Sprinter and stayer are two different modes, two strategies for achieving goals. Understanding these strategies will help you in two ways. First, you will be able to define your mode so that you can use it better. And second, you will be able to understand and communicate more effectively with other people who prefer to achieve their goals in a different way.

Stayers

Stayers always adhere to a uniform and stable workday schedule.

A good example of a stayer is Jiro from the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. He followed the same work schedule for decades and as a result became one of the best sushi chefs in the world.

A stay-at-home writer focuses on writing every day, often writing in the same place, at the same time, and in the same manner. This approach can be used both for creating short articles and for large works. An example of a stay-at-home writer is Danielle Steele, who has written over one hundred books. In an interview, she said that she follows a very disciplined work schedule, repeating the same actions day after day and finishing book after book.

Sprinters

Sprinters work in short bursts of high intensity, oblivious to everything around them while they work.

A good example of a sprinter was Sylvester Stallone, who wrote the script for the film Rocky. In March 1975, Stallone saw an interesting boxing match that inspired him, and wrote the entire script in just 20 hours, spreading the work over three days.

A sprint writer catches waves of inspiration and rides them as quickly as possible until the creative work is completed. An example of such a writer is Dan Poynter. He wrote many tutorials and said that he likes to write a book in two weeks. When he is ready to write, he puts everything aside and works for many hours, watching his work come to an end. This is the ideal operating mode for him.

Hybrid approaches

As you probably suspected, you can combine these two modes, or two approaches to work, in different ways.

For example, you might be a sprinter to quickly develop a prototype of a new computer program, then become a stayer and turn it into a finished product, then become a sprinter again to launch the program into the market, and eventually again manage marketing and sales as a stayer. .

Another example: you are sprinting towards a healthy lifestyle, for which next weekend you throw out all the junk food from the kitchen, choose healthy recipes, buy new, healthy products, sign up for workouts and add them to your schedule. Then, after completing these initial preparations, you switch to stayer mode to develop new habits and reinforce them later.

When it comes to personal growth, the sprint mode is often very effective in overcoming resistance and creating initial momentum, and the stayer mode is often very effective in maintaining it. This is true for relationship changes, career changes, changes in finances and health, etc.

Your natural regimen

You'll likely find that one of the two approaches is much easier for you than the other. For example, you feel good in stayer mode, but you just can’t muster enough energy or inspiration to break through to big changes. Or, conversely, you may be a great sprinter, but after putting so much energy into starting changes, you feel unable to sustain those endeavors over the long term.

Sprinter and stayer are two ends of the spectrum. You can be in the middle, feeling equally good in both modes, or you can be closer to the edge, almost always preferring one mode over the other.

What if you find that you work very well in one mode, but significantly less effectively in another?

First, accept yourself for who you are. Instead of complaining about your weaknesses, think about how you can make the most of your basic, natural routine. In other words, instead of trying to move towards the middle, try to analyze your routine.

If you are a stayer, ask yourself: how can you become the best stayer? Think about how you could structure your workday into a well-organized process from the time you wake up in the morning until you go to bed at night. Turn your goals into habits. Try to make your daily routine such that, if repeated many times, you can achieve your most important goals. For example, if you want to write music, then set aside certain hours for this and decide exactly what you will do during this time (practice on instruments, compose, study music theory, analyze classical works, etc.). Condense everything you can into a program that you can be confident in doing.

If you are a sprinter, think about how you can make a speedy dash towards your goals. How quickly can you get going if you really commit to it? You can open your business online in one day. Write a new script in a few days. This coming weekend, update your technology park. How quickly can you create a rough sketch? Or a prototype? Put everything unimportant aside for a while and focus on one project or task until you make significant progress in solving it. Don't stop until you've completed the task and are sure that it's really time to stop.

My favorite approach is the sprint approach. This is exactly how I write - quickly and in quick bursts. So I've written about 1,200 articles over the past eight years. I never write on a set schedule - I only do it when I'm inspired by an idea. I can write at different times of the day, in different places, and on a variety of topics. Sprinter mode suits me perfectly.

Every time I tried to create a schedule for myself and follow it, I failed, because usually I was quickly caught up in new waves of inspiration, I wanted to try a new experiment, go on a new journey, communicate with new friends.

Own your natural routine

Realize that in life you can achieve great success in any mode. Neither one is better or worse than the other. The only difference is how you like to manage your energy.

