A few years ago, I had already set myself the goal of running a half marathon. The motivation was there, and so was the plan, but due to an injury it had to be postponed. Still, the idea stayed with me. At the end of last year, I decided once again: this is something I really want to do. So I signed up for the Enschede Half Marathon.
Good preparation is not the same as working harder
My initial thought was fairly straightforward: train as much as possible. Put in the miles, build endurance, and make sure I would be physically able to sustain the effort. In my mind, working harder was the solution, until I started talking to someone who had been running for many years.
He shared an example that really stayed with me. Someone had run almost a full marathon in the week leading up to a marathon “just to be sure they could do it.” When the moment of truth arrived, the opposite turned out to be true: their body was exhausted, and running had become a struggle. It was confronting, but also enlightening. It showed that working harder does not automatically result in better preparation.
Training smarter instead of training more
That same runner explained that effective training is actually about variation and rest. Not running as much as possible, but training with intention. For example, by combining different types of workouts each week, an interval session, an easy run, and a longer endurance run, each with its own purpose. It is this balance that builds fitness, supports recovery, and ensures long‑term sustainability.
What struck me most was this: I had actually looked up this information before. But I hadn’t been able to translate it properly into my own practice. Only through our conversation and the concrete example he shared did it really start to resonate.
Had I continued training the way I was, I would probably have overstrained myself and shown up at the starting line far from well prepared. That would have been a shame, much like situations in organizations where people get stuck or make mistakes that could, in fact, have been prevented.
Learning in a structured and varied way
In fact, the same pattern can be seen in the workplace. New employees are often highly motivated and eager to perform well. They want to make rapid progress. However, when they are expected to learn everything at once, without sufficient structure or context, the risk of overload or inefficiency arises. Just like in running, trying to do everything at once rarely works.
That is why it is so important that knowledge is not only available, but also offered in a structured and varied way. Not through one large knowledge transfer, but through a combination of observation, hands‑on application, reflection, and in‑depth information, with room to practice and make adjustments. This step‑by‑step approach helps build confidence and competence over time.
By now, the half marathon has been completed, on a wonderfully sunny Sunday morning. Not only did I finish it, but I truly enjoyed it. Precisely because I approached the training differently than I originally planned, with variation, rest, and realistic expectations, I arrived at the starting line with a healthy dose of excitement and was able to sustain my effort all the way to the finish.
Getting started yourself
This confirmed for me that good preparation is not about doing more, but about building smarter. That is a lesson I will certainly take with me. But how is this arranged in your organization? When employees start a new task, are they given all the information at once? Or is there room for gradual development, repetition, and guidance along the way? Just like training for a half marathon, it is not about working as hard as possible, but about providing the right support at the right moment.
If you want, I can also review the entire English text for consistency in tone, capitalization, and phrasing before publication.
Groeten, Shannen Bergsma
shannen.bergsma@eluxis.com
LinkedIn: Shannen Bergsma
