Moving too quickly?

One drawback that I've encountered with training is a diminished ability to focus outside of training. I either want to be moving at a fast pace, doing as many things as possible, or I want to be stopped and resting, not doing anything. I'm not sure if this is something that only I've come to experience, though it seems like a natural by-product of ramping up your body's metabolism.

I haven't completely lost the ability to find that middle ground, but I'm pretty sure that my attention span has waned a bit since jumping into a fairly consistent training schedule. Admittedly, I wasn't particularly wonderful at this level of focus prior, but still, I've noticed a difference.

In any case, there is definitely an imbalance occurring, and typically, imbalances are not good. So the question quickly becomes: "How can I balance myself out?"

I think the answer lies in the ability to find creative outlets. Creativity is something that, by nature, demands a relaxed pace, yet not a stagnant one. Not to say that creativity is something that comes without hard, intense work (it's as much a discipline as anything else), but it is something that manifests itself when the mind is in a state that lets it wander freely, yet still able to maintain a level of focus. It lets your brain get into that middle ground, between absolute rest, and intense movement.

Which is why, I believe, it is very important for athletes to find their creative side. Whether it is playing music, drawing, reading or anything else, it's absolutely necessary. Otherwise, we just become directionless masochists, who can't sit down long enough to figure out a training schedule, or take a step back to realize that sometimes our body needs a break. And that will undoubtedly lead to burnout.

I don't think it's coincidence that there aren't too many people who are extremely athletic and extremely artistic. It's usually one or the other (taking into consideration, of course, that being extremely good at anything usually requires all of one's time). I guess what I'm saying is that these things aren't tangential to each other. They don't feed into each other. Or, they rarely do. Running and swimming, by comparison, are tangential to each other. Swimming helps one focus on controlled breathing during running, and running helps one gain volume for swimming.

The best athletes aren't the ones who are just incredible workhorses and will obey a coach's every demand, but the ones who have the ability to occasionally take a step back, and consciously process all of the things that are occurring. It is creativity, I believe, that can help to cultivate this ability.

What this translates to is the potential to gain a competitive advantage. If you, as an athlete, can successfully tap into your creative side, you've done something that only a small number of athletes are able to do, and this will certainly help you on race day.

So pick up that guitar/paintbrush/book, and start training!