In the eyes of a stayer, a sprinter looks like an unstable, undisciplined and unpredictable person from whom you can expect anything. Likewise, to a sprinter, a stayer appears sluggish, uninitiative, boring and slow. But instead of dismissively dismissing another regime, you should respect both your own and others’ individual strengths - and try to push them to maximum self-expression.

At school, student sprinters are often called bagpipers. Instead of slaving away every day on a large project, a sprinter often gets all his work done in one marathon run—and still makes a big contribution to the project. If he works a little every day, he will soon howl with boredom. But eventually, sprinters realize that the pressure of a project deadline helps them concentrate, which allows them to finish the job faster.

Instead of waiting for the pressure of a looming deadline, a sprinter can create similar motivational pressure by setting inspiring goals and imagining them as realistic. My friend Joe Vitale is a typical example of a sprinter. When he has an idea for a new product, he goes into impulse mode, quickly finishes it, immediately launches the product on the market and moves on to the next task. He recently became interested in music and used his sprint strategy to record and release his first four albums in just 18 months. When he talks about his new ideas, he is usually filled with enthusiasm, even if no one around him feels any excitement.

In most schools, the training and reward system is focused on stayers, so people with a sprinting personality have a hard time fitting into it. When I tried to study at the university as a stayer, I was eventually expelled from it - I simply could not adapt to the slow and tedious schedule offered by the university. But then I analyzed the time I spent studying, including each project and each assignment, did sprint experiments with my studies, and ended up completing two courses in just three semesters. I have already described this story in the articles “Do It Now” and “10 Tips for College Students”, so I will not repeat it. The main point is that I had to accept that the university program was not designed for my type of person, so I tailored it as much as possible to my sprinting abilities, which ultimately allowed me to succeed where I had previously failed.

On the other hand, stayers also get it, although for a different reason. They are called “accountants” because their contribution to the work often seems insignificant and only resembles an imitation of vigorous activity. Indeed, stayers often take up positions that require repeated repetition of routine procedures - for example, as an accountant or service personnel. Stayers love routine, but if they not only love, but adore their work, they can achieve excellent results. An effective stayer can do much more than just serve customer support or bag vegetables at the grocery store—he/she can achieve great accomplishments in the arts, science, medicine, and other fields.

Optimize your work

Your job is boring and uninteresting, as it is intended for a stayer, but are you a sprinter by nature? Are you looking to be more creative? Do you need more variety, stimulation, and less boring repetition? It may be time to think about changing jobs or positions, or talking to your boss about changing your responsibilities to include more creative tasks and less routine. You chose your job, so if you are not completely satisfied with it, choose something else.

The opposite situation is also possible: you are doing the work of a sprinter, while in reality being a stayer. Are you stressed by a lot of new tasks that fall on you from all sides in an unpredictable way, you cannot restore order in the work process and establish some semblance of an algorithm? Would you feel better in a more stable environment where you could eliminate surprises from your work process? No one is stopping you from switching; there are a lot of such jobs in the world.

If you do work that is optimized for your natural routine, you will be more productive. In addition, you will begin to relate to her much better - without boredom and without stress. Change may take effort, but working at suboptimal levels for many years is wasting a lot of your life. It is wise to give the job to someone else who is better suited for it.

At various times, for various reasons, I wanted to create a stayer routine for myself, but I never succeeded. Usually after a day or two I start sabotaging him. The predictability of this type of work is so boring to me that I can't stand it for more than a day or two. But when I choose sprint mode, I find that I can do a lot and am very pleased with my results. For example, in a burst of inspiration in the summer of 2011, I signed up to teach four workshops, including three new ones that I had never taught before. I was truly happy to immerse myself in this huge amount of creative work, and I enjoyed everything from designing one workshop to running it. It was a great time where I was in my natural mode. But if I tried to teach the same seminar over and over again according to a predetermined schedule, I would probably die of boredom. I need variety and challenge much more than stability and predictability.

Energy management

The main difference between sprinters and stayers is the way they manage their energy. Do you enjoy a vibrant mix of intense, short bursts of activity and frequent, restorative breaks? When you are captivated by a new idea, do you want to immediately dive into it as deeply as possible in order to be completely “saturated” with the new thing? When you meet someone and discover a mutual attraction, do you want to throw everything away and quickly and passionately dive into a romantic relationship?

Or would you prefer predictability and stability, even energy consumption over a long period of time? Do you get pleasure from repeating the same enjoyable actions every day? Do you value long-established routines, traditions and established practices? Do you enjoy relationships in which everything is clear, stable and predictable and in which you always know what is wanted from you?

