Why you should target consistency

Feb 2020 I used to run 6km in 60+ minutes.

Feb 2022, today I ran 6km in 37 minutes.

Progress takes time but the gradual change is a big boost. When I started running I never wanted to be the fastest or run the longest distance. I had two goals that helped my progress. One was becoming better than myself the day before and the second was becoming the most consistent.

The first is pretty common. I don't want to elaborate much. But the second one is important. Targeting to become the most consistent was important because the only metric there for me to measure was to show up. Nothing else. No pressure about the distance or the speed. All I needed to do was show up. Not miss a day. Put in the work every single day.

Micheal Phelps the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals had a similar approach to his swimming. His coach Bob Bowman said,

"In the first ten years that I coached him, I suspect that he missed only five practices. He was that consistent. In fact, he did more than not miss a practice; he created more opportunities to practice.”

Just imagine. Only 5 practices were missed in 10 years. This means in those 10 years he got more practice compared to all his competitors. His 28 medals weren’t just because of his talent. The amount of hard work he put in consistently had a big impact.
That's why I believe that the first metric you should target is consistency. So whatever goal you are trying to achieve, first try to be consistent. The rest will follow