Finding the Edge

It is so tempting to just do what you are good at in training and to neglect the other things that you need to do to make significant improvement. It is so easy to rationalize away and then have it come back to haunt you when you need those other things the most. If you spend all your time on what you are good at then how do you get better? Somewhere you have to find that edge, a sweet spot where you can balance strengths and weaknesses in order to make incremental progress toward a goal. It is pushing the envelope to get out of your comfort zone. It has become fashionable to advise the athlete to get comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time. That is fine as far as it will take you. For me that smells too much like grit and mental strength, two terms that I am not enamored with. It requires intent and purpose for each session, it is more than that just doing it. You have a well-articulated plan that is grounded in fundamentals. Execute the plan, constantly evaluate and revise the plan as necessary. Recognize that progress is not linear and sometimes there will be setbacks, but with a clear plan, a setback will be a marker to gauge where you are. The key is to push yourself continually to find the edge that will make a difference.