Where is your Focus?

by Russell Tibbits

Early July and my birthday presented itself again, as it does every year around this time. Only this year I had the genius idea of running a triathlon on the actual day. I can assure you that every future birthday will pass quietly, without one of these events to write about. However, I looked forward to this particular triathlon for two reasons. First, it was fairly short for a sprint triathlon which meant I could go back to sleep quicker. Second, my best friend since early high school would be racing with me.

Apparent to me, in looking at my previous race results, is that I neglected to fully train for the swim portion of the race. And while this is the shortest distance of any of the three events (swim, bike and run), I felt that more intense training for the swim would not only help with my race time in the swim, but also help me feel strong and energetic as I transitioned to the bike course. So for the six weeks prior to race day, I spent day after day in the pool. Racking up lap after lap, I felt more confident. To increase the challenge, I finished my time in the pool with some distance running. I felt very confident in both areas and knew it was impossible not to do better.

This would be great if a triathlon only involved two events. I was so focused on the swim and the run that I failed to train at all for the bike. It’s not difficult to guess what happened on the day of the triathlon. I maneuvered swiftly through the swim, faster than any of my previous races. But less than a mile into my bike, my actions from the prior six weeks began to haunt me. An improved swim time, followed by a terrible bike, ending with an improved run time. A very average finish time is not what I expected.

Something I’ve learned that will stick with me forever because it applies to every industry is: if you want a number (revenue, profits, weight) to go up or down, all you need to do is focus on it daily. When you focus on the number daily, your actions start to align with your goals. This rule proved to be true, as both my swim times and run times improved. But you can’t forsake one key number for the improvement of others. You can’t focus on revenue, without keeping an eye on expenses and profits. And as I now know, I can’t focus on swim times and run times and ignore the bike. In order to excel at any event, I have to be completely involved in every aspect. That’s the only way to ensure I’ll be satisfied with my results.