One executive I met recently (let’s call him Claudio) said he burst into tears during the final moments of a sporting event he attended this year. He cried, as he often does, not of joy, but of disappointment. Even though he was scheduled to finish in much less time than he had imagined, it was now all about completing his destination.
He was not trained, or rather not well trained, but his initial expectations were much higher.
Why is it not enough for amateur athletes to simply enjoy the competition without having a goal to achieve? Should Claudio have been disappointed?
It seems like no one participates to lose something, but I like to believe that you can win something by just getting on the podium or breaking your personal record. By definition, amateur sports are sports that are or should be dedicated to love. dilettantism.
Are we specifically designed to win? It doesn’t seem like there’s just information in our genetic code that says we have to be alpha or we won’t form a society.
It is increasingly common for coaches to talk about the “circuits” that runners will follow at expos, the trade fairs held on the eve of marathons.
They carefully describe the moment or moment when it is the perfect moment to approach or leave the sidewalk. It’s as if we were car drivers, trying to figure out the best way to stick to the ground, attack curves, and take advantage of curbs.
I don’t know if demand creates supply or vice versa, but this shows that there is an interest in this kind of instruction, which probably only makes sense for people who drive at 20km/h. So my guess is that the much slower 6 pacers will go into these tests with a knife in them.
There’s no denying the appeal of going faster, faster, faster, and I admit to experiencing that feeling myself. But if all that comes to mind are goals, metrics, formulas, notes, and imaginary post-its taken from coach’s tips – a competitive boost – how can a tiger endure 42km of a marathon (or 21km of a half) and effectively complete the race?
I don’t think any of us should be like Joe Strummer, leader of the seminal band The Clash. Legend has it that he ran the London Marathon in its heyday in a completely casual mood after dropping off four pints of beer the day before. By the way, I already “broke” Rio’s socks the night before at the mythical Adega Perola as a result of a poor choice of cachaça (not figuratively).
Particularly in the corporate world, there’s a belief that training for endurance events necessarily requires discipline, method and planning, which translates into work and improves managers, and that’s spilled over to gravel as well. That may be true, but the B-side of this business, which is rarely remembered, is that the disappointment of not getting results is strong.
By the way, why do we need to achieve results? Is this an inevitable obligation in this new performance society?
fellow columnist sheetEconomist Michael França regularly writes columns about music. I pay homage to him here by using his methods.
This column is dedicated to “Poema em Linha Reta” by Fernando Pessoa in the punk version of the Patife band by Paulo Barnabe.
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