COACHING CAR RIDES
Run Through Coach Matt Long takes you on three common journeys runners tend to make:
Three runners prepared to embark on a long three-month car journey to a destination we will call ‘The City of Half Marathon’. Runner 1 was called ‘Cocky’; Runner 2 was named ‘Confident’ and Runner 3 was known as ‘Cerebral’.
Before setting off on their respective journeys they shared notes on how they would approach their travel to the City of Half Marathon. ‘Cocky’ boldly professed, “I know the route to the City of Half Marathon. I’m in total control and I back myself to get there without getting lost and without the use of a sat nav”. ‘Confident’ shook his head and offered, “I’m pretty sure I know the route and can get there on my own but just in case I go wrong I’ve got my sat nav which is called ‘Arrival Information’ or ‘AI’ for short. It’s a great piece of technology and over the last 12 months every runner I can think of has been using it and I’m guaranteed to arrive without going wrong”. ‘Cerebral’ had thus far remained quiet to this point, deep in thought but was then challenged by ‘Cocky’ and ‘Confident’ as to how she planned to make the journey. She said modestly, “I know the general area of direction to the City of Half Marathon like you ‘Cocky’. I also use ‘Arrival Information’ or ‘AI’ as do you ‘Confident’. This being said unlike the both of you I also have a human passenger sat in the seat next to me. Whilst we can both listen to AI as driver and passenger, the person I’ve chosen to trust in the passenger seat can and will actually talk to me as a person”.
On hearing the above from ‘Cerebral’, ‘Cocky’ and ‘Confident’ giggled between themselves, scoffing at the idea of someone feeling as though they needed the advice of another human in their journey to the destination of the City of Half Marathon. “What a waste time and money!” scoffed ‘Cocky’ as ‘Confident’ agreed with a snigger that, “Doesn’t ‘Cerebral’ realise that times have moved on with AI?!”
And so the journey began…
Off sped ‘Cocky’, pulling off his drive at breakneck speed with a whiff of testosterone and a wheel spin producing a cloud of smoke, heading straight to the motorway where he quickly ramped up to 5th gear intent to sit in the fast lane, foot down all the way to the City of Half Marathon. ‘Confident’ took just a little more time in terms of inputting some data from Strava into his sat nav of AI before similarly pulling off with a smug grin on his face as he chased after ‘Cocky’ whilst seeing in his rear-view mirror poor old ‘Cerebral,’ still sat stationary on her drive and yet to start the ignition key to fire the car engine.
‘Cerebral’ continued to sat stationary on her drive for some time just talking to her front seat passenger about the potential route to take. The front seat passenger told her that AI would concur that the motorway route being sped down by ‘Cocky’ and ‘Confident’ was indeed on paper the fastest route of travel to the City of Half Marathon. This being said the passenger counselled that there may be unforeseen traffic delays on the motorway and that at times during the journey, ‘Cerebral’ may be advised to leave the motorway to take a seemingly slower and more scenic route across countryside. This initially caused ‘Cerebral’ some anxiety as she felt she was already way behind ‘Cocky’ and ‘Confident’ who must be half-way towards their destination already but she chose to remain calm and to trust in the process of the advice offered by her human passenger.
There were indeed detours and rest breaks over a three month journey as the passenger had warned but as ‘Cerebral’ pulled into the City of Half Marathon into the specially reserved pre-race parking space, to her amazement she realised that the parking spaces besides her reserved for both ‘Cocky’ and ‘Confident’ were empty. Unbelievably, she thought, despite their breakneck speed, they hadn’t arrived yet.
A seeming eternity later, ‘Confident’ trundled into the car park and sheepishly nodded at ‘Cerebral’. “What took you so long?!” asked an intrigued ‘Cerebral’. Red faced and looking tired, ‘Confident’ admitted, “I trusted my AI sat nav blindly and it ended up taking me round and round in circles a couple of times and that’s why I’m delayed”. ‘Cerebral’ then asked, “Where is ‘Cocky’?”. ‘Confident’ responded, “I passed him 6 weeks ago. He broke down on the motorway as his engine overheated and caught fire. The last I saw of him, he was being towed by breakdown cover to the nearest physio. He won’t make the City of Half Marathon race”.
The above allegory is a narrative which has a deeper, hidden meaning and is invested in moral truths.
As you digest the story above, self-reflect on the following questions:
Which of the three characters in the allegory- ‘Cocky’, ‘Confident’ or ‘Cerebral’, do I most identify with as a runner?
Can I be self-coached like ‘Cocky’ or what are the risks things may go wrong?
How do I use not only AI but more broadly technology like ‘Confident’ did, in my approach to running?
Why might having the human front seat passenger of a coach like ‘Cerebral’ did, have a benefit in helping me safely reach my running destination?
Matt Long has guided 3 athletes to become world champions and is the winner of both a British Milers Club Award for outstanding coach education and an England Athletics Award for Lifetime Services to Coaching.