Today I will run with no problems!
Determined, I set out on the 3rd day of my first Navrun. I had run a little over 4 km. And I was feeling tired once again.
Once again I had slowed down.
I wondered why.
A realisation dawned upon me. And that is what I will share with you in today’s episode.
Hey everyone, welcome to Summit Your Everest. I am your host Amit Chilka. I am a 10X Success Coach. I catalyse peak performance for individuals and organisations. In this podcast I share with you peak performance hacks, tips to design your life for massive results so you can summit your own Everest!
Hi everyone. I am Amit Chilka. I am a 10X Success Coach. I catalyse peak performance for individuals and organisations. Welcome to the third episode of my video series Run to your Peak : 9 peak performance lessons from my barefoot Navrun.
After visualizing my peak, I knew today would be my day. I will complete the run with ease.
My peak was clear. Navrun wasn’t a race. It was about consistency of running 9 km for all 9 days.
With that thought in mind, I had started off on the 3rd day with great energy and enthusiasm.
But it was short-lived.
As I completed a little over 4 km I was huffing and puffing. I had slowed down – in fact, almost stopped.
I literally dragged myself that day to somehow complete the 9 km.
What could be the reason for this? – I wondered as I was analysing at the run stats while resting back home.
That is when it dawned on me I had left home with a lot of enthusiasm. And in that enthusiasm, I had run the first few km very fast – actually faster than ever. And that led to fatigue.
And I learnt not to speed up.
To complete the run and keep doing it for 9 days in a row it is imperative to conserve and manage your energy.
Will power can get you signed up for the Navrun. It can also get you started every single day. But using willpower to keep going during the race isn’t a wise idea.
Will power is a limited resource. But if you manage it well, energy can be unlimited.
So managing and conserving energy is the key to getting any mammoth task done – whether it’s the Navrun or anything else in life.
And here some parallels that I drew between conserving your energy during the run and conserving your energy at any other task you do for peak performance –
#1 – Sleep tight. It will keep you energised for the run and through the day for all the tasks you want to do.
#2 – Do what matters the most first thing in the morning. During the Navrun, running 9 km is the most important thing. So I wake up early and hit the road. After I am back from the run I am refreshed. I feel accomplished. It gives me more energy to do more things throughout the day. Similarly, if you do what matters the most the first thing in the morning, you will feel accomplished and have more energy to do other things you have to do during the day.
#3 – Start slow, then build the momentum. Remember, it is a marathon (with Narun it is 9 days run), not a sprint. So if you are to deliver high performance in a critical, lengthy project being slow so you don’t burn out in the very beginning.
#4 – Take stretch breaks. After every 2 km I started taking a quick sip of water and stretching myself. This helped me run with ease. Something that must be practiced at regular intervals when you are working too.
#5 – Know what drains you. Be mindful. Be aware. Look for clues to figure out what drains you. Figure out what best you can do to avoid these draining factors.
#6 – Run on air. Running on air requires you to focus on your breath. You set up a rhythm of 2 breaths in and 3 breaths out. That helps you run better. During any tasks you are doing too, it important to focus on your breath. It will help you do the task better. Give it a shot.
What are your ways to conserve energy?
Let me know in the comments below. Would love to hear from you.
By the way, it’s been over 60 hours of water fasting already and I am alive and kicking. I am managing and conserving my energy. And that has allowed me to get this far. If I had to rely on my willpower, I would have never come so far!