I repeat once again: both approaches are completely equal. You can achieve great success and become a happy person with any of them. If you figure out your natural routine and make the most of it, you will become much more productive and eliminate the need to fight yourself.

STAYER

STAYER

[English] stayer - lit. hardy person] - sport. long distance athlete

Dictionary of foreign words. - Komlev N.G., 2006 .

Stayer

(English stayer buke, hardy person)

New dictionary of foreign words. - by EdwART,, 2009 .

Stayer

stayer, m. [English] stayer] (sports). Athlete, long-distance running specialist.

Large dictionary of foreign words. - Publishing house "IDDK", 2007 .

Stayer

A, m., shower (English stayer letters hardy to stay withstand, endure).
sport.
1. An athlete who specializes in overcoming long distances.
|| Wed. sprinter
2. A horse that shows (in races or races) the best agility over long distances.
Stayersky -
1) relating to stayer 1, 2, stayers;
2) about distance in sports competitions: long.
|| Wed. flyer

Explanatory dictionary of foreign words by L. P. Krysin. - M: Russian language, 1998 .

Synonyms:

See what "STAYER" is in other dictionaries:

- (English stayer, literally a hardy person), an athlete specializing in overcoming long distances. Compare Sprinter... Modern encyclopedia

- (English stayer lit. hardy person), an athlete specializing in overcoming long distances... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

STAYER, stayer, husband. (English stayer) (sports). Athlete, long-distance running specialist. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

STAYER, ah, husband. An athlete is a long-distance runner (as well as a swimmer, speed skater, and cyclist). | adj. stayer, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 8 runner (13) cyclist (11) racer (19) ... Synonym dictionary

STAYER- (English stayer), L., who showed her best performance in the long distance tests... Horse breeding guide

Stayer- (English stayer, literally a hardy person), an athlete specializing in overcoming long distances. Compare Sprinter. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

This term has other meanings, see Stayer Animation Film Studio. Stayer (eng. stayer) athlete, athlete, long-distance runner. Stayer distances from 3000 meters and longer. The distances are smaller... ... Wikipedia

A; m. [English] stayer] An athlete (runner, swimmer, speed skater, cyclist, etc.) who specializes in overcoming long distances. ◁ Stayersky, oh, oh. From this distance. * * * stayer (literally a hardy person), athlete,… … encyclopedic Dictionary

stayer- stajeris statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Ilgųjų nuotolių jojimo lenktynių eikliausias žirgas. kilmė engl. stayer – ištvermingas žmogus atitikmenys: engl. long distance runner vok. Langstreckenläufer, m rus. stayer … Sporto terminų žodynas

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Many have heard this not very clear word “stayer”. Who is this? What does he do? Not everyone knows the answers to these questions. Someone will remember that the name is somehow connected with sports: athletics or cycling. Someone will argue and say it’s psychological. So who is right?

Who is a stayer

So, for most, a stayer is a long-distance runner. But nowadays the term is used much more widely.

The word itself came to us from the English language. Translated, stayer means “hardy person.” Perhaps this is the most important and basic characteristic that fully conveys both the character and the way a person acts. For the first time, the term began to be used specifically in the sports field to refer to athletes specializing in long distances. First in athletics, and then in other sports. Now not only runners, but also cyclists, speed skaters, etc. are called stayers.

What distances does a stayer run?

In athletics, it is customary to divide all distances into short, medium and long. The latter includes running 3000, 5000, 10000 and more meters. Marathons and half-marathons are completely separate types of disciplines and they stand somewhat apart. It is wrong to classify them as stayer distances. The 42-kilometer cross-country race is run by special athletes - marathon runners. Thus, long distances are considered to be from 3,000 to 30,000 meters. Competitions are usually held in stadiums with a special coating. Runs from 10 to 30 km often take place on the highway. Cross-country racing may also be held.

Stayer: technical features, distance running

A sprinter uses toe running, but not a distance runner. This puts extra stress on the ankle, and the muscles get tired faster. As a rule, when running for a long time, the foot is placed on the front part, and then the entire foot drops. The arms are bent at a right angle or slightly sharper, the body leans forward a little.

When running, it is important to correctly distribute your strength so that it is enough for the entire distance. Therefore, uniform running or with uniform acceleration is used. The finishing spurt is made on the last lap in 200-300 m at medium distances and in 300-400 m at distances over 3000 m.

What is the difference between a stayer and a sprinter?

