They let them go and default to what they feel. When they feel fresh at the beginning of the build they don’t put any more or less emphasis on the numbers. Frustration builds and sometimes the athlete has to take time off training or even drops out of the upcoming race.Īn athlete executing training with an infinite mindset knows to think about his or her workouts through the context of effort, not specific data points and output levels. When those output levels steadily decrease as fatigue builds over the course of the training block, the athlete, totally focused on pace, uses these false reference points to judge themselves and make assumptions about their fitness. The athlete highlights these outputs and builds themselves up based on those data points. Early on in a training block when an athlete is fresher, output levels tend to be through the roof. This ends up making us less effective athletes, especially come race day.Īn athlete that continues to check their strava data, highlighting output levels on strides or intervals workout after workout is a prime example of this. The cycle continues and we become so reliant on constant positive feedback and the fulfillment of expectations based completely on “winning” our training and goals that we become less able to respond to changes in our environment. In these situations we start operating under a false understanding of what helps us achieve success. Our brains tend to overemphasize finite games to the detriment of our pursuits. The stakes and parameters are clear, the winners and losers are obvious (This explains why it’s more entertaining to watch ESPN than C-Span.) Our brains like the manageable size and tangible nature of finite games. The problem is that finite games, like an ultra, exist in an infinite world. It’s about fast results and tangible growth now, not in a year, or 10. The key is to not mistake those components for the whole.Īs athletes, we often get drawn into the false understanding that what we’re doing is about beating others, being the best, being number one. This makes sense! Our brains are good at chunking up big things (like infinite games) into their smaller component parts. Many athletes become consumed by the small finite games along the way, and lose track of the infinite game that really matters. The paradox here is that if we lean into these things a little too much we become overly reliant on predictability, data and metrics, and race results to the detriment of our longevity. As athletes, we thrive on predictability and the importance of constant self-evaluation, evaluation by others and the habitual nature of everything we do from sleep, to nutrition to self-care and the consistency of our training. The only true competitor in an infinite game is yourself.Īn athletic life is an infinite game underscored by habitual processes, goals, data points and other metrics. ![]() For example, there is no #1 or I’m best at training, or “Best Geopolitical Negotiation”. No one technically wins these games, and outcomes are far murkier than in finite games. Examples include, a partnership, global politics, education or even your training. Everyone can play however they want and the objective is to perpetuate and stay in the game as long as possible. New players can join at any time and the rules are always changeable. Infinite games have known and unknown players. These games have a defined beginning, middle and end with known winners and losers, like a soccer match or a trail race. Using an infinite mindset in the context of an athletic life will allow you to realize your true potential in races, adventures, training and life itself.īack in the late 1970s, philosopher Dr James Carse developed the theory that life can be broken down in two ways, finite and infinite games.įinite games feature known players, fixed rules with agreed upon objectives and winners and losers.
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