Risk and Reward
Winter is coming, so the cross-country season has officially begun. Yesterday’s training session was all about navigating a course over grass, through sandpits, and with plenty of twists and turns.
Halfway through one of the loops, I was running behind a training partner. Together, we conquered part of the course: up the stairs, steeply down across the grass, and then a short straight section. Another athlete was running behind me, the zizag section lay ahead.
It was getting closer. The runner in front of me seemed to slow down slightly. And I had a decision to make.
The conservative choice was to stay comfortably behind my teammate. Maybe a bit slower than I could go, but safe. A chance to catch my breath. Then there was the progressive choice: make a quick move to pass, keep the pace high, and have the course wide open ahead.
I chose the second option. The result was interesting: I took the lead, the former frontrunner dropped back a spot. And more importantly, the athlete who had been behind me got stuck in the zigzag.
Not long after, the gap behind me had grown so much that it was almost impossible to close. The risk of overtaking paid off.
Conservative versus progressive. Staying where you are, or stepping into the unknown. Risk-averse, or living on the edge.
To me, the right choice is clear.