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Following a back injury that resulted in adjusting the London Marathon training plan last week, with just 8 weeks to go progress was getting back on track and the immediate plan for this week was to complete 33 miles in 4 training runs.
This week started on Tuesday rather than Monday, with the "Monday 8 miler" timed run, and resulted in the best run I've had on that route. It was hard going in the heat, but very pleasing.
On Wednesday I completed the usual 3 miles at the #runFAR club meet. Coach then suggested that the long run this week was changed from Friday to Sunday so that we could take part in an organised half-marathon.
This sounded like a good idea as it can be useful to run with a large group to help test your pace when being dragged along by others. I registered for the half-marathon and managed to complete a 7 mile steady run around the beach on Friday to support my step-son Oakley. Now it was time to rest in preparation for Sunday.
Earlier in the week Coach had mentioned that he had a twinge with an ankle injury. This was a passing comment and I didn't think much of it. Coach had bought some new running shoes to give him better support and said they felt more comfortable. I ran with him on Wednesday and he seemed fine, then on Thursday he said he would test the ankle on Saturday morning to see whether it was good for the Sunday half-marathon.
This left me wondering what type of run I would have on Sunday. Would it be a gentle 13.1 miles with an injured Coach, or would it be a fast solo run and a PB attempt?
I could wait and see, or I could communicate better and talk about it. The more I thought about it, the more vague the plan for Sunday became. Maybe we needed to look at more effective communication.
While communication is something we do every day, there are a number of factors that can positively and negatively affect it, such as:
• Environment, noise, lighting, space
• Attitudes and emotions
• Selective listening
• Time zones and geography
• Distractions
• Culture
• Eye contact, body language and posture
• Tone of voice
• Gesture and facial expression.
That's a lot to consider. I feel that maybe the barriers affecting the communication between Coach and I were the non-verbal factors. Using messaging instead of talking means there is no intonation. When you send the message "If you're not up for the Stur Half, then I'll do my long run on Sunday morning" (that is an actual message that I sent to Coach), the tone in which it is read will affect the meaning and its intent.
Communication is not always straightforward, and despite the many different and new techniques, methods and platforms, it seems to be getting more difficult.
In the end, we met up on Saturday morning at Parkrun where we both squeezed in another 3 miles and talked through the plan for Sunday. We ended up cancelling the half marathon (scheduled to start at 10.30am), and chose an 18 mile run, with me starting at 6.15am and Coach joining me 7 miles into the run.
Good communication needs openness and honesty. It isn't always the case that lack of openness is due to underhand actions. Sometimes people genuinely want to please the other party.
This is fine with personal relationships, but in projects communication needs to be clear, so it is good practice to establish a communication plan that defines the following:
• Communication techniques including tools that should be used, modes of communication, messaging platforms, etc.
• Where information about the communication made will be stored for audit purposes
• Descriptions, purpose, and timing of any reports that are to be produced
• When standard communication activity should happen (i.e. at the end of each phase/gate review, end of each stage, at key milestones)
• Who is responsible for producing and managing each element of communication
• Stakeholder engagement, including:
• Stakeholder power/influence
• Stakeholder interest - high or low
• Current relationship
• Information to be provided from and to the project
• Who will provide the information
• Frequency of communication
• Means and format of communication
The week finished with 41 miles in the bag, more than the planned 33 miles due to the extra Friday and Saturday runs, which has put me in good shape for the final 8 weeks of training.
In the blog next week, I'll be taking a look at progress and maybe some risk management.
In addition to Paul's London Marathon he will also be using his skills as a project management trainer to raise funds. Until the end of September APM PFQ and APM PMQ (live ONLIVE virtual classroom or On Demand) will be absolutely FREE! All we ask is that you make the required charitable donation in exchange to Paul's JustGiving page. Find out more by visiting our funding page in aid of Sense charity.
Paul Bradley is a leading authority on project management methods and techniques. With over 25 years in the industry, Paul's knowledge and experience is respected by clients, accreditation bodies and training organisations globally. Paul has been the Managing Director of SPOCE since 2005, and is an accredited trainer for PRINCE2®, APM and AgilePM®. He is a regular presenter at seminars, providing information on project implementation drawn from his expertise as an accredited Axelos P3M3® Consultant. He has had two books published to enhance the training and use of PRINCE2®. Paul is also an active member and co founder of the renown RunFAR® initiative that raises both awareness and funds for charitable causes. The #RunFAR mission is to run for a reason and share a passion for running with others.
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