3 Benefits of a Process-Based Approach in Racing...and Weight-Loss

During our last phone call prior to her first Ironman, I asked Marnie, my client to share with me her biggest take-away in her Ironman journey. She restated to me something I’d told her when she first decided to race Ironman; that all the training, the nutrition, the recovery, the strength training, was all part of the process of becoming an Ironman. Marnie had realized that becoming Ironman isn’t an outcome, it’s a process.

This process-based approach was helpful for Marnie to remember during her training. It was the process of enduring thousands of training hours, in step by step succession, that made her an Ironman. And while hearing the words “You are an Ironman” signal the end of that journey, the entire process is what got her there.

In the same way, a process-based approach can set us up for success in all fitness ventures, whether that be a race goal or a weight-loss one. So many times, we take the opposite approach in fitness- we look to lose 20 pounds by a certain date, no matter what the cost. Or, we focus all our energies around being on the podium for a particular event. Or maybe our goals in the weight room revolve around the ever popular question, “ How much can you bench?”

While these goals in and of themselves may not be necessarily bad, if we focus our energies around the outcome, and not the process, we can wind up making poor fitness decisions and not achieve our desired results. However, with a process- based approach, we can better manage our efforts. Here are three benefits to taking this approach:  

1. Allows for manageable expectations and goals: A process-based approach allows us to “eat the elephant one bite at a time.” When we focus solely on the outcome of a significant goal (complete an Ironman, qualify for Kona, run a marathon, lose 50 lbs, etc.), the natural tendency is to feel overwhelmed. However, when we focus on the process, we can break up the goal into more manageable parts. “I’ve got to lose 30 lbs by Christmas” isn’t as good as, “I just need to drop 1.5 lb/week,” or better still is “I need to focus on sticking to my meal plan and the weight will come off”. This reminds me of an account related by 6x world champion Mark Allen, when he was competing in an Ironman where he was over 13 minutes behind starting the run. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by having to run down his fellow competitor who already had a huge lead, he simply broke down his “elephant” into bite-sized chunks. He did the math in his head and realized that if he could just gain on his competitor by one inch per stride, he would overtake him. So, Mark focused on the process of increasing his cadence and stride length ever so slightly, over and over and over. Sure enough, he overtook his rival and went on to win. A process-driven approach allows for more manageable goals.
2. Enables a more precise focus. A process-based approach allows for focusing on specific aspects that will deliver improved performance. By setting up and tracking metrics, we can know where to focus our energy on race day. We can look at heart rate, wattage, cadence, speed, pace, nutrition, and other areas which allow us to stick with a specific plan. My recent half iron distance effort at the Waterman’s half was a good reminder for me about focusing on the process of sticking to my wattage goals during my bike ride. Long story short, I didn’t do a very good job managing the power I was producing to finish the bike ride on a very windy day. I went out way to hard, and ended up walking on the run. However, I learned my lesson (again), and three weeks later raced the North Carolina Ironman 70.3 race where I focused specifically on my wattage on the bike, and had a more measured approach, which helped me conserve energy for the run. On the run, I was focused on pacing and nutrition, and it ultimately led me to racing a personal best. By focusing on specific elements of the race process, I was able to  eclipse my goal. In the same way, someone focusing on losing weight can focus on elements of a healthy nutrition plan such as ‘always eating a nutrient-rich breakfast’, or ‘always carry a protein-rich snack for the times when life gets in the way of meal time’. A process-driven approach allows  focusing on specific elements of your plan. Coupled together with the other parts of your process, it can lead to you hitting your weight-loss goal.  
3. Minimizes anxiety and wasted emotional energy.  Finally, a process driven approach helps us worry about what we can control and not what we can’t. As athletes, If we are preoccupied about where we’ll end up in the rankings, or how fast other competitors are racing, we are worrying about something beyond our control. That zaps mental energy that can be diverted to focusing on things we can control. I remember an athlete being so obsessed about how she was racing over the course of the season in comparison to another girl, that she only signed up for races where her rival was competing. During these events she would get so nervous about how her strengths compared to that of her chief rival, that she omitted the basics like taking in enough nutrition and hydration which resulted in her falling off her pace and ending up far behind the other girl. In the same way, once I had a weight-loss client who prior to working with me, was so preoccupied with the number of pounds lost to date, that she literally carried a scale around with her on vacation. If the scale weighed a pound high, she’d fast a meal or two. If she was a pound down, she’s be ok to eat. That’s no way to spend a vacation! Instead of focusing on a healthy, sustainable nutrition plan where minor weight fluctuations are expected, her approach was a 24/7 focus on the scale. If she'd focused on what was in her control (adhering to a healthy meal plan) instead of the tiny daily fluctuations of her body due to all sorts of other factors, she would have had a much more enjoyable vacation, not to mention a better outcome with respect to her weight. 

So, whatever your fitness goals, take a process-driven approach to achieving them. In the end, you’ll be better equipped to set manageable expectations, have a more productive focus, and minimize energy wasted on things outside of your control. Whether you’re racing an Ironman, running your first 5k, or just trying to drop a few pounds, success is found in the process, not the outcome. Not sure if that’s the case? Just ask Marnie.