It’s a wet November evening right here in Oregon. As I sit in my bus tapping out sentences on my telephone, rain patters on the roof overhead. I’ve spent the day operating, making telephone calls, and serving to my girlfriend Jess construct an A-frame home. At this level within the day, I’m feeling fairly drained, so I sip heat matcha as I work to corral my ideas.
My mind hones in on one thing I’ve been excited about in current days; the idea of extra. You’ve most likely heard the saying much less is extra. It’s a reasonably widespread and simple to know phrase. It’s merely the concept having much less of one thing is healthier than having extra of it. For instance, when tapering for a race, you may remind your self that much less is extra, as a result of the primary goal is to relaxation up for race day, not put in additional laborious miles.
Lately, nonetheless, I’ve seen folks utilizing an identical, however very totally different phrase. Maybe you’ve heard it as properly. It’s the phrase “extra is extra.” I’ve largely, perhaps solely, heard it utilized throughout the context of endurance sports activities. To be sincere, its which means has felt a bit perplexing.
Jess’s home beginning to take form. Photograph: Zach Miller
Initially, I wasn’t positive what folks meant once they stated, “extra is extra.” Had been they expressing that doing extra of one thing, like operating, was higher than doing much less of it? In different phrases, is operating extra weekly mileage higher than operating much less? Or, had been they merely saying that having extra of one thing wasn’t essentially higher or worse, simply extra. By this practice of thought, operating 140 miles every week isn’t essentially higher than operating 70 miles every week. Possibly it’s, perhaps it isn’t. All we actually know is that it’s extra miles.
Taking a more in-depth look, I believe they meant the previous of those two concepts. This may make sense as a result of the concept having extra of one thing is healthier than having much less of it’s the reverse of the beforehand talked about “much less is extra” phrase. Reverse statements with reverse meanings; the logic appears to take a look at.
However why am I even speaking about this? Reality is, over the previous week or so I’ve been excited about humankind’s obsession with “extra.” Why is it that human beings get so caught up on this four-letter phrase? As endurance athletes we will simply discover ourselves wanting extra miles, extra vert, extra races, extra private information, and extra victories.
Zach Miller taking a break on a current coaching run within the Grand Canyon. Photograph: Rob Krar
On this planet exterior of operating, we appear drawn to different issues. Folks try to earn more money. Firms push for development. Folks lengthy for a larger return on their investments. We would like a stronger economic system and more cash in our pockets, however the place does this seemingly unending push take us?
On this planet of operating, “extra” generally is a harmful factor to chase. Positive, there are occasions when the pursuit is nice. Extra miles may help to make us fitter and stronger. Extra depth may help to hone our pace. However, as many runners are conscious, an excessive amount of of these items can backfire with a vengeance. The development just isn’t at all times optimistic.
I can’t assist however suppose that life is identical. Certainly extra has its limits. It could actually’t presumably be an infinite trajectory void of unfavorable repercussions. In some unspecified time in the future, extra turns into much less.
Exterior the rain continues to fall. I don’t count on that it’s going to final endlessly. It by no means does. Like many issues in life, it has its time and place. A rain that by no means stops could be unhealthy for development, as would one which by no means begins. In spite of everything, much less is extra, extra is extra, and generally, extra is much less. No single mantra is the key, simply the knowledge of all three.
Name for Feedback
What do you consider the phrase “extra is extra?”
Do you suppose it leads folks to fall right into a lure of overtraining, or wanting an excessive amount of from their operating?
And what about this concept’s software to the remainder of our lives? Is there one thing we will study from the phrase in operating than applies to on a regular basis life?
