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Our Journey to Decoding Performance – The “Social Distancing” Run 

 August 6, 2020

Live the Message,” a common phrase uttered during weekly Tiger Performance Institute team meetings, took on a whole new meaning on Sunday, August 1st.

As a peak performance company, each Tiger employee seeks out unique ways to implement the tools and practices we teach our clients. Some choose hiking, others choose bicycling or weightlifting… but for my Dad and I, we chose long distance running.

While we both competed in collegiate athletics (I played baseball, Dad played football), neither of us have any background in long-distance running. However, in early 2019, I decided that I wanted to find a way to stay competitive and athletic just a year after my baseball career ended.

Shortly after going for my first run (3 miles – I was exhausted), I decided I would begin training for a marathon. If you know the Adams family… we don’t go halfway on anything. Clearly this was the case here as well.

I began using the strategies we teach at Tiger Performance Institute to become an elite-level runner.

Soon after, my Dad joined in…

Prior to early March, my Dad struggled to run on the treadmill for 20 minutes at a time. Nevertheless, through applying the principles we teach our clients such as Heart Rate Variability, Sleep, and Nutrition, he began to see his capacity for running long-distances expand.

In January, I competed in a Half-Marathon. Then, in March, competed in a full Marathon.

In the time between the Half-Marathon and the Marathon, I worked closely with Tiger Performance Institute’s Naturopathic M.D., Dr. Matt McNamee, to develop a plan for sleep optimization, supplementation, and nutrition. My wife was also a major factor in this as I don’t have any kitchen skills. She routinely provided time-based meals around the specific nutrition plan given by Dr. Matt McNamee.

All of this to say, when I applied the principles taught by Tiger Performance Institute Performance Concierges, I was able to run 100 miles in the month of February and completed an entire Marathon on March 8th.

During this time, my Dad was slowly increasing his distances from 3 miles all the way up to 12.5! We both knew it was time for him to complete a real Half Marathon.

Unfortunately, as COVID-19 began its rapid spread across the United States, all running events were either cancelled or postponed.

In mid-May, we found an online training company called Marathon Training Academy (marathontrainingacademy.com). They were putting on virtual events nationwide called “The Social Distancing Run.” So, for $30 my Dad and I signed up and completed the half-marathon together during my visit this week.

As you can see in the picture below, all of the hard work over the past year culminated in, as NCAA March Madness would put it, “One Shining Moment.” My Dad and I completed a 13.1-mile trek around Norton Shores, MI on August 2nd to complete his first-ever half-marathon!

 

After the race, Lindsay (my sister), crowned both Dad and I with our “Social Distancing Run” medals that were provided by The Marathon Training Academy.

Though we are very sore this week, it was an incredible journey arriving to this moment. A journey that will most-definitely continue as I work to convince my Dad to run a full marathon. Lol.

So, what did we learn through this process? Well… a lot of things!

  1. No matter your athletic background, applying consistency in habits (sleep, nutrition, exercise, hydration, etc.) will help you can achieve whatever you set out to do!
  2. When you improve your Heart Rate Variability through deep breathing practices and excellent sleep, you improve your physical and mental capacity to perform.
  3. None of this would’ve been possible if we didn’t first believe that we could do it. Applying a growth mindset to this situation and to life in general is crucial to achieving new heights in performance!
  4. Mad respect to all the long-distance athletes out there who do this type of thing for a living!

This past year has been challenging in every way possible but, finishing the half-marathon with my Dad this week made it all worthwhile.

Have questions? We’re here to help! Contact us at www.tigerpi.com/freeconsult today!