A new year: teaching an old dog new tricks

Hello dear readers, welcome to 2017 and my first post of the new year! In my previous blog, I outlined my decision to join the Triathlon Squad based in Poway, California. After nearly two months training with the squad in what is affectionately known as ‘Powadise’, here is a friendly reminder to myself: recognizing a need for change is the easy part, fully implementing and sustaining changes requires a lot more effort.

​This is not surprising news. Just like Newton’s first law, people seem to have a natural tendency for inertia. Athletes, in particular, are specifically trained to be creatures of habit trying to convert certain movement patterns into muscle memory. This means altering or reversing some of these routines tends to be - consciously or subconsciously - uncomfortable. Thus, to fully embrace a new process and new way of training requires a daily commitment to being uncomfortable. 
 
For example, I am really focusing on breathing earlier in the swim with a deep hand entry. This has been particularly hard for me to overcome, in part because doing so goes against a movement pattern I’ve perhaps repeated hundreds and hundreds of times over the years. Despite my mind screaming to breathe earlier with every stroke, coupled with the coach’s verbal pool side reminders, changing this bad habit has been - and continues to be - a struggle to execute correctly. When any change is required, it will be hard regardless, but here are some strategies I’ve tried to employ to accelerate the change process:

1. Turn off the emotional brain: Being able to recognize and filter through frustrations, fears or anxieties allows more head space to focus on the actual skill I am being asked to do. We let our emotions slip into a lot of our daily activities: road rage when the driver forgets his/her turn signal, annoyed when a co-worker is late or someone forgot to replace the empty toilet paper roll. Yet that additional stress is not productive and inhibits the ability to focus on the task at hand: just drive more cautiously, talk to your co-worker directly, and just replace the roll yourself. In a triathlon context, when thoughts creep in like "Am I doing this right??" or "Whoa that road seems slippery", I try to shift to "Just rotate faster to breathe earlier" or “Okay, just keep my weight on the outside leg as I descend through this corner”.  
2. Stay humble, stay hungry: Accepting that the way things were done in the past did not yield the desired results can be disheartening. One must remain humble enough to admit that there may be a better way to do things. Simultaneously, this openness is what keeps me hungry to relentlessly push for the change.
3. Embrace the solution: hoping a change will bring about a desired solution is not enough. Only 110% belief that the changes you are making is the best way forward will do. Moreover, I've found that this deep conviction helps fuel the daily, deliberate efforts needed to bring about said changes. After all, what is the alternative to belief? Doubt. And that never seemed to be very useful.
4. Repeat steps 1-3: The growth process never ends, nor should it. Therefore, it is important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Don't back away from the struggle, just stay humble enough to accept new changes, filter out the emotions while going through it, and whole-heartedly believe it will be worth it in the end. 

​So to the person who coined the phrase: "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", he clearly didn't have the right treats or didn't meet the dog with the right attitude. 

​As always, thanks for reading and the continued support as the 2017 season is just around the corner! Stay tuned for an updated race schedule soon.

P.S. If you have a question or topic you would like me to write about, feel free to post it in the comments below!

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