The 2 different types of runners differ not only in their running technique and tactics and the length of their distances. There are also a number of physiological differences. This determines which distances a person will be more successful at. Those who think: “If an athlete runs great at 1500 m or 3000 m, then he can easily run a hundred meters, the distance is shorter” are greatly mistaken. 100m stayers usually don't run very well. And this is connected with this.

Sprinters work better with fast-twitch fibers, which do not require oxygen to carry out metabolic processes. This muscle works quickly and efficiently, but soon gets tired, because in the absence of oxygen, the energy supply is quickly consumed.

A stayer is one whose slow fibers are activated, where metabolism takes longer. Plus, oxygen is used for redox processes. The body experiences lower energy consumption, but the speed is also lower.

Another important difference is that sprinters and stayers use different muscle groups and train their different qualities to overcome the distance. The physique also varies greatly, which is very clearly visible at competitions: at 100 m, pumped-up athletes with prominent muscles come out, and at 3000 m and more, they are lean, literally skin and bones.

Sprinter and stayer are not only in athletics

The concepts of “stayer” and “sprinter” have become so firmly established in everyday life that they began to be used not only in sports. Now such concepts exist in psychology. They indicate strategies for behavior in everyday life and for achieving goals.

A stayer is someone who is able to work at the same pace for a long time. He distributes the load evenly, literally scheduling it by the hour. He also works evenly, at a strictly defined time, as they say, from bell to bell, diligently. The distribution of forces is similar to running a distance. The stayer will take a long time to gather and tune in before starting something new; he will make changes gradually, but once he starts, he will not quit.

Sprinters, on the contrary, prefer to act on a wave of enthusiasm, completing huge amounts of work in a short time. They can drag it out until the last minute so that they can move mountains in just a day or two. In life, they act the same way: they abruptly start something new (for example, change their daily routine), but after a while it is already difficult for them to adhere to the established rules. And they lose interest and quit.

Of course, sprinter and stayer are 2 extreme points. They are rarely found in their pure form. And in life you need to use both tactics to achieve success. On the one hand, you need to be able to make a leap to start something new, on the other hand, you need to calculate your strength so as not to abandon a brilliant idea after a couple of days.

Which distances are long?

Despite the simplicity of the question, there is some debate about which distances are considered long. If everything is clear with sprint distances, then average athletes and stayers often argue regarding some distances. They touch both the lower border and the upper one.

The first controversy arises over the 3,000-meter race. Some consider this distance to be medium, while others consider it to be long. What is this connected with? The reason for the dispute lies in the fact that athletes who specialize in running, both middle and long distances, often compete in 3,000-meter competitions. Athletes whose “crown” is both “one and a half” and “five” may find themselves on the “three ruble” in equal conditions.

As for the upper limit of stayer running, the question remains open. Many believe that it should be placed in a separate category. Some classify 42,195 meters as a marathon distance, and some as an ultra-long distance.

This is due to the specifics of preparing for a marathon. It differs in many ways from training for 3,000 meters or 5,000. But every medal has a flip side. For example, at the 2016 Olympic Games, American runner Galen Rapp took 5th place in the 10,000 meters, which is undoubtedly a “long distance”, and 8 days (!) later he won the marathon race at the same competition.

In addition to these, long distances include 2 miles, 20,000 meters, half marathon, 25,000, 30,000 meters and an hour run. The winner in the one-hour race is determined by the greatest distance the athlete covers in 1 hour. But these distances are not held at official athletics competitions.

Features of distances and their champions

Stayer running is very prestigious among any runners. Often, the decisive role a few hundred meters before the finish of the race is played not by how physical training was carried out, but by who is stronger in spirit. The most prestigious distances are 5,000 and 10,000.

Many people consider 5,000 meters to be the hardest long distance. It uses all the tactical techniques of athletics. It's not uncommon for a race to start very quietly, but finishing speeds reach 50 seconds per 400 meters. During the five-way race, it is very important for runners to save strength for the finishing part of the distance. Very often, the winner is determined a few meters before the finish; sometimes the situation becomes clear even at the final kilometer.

Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian runner who holds world records in the 10,000 meters indoor, outdoor and Olympic record. His records have stood for more than ten years. Vladimir Kuts is a legendary Soviet track and field athlete, who at one time was one of the best long-distance runners. He set a world record in 1957 in the 5,000 meters.

The next popular distance is 10,000 meters. It is held at the stadium and on the highway. There are no official starts for this distance in the arena. Initially, the competition was held over a distance of 6 miles (9,656 meters). When the metric system was adopted in track and field competitions, the distance was rounded to 10,000 meters.

