Process-Oriented Approach to Track and Field
by Kelsey Armstrong
Recently I have spent time thinking about my involvement in track and field. I have spent years as a junior, then senior, and finally a masters athlete, specializing in the sprints. I have coached for over thirty years, off and on, at all levels. In my profession as a podiatrist, I have been fortunate to treat track and field athletes. It has been a vital part of my life for about thirty years and shows no signs of abatement. Why do I love the sport of track and field so much? To answer, I will paraphrase what I heard the great Carl Lewis say in an interview in 1988: “Because I like speed and what it takes to achieve it.” The process of achieving the goal of running fast has always held a certain fascination for me.
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To me, looking at the sport from a process-oriented approach not only keeps it fresh, but it also allows me to get better, be it physically, emotionally, or intellectually. A process-oriented approach could be defined as a period of growth that focuses on the small steps needed to reach a goal. These small steps focus on improvement, constant evaluation, and modifications. Through these steps, a goal is attained as a result (Patrick Cohn, “Are You a Goal-Oriented or Process-Oriented Tennis Player?” Sports Psychology for Tennis (website), 10/30/2014). The focus is on mastery of the skills and elements of the sport needed to reach the goal, not the goal itself (Nathan Barber, “Focus on the Process and the Results will Follow” Edutopia (website), 10/02/2014).
As much as I believe at looking at track and field with a process-oriented approach, I have to fight a constant battle against a goal-oriented approach that bombards the media and the “track club culture.” A goal-oriented approach focuses solely on the reaching of the end goal. It is the only the end result that matters, i.e., winning nationals or running a certain time (Patrick Cohn). If the goal has not been met, the entire training has been for naught and the whole process is a failure. You can see how the whole process could leave to an early exit from the sport, as not reaching goals regularly would degrade an athlete’s self-worth. I have seen multiple examples of this issue throughout my career. Teammates who train hard for months during the preseason, not missing any practices. The first track meet finally comes. Apparently, they do not do as well as they would like, and you begin to see them missing practice sessions afterwards. First, one in a week, then three in a week, then an entire week, and then you don’t see them at practice at all. The goal was not met, so there was no purpose to practice or even continue. The whole process was a failure.
There is a term coined by chiropractor Dr. Gerry Ramogida, called the “Performance Trinity,” which refers to the interaction of three members that make up athletic performance: the athlete, the coach, and the medical professional (verbal communication). Each of these members has to use the same terminology and schedule in order to optimize performance. This includes using the same approach, namely process-oriented. I have used this approach in all these roles, and this has kept my role satisfying and exciting.
As an athlete, I thrived on reaching “small steps” in order to get faster, i.e., focusing on even rhythm will running 500m repeats or running the same workout while going through the 400m in 50 seconds. These successes meant I was faster than before, so the “steps” had to be constantly adjusted. This learning process meant perhaps the recovery time needed to be shortened or the block position had to be adjusted. Track meets were also included in this process. By focusing on one thing at a meet and succeeding, I reached a stepping stone towards my ultimate goal. Of course, I wanted to win all the time as much as anyone else, but the path of reaching the goal of being faster held more fascination and thrill for me. Every time I thought about winning a race, the experience became suffocating and terrifying. If I thought about a technical cue before the race and properly executed it, the race still became challenging, but also satisfying, because I achieved something worthwhile.
My coaching career has spanned almost thirty years, starting with my older sister when I was sixteen years old, and progressing to the club, national and professional ranks. I have continued the process-oriented approach throughout all ages and abilities. Each workout would focus on a particular goal, such as exploding out of the blocks, and I would communicate it to the athlete beforehand. The rest of the workout would have similar actions to reinforce it, i.e., explosive medicine ball throws. Depending on the age and ability of the athlete, the motion would be critiqued, modified or praised. The goal of the workout was not always achieved (especially for the younger athlete with little years of training), but improvement was seen and noted to the athlete. The track meets were also treated the same way, and winning was not part of the equation; rather, only a certain component of the race was emphasized. Obviously, when you reach higher levels of performance, what place you come in does matter, i.e., third versus fourth at the U.S Olympic Trials, but it can only happen with proper execution of a race.
As a podiatric physician, I have had the pleasure of treating runners of all ages and abilities from beginner athletes to Olympians. For all of them, an injury is a devastating setback, which can lead to loss of training time, fear of not being ready for the season, and even depression. I have found that using the process-oriented approach can be a valuable asset on the road to recovery. By setting the goal of full recovery, I communicate with the athlete “small steps” of healing that allow the athlete to see progress being made towards it. This stepwise approach has the added bonus of involving the athlete in the recovery process as opposed to making him or her feel like a passive observer, just waiting to get better. This method has shown to help with the rate of healing and a quicker return to regular activity. For example, if an athlete comes in with a tendon injury, I would use laser therapy, along with temporary insoles for protection of the damaged area. Some motion, mostly passive, would be allowed. In subsequent visits, the pain will decrease, allowing the athlete to do more motion and then transition to grass running. With achieving more resolution of pain, the athlete can move onto running workouts in flats/sneakers, and then in spikes, slowly increasing the distance and intensity along the way. The goal of full recovery is only achieved by mastering the little steps beforehand, and working hand in step with all members of the Performance Trinity.
The challenge of building something that reaches a greater end result is something that every competitive athlete aspires to, but it also has great applicability to life. Working diligently towards a goal at work or school will pay great dividends in the end, but will yield the best results with a stepwise approach to it. Not only my life in track and field, but my life in general has benefitted from this approach.
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