Learning・Unlearning

Learning

Learning new things do not come easy any more (or has it ever been easy??).

When I saw my flatmate, Jocelyn, using the computer mouse with her left hand, I thought I could do the same. I was inept and it took me a while before I could control the mouse. Now I cannot NOT use the mouse with my left hand and type numbers with my right hand concurrently. I would feel that I have wasted a lot of time (as if!) if I were to use my right hand to click the buttons on the mouse, then let go and type and click again.

4 years ago, I began to learn play the piano and surprise surprise, I felt like an idiot because I simply could not play 'Jingle bells'. It was made worse as it was December and a television commercial was using 'Jingle bells' for its background music. It drove me nuts every time I see the television commercial. Once I was able to play (technically, without emotions) 'Jingle bells', I asked my teacher the skip the piece (privilege of being an adult student).

Unlearning

I think unlearning is equally as difficult as learning, if not more. Just ask the people who try to quit smoking/ drinking.

I have been a sprinter since 7. Relax, compose, heads down, blast off the blocks, strong arm swings, transit from short and rapid high knee lifts to streamlined, high frequency big strides on the balls of feet, dip for the finishing line. Although I changed my breathing technique over the years, the objective remains the same – achieve the goal in the fastest and strongest manner. Give it all. No conservation of energy.

When I started slightly more serious hiking, I had to unlearn a lot of things that had been part of me:

• Unlearn 'blasting from the blocks' and 'charging for the goal'. There is no competition (except maybe against the weather and your own will). No sprinting up or down the hill. Instead zig zag your way up or down. One step at a time. Slowly, slowly, pole, pole.
• Unlearn 'streamlined big strides'. Instead of putting each foot in front of the other in near straight line, land the feet out wide with a wide base for better stability and use trekking poles to support all the time (not just only when in need). The trekking poles will act as the 3^rd and 4^th feet at all times to help conserve energy.
• Unlearn 'using balls of feet to push yourself forward'. Use your heels for stability.
• Unlearn 'no conservation of energy'. In hiking, because of the distance or level of difficulty, one may have to conserve energy. One also needs to think of the exit strategy. For me, one of the reasons for stopping 225m from the peak of Posets was because if I were to use up all of my energy to reach the peak, I would not have the energy to get down.

Sorry, did I mention I have to change everything I have always known? 

Side note: There are still similarities between how I sprint and hike:

• Mental toughness is essential. I hated fartleks and slope trainings and my coaches would kick my butt and say “It's all up in your mind”. Half the battle is won when one is upbeat and positive and I have much to improve in this area.
• I still talk/ sing to myself. Trust me, I talk to myself a lot in the 13, 30 or 70 seconds of a race. I will remind myself to breathe, of the tactics or curse myself for signing up the event. During yucky 600m or 300m interval trainings, I would sing out loud, Skeeter Davis' "End of the world". In the most recent Mt Kilimanjaro trek, to keep myself awake while summiting, I sang and talked to myself in the head. And no, I am not mad.
• I am still competitive (Meredith Grey kind of competitive, not Christina Yang kind of competitive). Sure, there is no competition, but I would like to set PBs or keep up. I have always trained with boys. In sprint training, depending on the programme, I either keep up with them or make sure they do not catch up with me. Although I walk with boys who have longer strides, I refuse to lag behind (which essentially means I have yet to 'unlearn big strides'. Ha!). 
• It is an individual sport as well as a team sport. You are part of a team,  you do your own thing (at times) but still cheer each other on as a team and want the team to win as a whole (like how I sprint but would support the javelin thrower and want us to win the championship). 

10,000 hours

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle

Be it learning or unlearning, just give me 10,000 hours. I will get there, sooner or later. Just wait for meeeeeeeeee.......