Pursuing Exercise Diversity

Slowly but surely, I am learning the value of prioritizing different types of exercise.

Diversifying is a no-brainer in other realms of life: investments, nutrition, clothing, beverage selection, business enterprises, and the like. Diversity offers not only different types of pleasures—like the different tastes of cookie dough and french vanilla ice cream, but also offers reasonable protection should the figurative basket carrying all the eggs suddenly disappear.

For example, I'm currently employed as a product engineer for a company in the waterworks industry and, even though I still haven't reached the top on the learning curve, I quickly discovered that diversity is the cornerstone of our business philosophy in purchasing. For having a single supplier for castings or parts means that we as a company are only one issue away from being unable to deliver products to customers. And that issue wouldn't even have to be our fault. A machine breakdown, or supply chain breakdown (maybe the truck driver slept in), may be out of our control, but we can't build valves or hydrants without the parts. Multiple suppliers reduces this risk for us as a company. If one supplier has an issue, we have the ability to meet demand through other established sources. The potential loss in revenue and in market reputation makes diversifying a no-brainer.

But when it comes to exercise, I've always resisted anything and everything that is not running. And the reason is one-fold: I really like running. Why do anything else? The logic goes: every minute I do something other than running = one minute less that I could be enjoying running. The end.

And while I still understand this logic, I am starting to see a flaw. What happens when I experience an injury that keeps me from running? With the above logic (and personal experience from the last 4 months), I know that I'll basically do nothing until I can run again, unless groaning and complaining count as exercise activity. For there is no fallback plan. But not doing anything, especially for months on end, is not healthy.

So, to be clear, I think the flaw I am starting to see is the false assumption that doing nothing is better than doing something other than running. Or to put it positively, non-running activity is better than complete inactivity.

The coolest fat bike picture I could find.

Even if I train smarter in the future (which I am more motivated to do now than ever), the reality is that the kind of running I enjoy will always carry a high risk of injury. Fundamental to the joy of running for me is the self-discovery that comes when the body's limit is pressed, which requires high training volume and tough race exams, which carry risk on this side of the new heavens and new earth. So, given this reality, it is a no-brainer to have some fallback activities.

One of my resolutions for 2016 is to move towards what I'm calling exercise diversity. I hope to write more on this in the future, once I return to regular running and determine what is feasible given time constraints, but as of today (December 28th), it looks like it will involve a combination of daily strength training exercises (especially targeting those weak areas uncovered through the recent injury rehab) and maybe some occasional fat biking.

Time will tell. But one thing I do know: non-running activity is better than complete inactivity.