Each week, one of our our coaches jots down a short thought piece giving insight into elements of coaching, training, racing or mindset. This week Coach Chris talks about the importance of doing the work in order to improve, rather than buying improvements.
I lived in Belgium for 7 years in my 20's and whilst I was there, there was an ongoing joke about whether anybody could name a famous Belgian... Apart from Tin Tin, most people were stumped. However, in the world of endurance sport, arguably the most famous and successful cyclist ever, Eddy Merckx, was in fact a Belgian.
Aside from winning 5 Tour De France titles and pretty much all of the other grand tours and classic rides, Eddy came out with a few great quotes in his time. One of my favourites is, “don’t buy upgrades, ride upgrades.”
To me, this is absolute gold. It's a message that we look to reinforce as coaches to our runners. Do the work, work your way through the physical and mental stages of athletic development, be consistent, train diligently and taking care of yourself. In other words, "ride the upgrades."
On the other side of the coin, there are those who look to short cut the process and "buy upgrades." The latest foam / carbon shoes, the lighter running singlet, the new watch, or if you are a triathlete, your new carbon bike wheels.
Don't get me wrong, I like new gear as much as the next person, and am fascinated by some of the technological advances that we are seeing, but do not mistake these things as genuine progress in your fitness or ability. They may improve your results but they do not improve you.
Interestingly, I have heard several everyday recreational runners saying that they won't run their next race in their carbon plated running shoes because they don't want to have an asterisk in their mind, next to that result.
Do the work, ride the upgrades.