It's always interesting to see how individuals make progress in different fields of work, or even in fields of athletics. One such example is marathon running. Marathon runner Pete Rea wrote an article called
How to Go From Zero to Marathon in Six Months, that's worth a look even if you have no interest in the sport.
If you plan to start marathon running, then of course the advice is directly applicable. But even if you're not, the pattern of suggestions is interesting to consider as a set of basic principles that can be applied in so many areas.
The article breaks down a long-term approach toward marathon training into the following sections:
- Weeks 1 to 6: No true "long run", just training to prepare for later runs, including some running and other activities.
- Weeks 7 to 12: A less-than-gradual ramp-up in work but some "uncomfortable" training to prepare for what's to come later.
- Weeks 13 to 19: A transitional block that is essentially a true period of more direct marathon training.
- Weeks 20 to 25: A period to prepare you physiologically for race day.
- Week 26: A final week or so of training with a reduction in race volume, with no long run.
This approach to training can be generally applied to many things we want to accomplish. I often read about success stories for creators in various fields, claiming to gain hundreds of thousands of followers in just a few months, leading to MRRs in the 6-digits or more.
I find these stories somewhat implausible and hard to believe. Maybe they're true, I don't know. But for most of us, success is a slow grind and takes long hours, days, months, and years of hard work and dedication — similar to training for a marathon.
Now on to this week's hand-picked productivity links!
