RallyDev.com
Fri 19 Jun 2009
Chi Development: The Process Is The Goal
Last year I entered the Marine Corps Marathon. I’d never run more than 10K in my whole life, but I felt the urge to do a marathon at least once. And of course I didn’t want to just finish. I had to get close to my friend Dave’s time who did 3:17 in the Loch Ness Marathon.
Runners in the Loch Ness Marathon pacing themselves
So I started an ambitious training program. As time progressed and I was not getting any faster, I started training harder. Four weeks before the race I had to pull out with a stress fracture and slightly torn Achilles tendon.
As an Agile coach, I had failed to heed my own counsel.
I tell my students that the number one cause for failure with Agile development is scaling too fast. Always start with baby steps.
Looking for a better way to train, I was intrigued by Danny Driver’s book Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach To Effortless, Injury Free Running. He says that the optimal conditions for running and the fundamentals of the method are:
- Great posture
- Relaxed limbs
- Loose joints
- Engaged core muscles
- A focused mind
- Good breathtaking technique
He says the benefits of running are:
- Great posture
- Relaxed limbs
- Loose joints
- Engaged core muscles
- A focused mind
- Good breathtaking technique
- Plus more energy!
His point? The process is the goal.
Similarly with Agile teams, the optimal conditions and fundamentals of the method are:
- Deliver highest value first
- Release early and often
- Shared vision
- Empowered collaborative decision making
- Engaged customer proxy
- Sustainable pace
The benefits of Agile are:
- Deliver highest value first
- Release early and often
- Shared vision
- Empowered collaborative decision making
- Engaged customer proxy
- Sustainable pace
- Plus more energy!
I realize now that if I’m headed the right direction with the fundamentals, I will reap the benefits without the burnout. This year I’m entered in the marathon again, but I’m going to take it easier with the training and not care where I finish in the race.
Same with Agile – get headed on the right path, pace yourself, look back often to check your process and you will achieve your goals.
Both the Chi and Pose running styles are likely based on the Tarahumara runners of the Mexican deserts.
Here is a podcast about them:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news.newsmain/article/184/0/1504605/RadioWest/51209.Born.to.Run
And a book with a mini-podcast on Why do my feet hurt?
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303?&camp=212361&creative=383837&linkCode=wss&tag=kuer-20
The podcast is about making running fun, the Tarahumara children example they mention. A 55 year-old man from that tribe just won the 100-mile race against all the younger runners.
Article:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1504605§ionID=184
If for some reason the links don’t work, just search for “tarahumara” or “run” or another key word.
Richard many thanks for sharing this.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Podcast. At Rally there is a great love for the outdoors and I am sure others enjoyed it too.
What a fascinating topic. Can we also connect this to the way we develop software? Perhaps. Of course s/w development has not been a critical part of our evolution like running but there is perhaps something in the Tarahumara’s love of running that we can relate to.