Feedback loops

I read a thoughtprovoking article about feedback loops today. A feedback loop can cause things to change more rapidly than one would expect, either for better or for worse. Take the recent surge in the GameStop stock price: people wanting to drive up the price bought stock, causing the price to go up. And as the price went up, more people wanted to buy stock, etc. Consider Sears, in contrast. Fewer people were shopping at Sears because they though the company was failing and the company failed because people stopped buying things in its stores. GameStop’s surge and Sears’s demise demonstrate feedback loops.

You can find feedback loops everywhere, including in triathlon training. Recently I’ve experienced two feedback loops myself, though trending in different directions.

I’ve been running a lot more lately. In the fall, lots was going on at home and I needed time outdoors. I live near the C&O Canal in Maryland near DC and I find it to be the perfect place to run. It’s a lovely escape. My runs started going a little longer than prescribed. 5min here, 10min there. Sometimes I’d sneak in an extra 20min easy run. Come this January, I’ve run over 30 days in a row, more consecutive days than I’ve ever run in my life before. Thing is, I’m not dragging myself out the door either—each morning I get that urge to run. My body is handling the elevated stress, in part, because I’ve layered on this extra running responsibly. I’m not overdoing it. I’ve gradually increased my running while still allowing for recovery, i.e., most of my extra running is very easy. I can already feel myself getting stronger. Keeping the streak going hasn’t been all that difficult. The more I run, the more I want to run. I’m in a positive feedback loop.

My biking, on the other hand, is a different story. I do most of my cycling indoors on my trainer to reduce risk, prep time, and to stay close to my son. I need to fit it in early, mostly before he wakes up. I need to be better at managing my time around bike workouts for that reason. Plus, bike workouts are just long. Inside on the trainer, they can also be pretty dull. I haven’t been getting the same exhilaration from riding indoors like I get from running outdoors, obviously. Back in the fall, not feeling the same desire to bike, I missed a few workouts here or there. (While I don’t think the added running made me too fatigued and impacted my willingness to bike, it’s certainly a possibility I could be downplaying). Missing a bike workout meant the next felt that much harder. Having less desire meant I biked less. Biking less took away from my desire to bike. I’ve been in a negative feedback loop.

What’s the answer then? How do I get myself out of a negative feedback loop? I’m no expert, but I think for me the answer is pretty simple. I’ve got to bike more. Just as I’ve done with running. Cutting back on missed bike workouts is a good start. But I also need to introduce some elements of fun. Luckily, I helped my son learn how to ride a pedal bike last month (he’s four years old which is several years earlier than I learned as a kid. The key: a balance bike instead of training wheels). We’ve been going on short rides in the park and in the neighborhood pretty frequently. It’s been a blast. And though it may not be training, I’m getting more time in the saddle. More time in the saddle has led to wanting more.

Good news is I’ve recognized this trend early in the season and I’ve started taking steps to address it. This morning, I finished a two hour bike ride and it wasn’t seem that tough. Dare I say, easy. Maybe that feedback loop is changing direction for the better.