Learning & Development Professionals Can Learn “Alot” from Triathlons

This weekend I finished my first ever Olympic Length Triathlon (although I think the bike was a little shorter than Olympic distance and the swim a bit longer). Anyway it was 1 mile swim, 20 mile Bike and 6.2 mile run.

It was the Second Annual Atlantic City Triathlon. The event included a sprint triathlon (1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 5k run). I competed in a number of Sprint Triathlons last year and had always wanted to complete a longer distance and this was the race.

I was able to complete the entire event in 2:35 minutes. The average time for the triathlon was 2:47 minutes. So I was able to finish “above average.” My wife, however, finished in 2:19 and was the top 15th female finisher. So she is a little better triathlete.

Showing off our medals from the AC Olympic Length Triathlon.

Here are some lessons I learned from the Olympic sized Triathlon as opposed to the “mere” sprint I wrote about back in 2009.

1) My experience with sprint-triathlon prepared me for the longer triathlon. When I participated in the longer distance, I was much more calm because in actual races, I had done transitions before, done “bricks” before and struggled with tying my running shoes while still wobblely from biking. The mini-experience prepared me for the longer, more intense experience. Learning professionals need to give learners “mini-experiences”. I didn’t have a sense of confidence because I looked at a bulleted list of triathlon dos and don’ts, I was confident because I had a similar experience before. We need to give learners controlled, sprint-experiences so they can be prepare for the big things–like actually leading a company or making a major sale or negotiating a deal or shutting down a production line when things go awry. Simulations and games can help in this area.

2) The training was intense but not a big deal because I had integrated it into my normal routine. For this Olympic length triathlon, I spent time training but training for the event wasn’t my sole purpose or goal every time I went out and ran, swam or biked. Instead my goal was to get some exercise for the day and enjoy being with friends and enjoy getting in shape. I didn’t say, “Ok, every Monday I swim, every Tuesday I run, then bike on the weekend.” Instead, I was more loose. “Ok, today I feel like swimming so I’ll swim, ok some friends are going biking tomorrow even though I biked yesterday, I’ll bike with them.” Training was not my life this summer. In an organization, training is rarely the “life” of anyone outside of the learning and development department. Managers need to manage, they don’t need to spend all their time training. Make the training available at their convenience or when it works for them. Don’t force them into your schedule, work around their schedule. You can still help them get to the finish line.

3) Metrics and statistics are important, collect them and make them available. One of the most impressive things about the AC Triathlon was the copious amount of statistics I am able to get from the event. The Results page is impressive. I can search on age group, gender, top finishers, I can see which of the three areas I need the most work (running) and which I did well (swimming). Numbers, statistics are meaningful. They help me to evaluate my performance against myself and against others. Learning and development professionals need to embrace metrics and statistics. They are informational, they provide a guide, a benchmark, a measure of performance. Don’t shy away from statistics and metrics.

4) Statistics and measurements aren’t everything. While it’s important to have statistics and measurements, they alone do not determine success. A quick look at my overall finish place 254/435 would indicate I should be disappointed with a finish in the bottom half of the competitors. I am not disappointed in the least. In fact, I competed exactly as I had planned. I knew I could swim a 30 minute race (did 27 min) could bike 20 miles in an hour (1 hour 2 minutes) and my goal was to run 6 ten minute miles. I ran 6 miles at an 8:45 pace (above expectations). It doesn’t put me in the upper tier but it was a huge success for me. I could walk after the race, function like a normal person and enjoyed the Seafood Festival happening right beside the race. It could not have gone better for me in spite of my place. So success is not just about statistics and measures, it is about personnel achievement and goals as well. Learning and development professionals need to help people realize personnel goals and to understand that goals can involve far more than scores. When we design instruction it is for people who have goals and objectives, its not for a dis-embodied learner with no soul. Use both metrics and personnel goals to motivate and help learners. Find out what they believe to be success and help them achieve it.

A view of the AC Triathlon Finish line the day before the race.

5) Knowing the course is part of the race. One complaint some people had about the race is that they took a wrong turn on the bike route because it wasn’t well marked. I have seen this in my son’s cross-country races, I’ve seen it in local 5K races and it was at the triathlon–people get too caught up in the race and go the wrong way. I always have one response, “knowing the course is part of the race.” That’s it. If the majority of people went the right way, then you messed up. I don’t care if you are tired, “into the race” or not focused because you are too intense in the activity of the moment, knowing where you need to go is important and, often more important, than the activity you are doing. You can put forth your best effort but if it is in the wrong direction, you are making a mistake. Creating learning events is the same way, you can create the best elearning module or classroom instruction but if it is teaching the wrong thing…you’ve just made a mistake. You need to know where you are going so that you eventually end up in the right place. Have a plan, know the plan and follow the plan. Mental awareness and focus is always part of the race.

When designing instruction, keep these triathlon tips in sight and you’ll end up creating awesome learning experiences. And, if you run a triathlon, you’ll have a great triathlon experience as well.