Running Through The Gap And The Gain

If you haven’t read The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan, I highly recommend it.

We can choose to measure ourselves against a perceived ideal of where we think we should be (the Gap), or we can look back and see how far we have come (the Gain). We naturally tend towards the Gap. Problem is, we can’t ever close the Gap, because our perceived ideal of where we should be is always moving. Come to realize - it’s not fun to live in the Gap, always falling short of where we think we should be. Gain thinking gets us out of that. Looking back at how far we have come makes us feel like winners, not losers.

I had some time to think about The Gap And The Gain recently as I ran the Cabin Fever 50k race in the New River Gorge, West Virginia. Running puts you squarely in gap or gain thinking, and which you choose has a lot to do with how you perform.

I try to plan every race to finish strong - in fact I have a rule that it’s okay for someone to pass me in the first half of the race, but unacceptable if it happens on the back half. So I try to start slow and gain strength throughout the race. As mile 22 rolled around I was in a good place. I’d been passing a lot of folks and now and then I caught a glimpse of my next target up ahead. I was gaining on him, feeling good, and also enjoying the day. As I ran along a stretch of gravel road, I took in the views and let my mind wander.

I rounded a bend to an open stretch, expecting to see my guy a little closer than last time, but there was no sign of him. I picked up speed, thinking he must be trying to lose me. Still no sign. Gradually it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen a race marker for a while. Then came that dreaded realization… I’d lost the trail… and I was running fast IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

So I turned around, got back to the turn I’d missed, and was about a mile, 10 minutes, and at least 10 places back from where I had been. Time for a real Gap or Gain choice:

I’ve got 10 miles to go, everything hurts, I’m way behind where I should be, and all the gut wrenching effort of the last 10 miles has been completely wasted.

OR

I still feel great, I’ve had a strong performance so far, I get to see a bunch of folks that I already passed again, and this is a chance to see what I am made of.

This time I chose the Gain, and was able to maintain my pace until the end. I had one of my best races and finished with a great time. Yes, it took me 10 minutes longer, but I enjoyed the last 10 miles more than I would have if I hadn’t got lost, and got to spend more trail time with some great folks.

Running works well as an analogy for many situations because it balances pain and reward with total clarity. If I’d chosen the Gap I would have been frustrated and angry instead of smiling and joyful.

Choose the Gain.

(and get the book - The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan)