When you prepare for a marathon, you have 3 specific training sessions.
One of them is the interval run.
“What is this jargon, Dror?”
Nothing complicated. You run, for example, eight times 400 meters, not far from your maximum.
The secret? A recovery lap between every 400 meters.
You don’t stop. You slow down. And because of this, you can go full speed ahead on your next 400 meters.
The problem at work. We run 400 meters, forgetting the recovery lap.
The result: less energy, less pleasure, less efficiency, and sometimes injury (burnout).
Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash
Learn to work as a long-distance runner in 3 steps:
- A critical project, a presentation to polish, a budget to prepare. This is your 400 meters. Go for it.
- You are out of breath: This is a sign of recovery. Don’t wait. Anticipate it.
Keep going but more slowly. Recover. Take some time for yourself. That piano class you’ve been putting off from week to week, go for it. (Re)Start your 30 minutes of yoga in the morning… - The energy is there. Accelerate again. You gain in efficiency. Your muscles have progressed, you feel better. Impose the recovery lap on yourself anyway.
Even the best runners can’t stay in the red zone for too long. When they do, they blow up during their marathon.
You’re here to last, alternate sprinting and resting, and win your long run (your career).
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