
Now most people reading this will respond by pointing out that it is only November. The problem with a bias is that like any habit, it is challenging to break and often requires lots of time to create a new habit or release the bias. November can quickly become May with little to no improvement. Often, this is where a coach can help by pointing out your bias and adjusting your plan to change it.
After I understand my bias, I need to take a critical look at my data in the context of my race results. In my case, my data and results were aligned. It was clear from both that I have a critical debt in cycling to pay off to achieve my goals. Instead of running six or seven days per week, I need to start approaching my cycling as I did when I was a beginning runner: consistency, frequency and load.
I recently attended a friend’s 50th birthday party, and her words rang more than true: “The choices I make, the things I practice and the things I say to myself are critical to how I live my life.” Don’t you love how when people utter truth that it resonates? Especially in a time when you need to hear the message.
As I reflect on the debts I accumulated this season, it is clear that I need to make different choices that require lots of practice. And more practice. This is a long term project and I plan on taking the end result to the bank on the race course and in my life.