The world stadium record for this distance also belongs to Kenenisa Bekele. It was installed in 2005 in Belgium. World leadership in the “road ten” belongs to Kenyan runner Leonard Komon.

The half marathon is one of the most popular distances. This is due to the fact that many amateur races of 21,097.5 meters are organized around the world. Many people run it in preparation for the marathon, an even more popular distance among amateurs. The world record for the half marathon is held by Eritrean runner Zersenay Tadase of 58:23. An interesting fact is that the difference between the record for the half marathon and the hour run (21,285) is not significant, but noticeable.

The undisputed leaders of long-distance races are athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and other African countries. This is due to the fact that in these countries people literally earn their food by running. Everyone understands that the only chance to get out of poverty is long-distance running. The good motivation of athletes, the large numbers and genetic features of the structure of black people give them a great advantage in stayer running.

Long distance running technique

The main feature of the long-distance running technique is efficiency. If in sprint running a strong push is very important and the athlete runs the entire distance “on his toes”, then in stayer running it is carried out “on the foot”, the athlete should not do any unnecessary actions while running. After all, every drop of energy saved can be very useful in the final “showdown” for a prize or victory.

Running technique, video:

Many beginner runners make many mistakes in long-distance running that greatly affect their performance. The first mistake is incorrect head position. There is no need to look at your feet or, conversely, look at the beautiful clouds in the sky.

The athlete must look only forward and see the finish line

Errors are made when moving all parts of the human body. The next mistake is the incorrect position of the shoulder girdle. Many people lift their shoulders up towards their necks. This adds extra stress to the muscles of the back, shoulders and neck. This means that more fibers become acidified, which means the body requires more oxygen.

Under no circumstances should you slouch. Before you start running, you should take a deep breath, straighten it, lower your shoulders, and only then start running. Due to this, the chest will always be straightened, the shoulders will be lowered, and the athlete himself will not slouch. There should be a slight tilt of the body in the direction of movement. The optimal degree of tilt can be determined at home. You should stand facing the wall at a distance of 1-1.5 meters from it, and begin to gradually lean towards the wall with a straight back. As soon as the athlete loses his balance, he must put his hands out and lean on it. It is precisely this angle of inclination in which the athlete is fixed that will be most suitable for running.

Your arms should be bent at the elbows at approximately right angles. It is the bend angle of 90 degrees that reduces the load on the arm muscles. By the end of a long-distance race, even athletes with ideal running technique feel severe fatigue and soreness in their arms, which greatly distracts them from running. Many beginning runners start shaking their arms halfway through the race or even earlier. This, in turn, requires additional energy expenditure and disrupts concentration during a competitive moment.

The hardest thing for a stayer to do is keep track of his feet. The hardest part of long-distance running technique is proper footwork. Learning to move your feet correctly by reading books or even looking at pictures is almost impossible on your own. There must be an experienced person nearby, ideally a coach, who will prompt and correct the athlete. Incorrect leg positioning affects not only the athlete’s performance, but also his health. By running incorrectly, an athlete can seriously injure his legs.

Keep your knees slightly bent to reduce stress on your knees and feet. On the other hand, you should not allow your knees to sag too much. Experienced runners say about such runners: “Runs on a chair.” And indeed, if you watch athletes who sag heavily in the knee joint, it seems that they are running in a squat. This will greatly affect speed and energy consumption.

The feet should be parallel to each other. If an athlete runs “like a frog,” there will be a heavy load on the knee joint and periosteum. Diseases of the latter can cause severe discomfort not only while running, but also when simply walking.

You should land on your entire foot or the middle part of it. Running from the toe will be very energy-consuming at distances for stayers. You can only rise to the toe a few hundred meters before the finish in order to develop finishing speed. Running from your heel will greatly reduce your speed throughout the distance. The push must be carried out with the toe so that the step is as far as possible.

The foot should land under the athlete's center of gravity. If you take it too far forward, the athlete will “sit down,” but if you put it behind you, there will be a strong loss of speed. It is necessary to work with the hip. Bring it forward, and raise the shin in the back position as much as necessary for a full running step.

Conclusion

Today in the world, it is stayer running that attracts the most participants at its competitions, relative to other disciplines of athletics. Often, it is at stayer distances and competitions that fierce battles take place; the fight is between black athletes, but there are also talented European runners. Moreover, in the middle of the twentieth century, the main confrontation over long distances was between the Soviet runner Vladimir Kuts and the Englishman Gordon Pirie.

Behind all the victories of stayers lie numerous training sessions, a tough regimen and enormous willpower (the latter probably plays the most important role).